Please help me identify this 24x30 cm camera

[Yourix]

Hi there !

I've been shooting 4x5 and 13x18cm for a while now and had no plan at all to go bigger. But you know how it is...

First i stumble upon someone selling a brand-new roll of AGFA Aviphot (perempted in 2015, wich can be considered "new") 24cm X 156 meters for 40€. I bought it, tested it, turned great...
Then I tought "156 meters divided by 18cm makes me more than 850 sheets of european standard 18x24cm". So I considered trying this format, not wanting to think about 24x"Something"cm.
Found a 18x24cm Fidelity Elite film holder (the one with external dimension identical with the 8x10 holders). I bought it.

Then I tought "Maybe I could buy an old 18x24cm plate camera for cheap and build it a springback 8x10 back to go with the holder I have". This is nothing but woodworking, wich is not a problem for me.
Looked for a camera on internet, with square back wich can be turned 1/4 turn for landscape (not so common in that old format). Found one, the seller say it's a 18x24cm but doesn't really know what he is selling. The camera look OK despite poor bellow and no groundglass, bought it for 200€ with unknown lens.

The camera was delivered yesterday and... It is not a 18x24cm at all ! It is a 24x30cm... In other words a (almost) 10x12 field camera.

Here is the thing :


It is nicely made of Mahogany (I guess) and brass. It operate smoothly, is kindda light (4,5kg) and surprisingly rigid. It unfortunately lack a knob, wich can be re-made, need a new bellow and new leather handle. In other words it's a trap !
But the kind of trap you like to jump into and my plan on the long run is to restore it and build it a 8x10 reducing back. On the very long run I would love to build it a proper 10x12 back but it will involve building a sheet film holder too because I can't afford a 500+€ holder from Chamonix.
The good thing is all of it can be done without modifying the camera itself, it's all about back swap !


The camera has no marking at all except "BROOKER" written with a pencil under front standard and serial number 7396 under rear standard. I have no clue what brand it is nor in what year it was built. It look a lot like a Vageeswari (example here : https://www.wetplatedreams.com/well-...ld-camera-8x10 ) even if the front standard attachement is not the same. Maybe an earlier version ?
If you have any info about it I would love to hear it !

[Steven Tribe]

Doesn’t fit any Uk,USA, European or Japanese Cameras I know. But it does look an awful lot like the Vageeswari - especially the double brass fitments on the lens board and rather special circular base mount for a wooden tripod - in addition to the slightly tapered bellows.
It would be far cheaper for you to get hold of a couple of 24x30cm plate holders WITH 18x24cm inserts!
Now it could be that, because of the British “influence!” In India, that the external dimensions are taken from the UK standard for 10x12”.
Measure up and post - I do have a number of 24x30cm, 10x12” cameras, plate holders, film sheaths etc. so can confirm what you should look for!
If it is Indian, it won’t be mahogany - they use their own hardwoods!

[Yourix]

Thank you for your feedback.
I am in France and large film or plate holders are quite rare (specially in good shape) so finding the good size with insert etc etc may prove impossible or too expensive because of shipping from abroad.
Unfortunately here the LF community is quite small and the gear supply not as large as in the US.

Looking closely at the back I discovered a handwritten pencil mark (black on black) saying again "brooker" plus a few cryptic numbers and "86 Royal Parade" (if I'm not mistaken), wich seems to be a place in Eastbourne UK.

[Steven Tribe]

I have some real news for you!
Brooker of Eastbourne is identified!
The address 86 Royal Parade, Eastbourne is probably his private address around 1890- 1920. The building still exists.
Brooker was a supplier of stationary goods and a picture postcard producer for Eastbourne and the other resort towns of southern England.
See here: https://www.sussexpostcards.info/pub...s.php?PubID=46.
William Brooker had a shop at 56 Terminus Road and several other known photographers worked out of his shop/studio, including a very important participant in the early years of photography in London Frederick J. Cox, who must have retired to Eastbourne in his 70’s. I have a camera sold by Cox from this period with plate “F.J.Cox. Eastbourne”.
Do not give up on the plate holders!
Send me the dimensions here or to the link to my email!

[Yourix]

Oh Oh that is a serious piece of information...
Maybe the camera once was to a shop for a repair and they wrote on it the return adress ?

Anyway, I had confirmation by a professional camera seller that it might be an English camera from early 1900 and this match prety well with the Brooker story.

I'm way too busy this days but as soon as possible I'll take proper pictures and measurement of the back.

[Steven Tribe]

The 10x12” was the commonest size from the Indian makers.
Read this earlier thread about them!

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...swari-in-India