box cameras falling plate cameras

[jnantz]

please put your photographs from simple box cameras here
not home made, but the stuff sold long ago ...

[JeRuFo]

Can you tell a little more about the camera used? I've seen a box camera before, but never a falling plate camera. They are fascinating though and would still be quite useful today. That could really be a compact way of getting into LF.

[jnantz]

hi the photograph was taken using a delmar 4x5 box camera. it is a box camera that took film ( plate ) holder ...
a falling plate ( also called a magazine camera ) camera the glass plates are slid into septums inside the camera in a stack ( of 12 )
and were spring loaded. after each exposure the exposed plate fell to the bottom and the next plate was ready to expose.

i agree as long as you don't mind cheap/meniscus lenses ( think LF holga ) and 1 shutter speed its a lot of fun !

[jnantz]

from the same box caemra ...
remnants of a staple factory

[jnantz]

hand colored ( via PS ) negative from a 4x5 box camera

[jnantz]

thatch cove ( cyclone 3 falling plate camera )

[Oren Grad]

What have you been shooting in these - film or paper neg? Also, I realize that the point of these today isn't high fidelity, but I'm also wondering whether you've just inserted the film/paper directly into the septums/holders or whether you've done anything to try to adjust for film/plate register mismatch or to make sure the film/paper stays in place as the holders are manipulated.

[jnantz]

hi oren

the falling plate cameras i use, i put a piece of matboard/cardstock in the septum and slide a sheet of paper on top
the delmar modern film holders .. both have a meniscus lens and a choke to stop the lens down to around f10-13. ( or more ! )
so i don't much worry about focus ... i've shot self-coated dry plates in these too and the focus seems to be the same .. ..

- john

[Oren Grad]

the falling plate cameras i use, i put a piece of matboard/cardstock in the septum and slide a sheet of paper on top
the delmar modern film holders .. both have a meniscus lens and a choke to stop the lens down to around f10-13. ( or more ! )
so i don't much worry about focus ... i've shot self-coated dry plates in these too and the focus seems to be the same .. ..

Sounds good - thanks for sharing the details!

[Brian Bullen]

John, great series of images! I really love the colored version, just the right amount of color and excellent sense of place! Any pics of the camera used, I'm not as familiar with these as I'd like to be .