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Thread: Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

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    Founder QT Luong's Avatar
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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    Are there any cameras from the 19th century (preferably in the 5x7 format) that can still be put to use, maybe with a small back modification to take modern holders, and can be bought for a few hundred dollars ? If you know of any, could you please indicate make/name, and approximate production dates ? The goal is nothing serious, just to get a kick out of shooting (occasionally) with a 19th century camera.

  2. #2

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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    http://www.fiberq.com/cam/roc.htm
    http://www.fiberq.com/cam/misc/conny.htm

    A local historian and camera buff, the late John Hughes, once set up a Favourite to take contempoary film.
    Good luck.
    yours
    Frank Johnston

  3. #3
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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    If you haven't already seen it, you should look at this wonderful site:

    www.fiberq.com/cam/

    19th century cameras turn up fairly regularly on eBay, although without having actually tallied the listings my sense is that stuff from 1900-20 is much more common. With a bit of patience you should certainly be able to find something fun within your price range.

  4. #4
    Robert A. Zeichner's Avatar
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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    It's not 19th century, but I took a 5x7 Century Grand Sr. that was designed for plates and modified for use with film holders by creating a holder sized shim to insert when focusing. I've fully tested this using my ground glass alignment procedure and it passed with flying colors. It originally had a B&L/Zeiss convertible Protar 7", 11", 13", which I got rid of. The Volute shutter was not consistent. I've since fitted it with a 203 f7.7 Ektar and it is a fun package to take when I don't feel like hauling a full load.

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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    I've got a Lancaster Instantograph that dates to the 1890's which has a reasonable amount of rise and fall and tilt although I can't recall off-hand whether it has swing. I'm using the original lenses and a Thornton Pickard roller-blind shutter. The shutter has been timed to 1/30 sec which is useful enough for portraiture, but for landscape use you could just as well dispense with the shutter, stop right down and use a hat and a stopwatch :-). In any case the blind on my shutter is leaking light so will need to be replaced or repaired. They are simple devices and that is nowhere as difficult as it sounds.

    It is a half plate model and I have made a pair of adapters to allow the use of 4x5 DDs and grafmatics. These are basically spacers to move the film back far enough to compensate for the difference in thickness between sheet film and glass plates. See if you can borrow an old wooden half plate DD and then compare it to a modern 5x7 DD, just in case the 5x7 DD is small enough (i.e. length x width) to fit. If it won't fit you may be able get a new back (or part of it) made, or some sort of add-on converter. Otherwise you'll have to scale up to a full plate model which will be harder to find and more expensive.

    I have bought extra shutters and lenses very cheaply at swap-meets and on eBay ($50 or less) so once you have the camera itself there isn't a lot more to be spent. Thornton Pickard cameras are much the same as the Lancaster and there are probably many others available from the 1880 - 1900 period that would still be very usable. A museum grade piece will probably be very expensive, but there are still enough of these camera out there that a decent user should be available in your price range.

    One more thing to remember, a lot of these cameras had integrated tripods. The legs attached to a turntable that formed part of the camera bottom, so you may not be able to attach your usual tripod without building some sort of adapter. I'm not sure how you would go trying to match a set of legs to a different camera, but the legs themselves would be simple enough for any wood-worker to build.

    Hope that helps,

    Paul

  6. #6

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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    While it is more of a folding camera than a full field camera, I have a Rochester Pony Premo No 1 4x5 that takes regular filmholders has about 81/2 inches bellows draw ground glass focusing and front rise. The film holders that came with it had 1905 stamped on them. Covered in beautiful leather, it is extremely light and compact folded. Unfolded its a exquisite red mahogony and nickel. Red leather bellows. With an ivory focusing scale, it is an exquisite piece of craftmanship. I've put a variety of lens in it and used to use it for traveling and backpacking. Makes a nice user. These, or similiar, are generally available for about $100. Mine was ready shoot out of the package. I am almost positive there is a 5x7 model and if not that exact maker I know other makers made similiar cameras in 5x7. these cameras were made for the home market for middleclass families to use. With the right shutter and scaled focusing they were designed almost for point and shoot. You frequently see them in old photographs.
    also see http://www.nwmangum.com/Kodak/Rochester.html#Rudolf%20Kingslake and
    http://www.antiquewoodcameras.com/views.htm

  7. #7

    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    Try Sanderson on Google. I am just getting new bellows for mine from England (red leather) and when I bought it in London about 35 years ago it was in beautiful shape, included a Thornton Pickard shutter, three book type plate holders and the tripod legs that fit onto a rotating ring integral to the bed of the camera. The lens mounted on it doesn't seem too great - nice brass mount but only two elements (neither of them multi-coated!) Also a web site "Historic Camera Collector Club" might peove useful.

  8. #8

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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    I am shooting a whole-plate Meager-style tailboard stereograph that was designed for slide-in type plate holders. (focus, drop-down glass, slide in plate holder, shoot. and all that without moving camera. HA!) Using an 8x10 to 5x7 B&J adapter back, I modified the back to slide in where the plate holder would go. In that way, I preserved the original back, still in place, but have the ability to "insert" the 5x7 back for focusing and use of newer film holders. I have two lensboards. One with twin barrel lenses (modified 8" projection lenses. haven't tried shooting with them yet) for looks, and one with an Ilex shutter for shooting. Type lens is irrelevant since I tend to be a bottom-feeder. My lenses are generally early-type lenses (artar, dogmar, b&l rapid, etc) I enjoy shooting with it, and especially enjoy the looks it gets when setting up. And total spent was far less (several hundreds less) than any newer field or view camera.

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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    It's not 19th century, but I took a 5x7 Century Grand Sr. that was designed for plates and modified for use with film holders by creating a holder sized shim to insert when focusing.

    I am trying to picture how that would work. Placing the ground glass farther back for film holders would seem to indicate that the glass plates would sit closer to the lens than film in proper holders (6mm). Or do I have that backwards? Or are the glass holders single-sided and thinner than film holders?

    I'd appreciate some wisdom. I've a lot of wooden film holders and backs.

  10. #10
    Robert A. Zeichner's Avatar
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    Usable and affordable 19th century cameras

    I am trying to picture how that would work. Placing the ground glass farther back for film holders would seem to
    indicate that the glass plates would sit closer to the lens than film in proper holders (6mm). Or do I have that
    backwards? Or are the glass holders single-sided and thinner than film holders?

    That is generally the idea (plates sit closer to the lens). I did some initial measurement of the holder depth with a plate in place and compared it to the depth of a film holder with film in place. These were approximations only. After some experimenation, I was able to come up with the difference and machined an aluminum spacer with an aperture in it the size of the image area. I insert the spacer, focus and then replace with a standard film holder and expose. Works perfectly.

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