MPP LF cameras

[IanG]

I follow the MPP USers Club online, it's been rescued and continues but little happens, and I have Basil Skinner's book on the company. However there's some major dilemnas not address or previously challenged.

First is the highly secretive link between MPP and Graflex which resulted in a largely Graflex made slightly disguised Speed Graphic camera being sold as an MPP MicroPress, this was at a time of draconoian luxury goods imports into the UK after WWII. Parts could be imported without a licence but not finished goods.

Now anyone connected to MPP denies any link but says MPP copied parts of the Speed Graphic, that doesn'y make sense. But then MPP made their first Micro Technical cameras in 1948, based on the war time production Linhofs (as part of war reparations), the MkI SN start at 1001, however my MkII\i made in 1950 has a SN of 1040 so sales must have been very low.

Now the MkIII is identical to the MkII except it has an un-named side mounted range-finder - actually a Kalart - and this is a sign of the Graflex link. MPP had shown a prototype MicroPress based on the MkII with a Wray shutter annd Wray top mounted range finder, but it may have never gone into production. All of a sudden a very different MPP MicroPress is released this is definitely Graflex based. There's no way MPP could get tooled up to suddenly switch and copy a competitors camera in such a short time and having examined a MicroPress in detail I'm confident which parts Graflex made. Sales of the Micro Technical seem to be very low and we know they are working on the Microcord a UK derivation of the Rolleicord as well as other camers like their monorails.

Most MPP cameras still seem to exist, they are well made, under-rated, early ones suffer because the leather weras badly, decomposes even though the camera may be mechanical excellent.

Ian

[Mark Sampson]

Fascinating. It would seem that Graflex dominated the press camera market in the USA in those days, and most of their would-be competitors... couldn't really compete. (A 4x5 Busch Pressman was the first LF camera I ever used, btw.) So It would have made sense for Graflex to find a way to sell in the UK market, even if their name wasn't on the box. Graflex, as a division of Singer, ceased camera production in (I think) 1973, so finding anyone with first-hand knowledge at the Rochester end will be difficult now, to say the least. We should have asked Dr. Kingslake while he was still alive...

[Jac@stafford.net]

Fascinating. It would seem that Graflex dominated the press camera market in the USA in those days, and most of their would-be competitors... couldn't really compete. (A 4x5 Busch Pressman was the first LF camera I ever used, btw.)

I still have a NIB 4x5 Busch Pressman in storage. Odd.
.

[barnacle]

My MPP MicroPress is the 1950 version linked to by Ian. The rangefinder is now too dark to use and I don't trust the accuracy of the focal plane shutter, but the thing is built like a tank.

The article mentions that the eyepiece and the sports finder are both selectable for parallax; on mine I believe that the wire frame is simply lifted to full extension and the eyepiece moved to the indicated mark for distance.

Neil