Old London-built half plate camera - do you have any info?

[scottjohnson]

Does anyone know anything about this camera? If I told you I paid £25 for this and a load of darkroom gear, would you say I made a bargain? I'm trying to decipher whether this is something worth selling or if I should start using it instead. In either sense, I don't know where to start so if anyone could share some wisdom it would be greatly appreciated!

Some photos:


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7205588932_bcacddafa4_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7205590164_c7b01aedf0_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7205589770_97026436c8_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7205591360_9991ba2fde_c.jpg

[Steven Tribe]

Yes, this is a bargain buy without a doubt. Early years of the 20th century.
This is a stereo/mono tailboard mahogany camera. You need to make a central septum to use the stereo capability. Looks German to me - so it is a reisekamera - probably 13x18cm unless modified for the UK market. The plate just shows who sold it.
Lens is a Eurygonal from Rodenstock, probably original to this camera. Again, a better class anastigmat - extremely fast F3.8.
Quality and condition look good.
The plate holders may contain sheet film holders - so you can order some 13x18cm film from Germany (Berlin).

There some details on the brass hardware I overlooked, so it could well be a UK camera, 1/2 plate (which, of course, you mentioned in the title!).

Nameplate can't be read (by me at least).

[scottjohnson]

Thanks a lot Steven! That clears up a few things for sure. Here's the name plate:


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7205590546_05671ce984_c.jpg

[Steven Tribe]

A close-up photo confirms this is a well made/little used camera.

No luck with the name, though. It is not a "known" maker or retailer.
Barbican was one of London'c centres for instrument makers from the end of the 18th Century and there were a few photographic names there for short periods.
The neighbour at no. 14 was the Hobcraft family, William (Junior & Senior) and later Edward Hobcraft. They applied for dicharge from bankcruptcy around 1865.
The long name could be a way of removing the earlier business problems of the Hobcrafts!
There was more money in sales of photographic chemicals than apparatus (Marion in LOndon and Kodak/Eastman are good examples) which could explain the long company name.
This is definitely an item which was ordered by them from a maker who supplied the same (or similar) cameras to other - more well known - retailers.
Go in in the website called earlycameras and you will find something very similar!

[scottjohnson]

Amazing, sounds like it has a real history to it. Any idea how much it might be worth? I've seen some very similar cameras selling on eBay at around the £400 mark!

[IanG]

I'd put the value between £140 and £250 based on what I could have bought recently in similar condition, although people are sometimes paying more on Ebay but often they aren't aware of the true value of what they are buying.

It's worth noting though that in the UK Vintage wood & brass cameras have roughly doubled in price in less than a year, that's based on reliable sources (sellers I deal with).

Ian

[Steven Tribe]

If you insist of realising your find, it would probably be a good idea to split the item into 2. Camera and set of plateholders as one and the lens + flange as the second.
The "new" camera owner would probably want to make even more British with a period Ross/Dallmeyer lens!
A total of £400 is well above what I would expect - this is basically a "no name" 1/2 plate camera. There are an awful lot of these cameras about. There was a UK auction last week were a collection of some 30 similar cameras were sold - so perhaps the demand has been met at the moment!
You can list here when you have been a member for a month.
The lens is more special - Rodenstock was not a big actor at this stage - so the value is difficult to judge.

Taking real photographs is a great activity! Many people here have regreted selling equipment for a quick profit!