Gandolfi half-plate camera...advice needed

[Alex Tymków]

Hi Robert
You have a Gandolfi Universal, I have the same camera. Rise & fall and shift on the front, and a small amount of tilt and swing on the back. I thought mine had been made in the 50s but I showed it to Edward Hill (Gandolfi maker) and he told me it was from before the First World War. It has square cornered bellows.
I exposed some film recently and found I had a light leak down one side of the negative. I will now investigate whether it is the bookform darkslide or the camera back. 200 quid is a really good deal if it is in working order.
Enjoy your piece of British photographic history.
Alex

[Pete Watkins]

Rob,
As you have probably realised Gandolfi are still in existence. I dunno what they would charge but I'm sure that they would make you a 5x7 film holder back. If you decide to do this half plate film holders are available in The UK on a regular basis on the Bay, and they go cheap. Second hand 5x7 filmholders are as rare as unicorn crap and you'll need to join the queue :-) well behind me. If you can't be bothered to cut 5x7 down Mr. Cad (God forgive me for giving him a plug) stocks 100 asa half plate sheet film.
Best wishes,
Pete.

[Robert999]

Alex,
Thank you for helping me identify it! You are right, it does have a square cornered bellows.

I checked for a light leak in the shop, and couldn't find anything, but you never really know until it has film exposed. However, the store owner said that the camera had been in use up until the time it was sold.

Do you have any idea of why the called it a Universal, and what makes it special or different from the other models? Looking at the woodworking, I can easily believe it is an older camera, so the WWI date doesn't surprise me.

Again, many thanks!

Robert

[Ernest Purdum]

"Universal" was a very common name or description for camera models intended for versatile use. Zeiss had the "Universal Palmos". Sinclair had their "Una" and spelled it out as a Universal camera. Gandolfi also had their remarkable "Universal" hand camera with capabilities in the Master Technika level.

The Gandolfi Universal is a "square bellows" camera, a type which was almost generic in the pre-WW I era. Watson and Sinclair were amongst the very fine makers who made models very close in design to the Gandolfi. The term "square bellows" didn't refer to the bellows corners, it meant square, as opposed to the tapered bellows common on more lightly constucted cameras. It's a coincidental oddity that square-cornered bellows survived longer on some of these cameras well after they had disappeared from other types. These cameras could support heavy portrait lenses that typical field cameras could not. Though having many common design characteristics to the Continental "ReiseKamera" (travel camera) in Britain they were thought of as primarily for studio use. The British War Office was one purchaser.

[Robert999]

Ernest,
Thank you very much for your detailed explanation and helping my education in LF.

Do the square bellows help at all in using wide angle lenses?

Robert

[Alex Tymków]

Hi Robert
Using a wide angle lens on a tailboard camera, the generic name for Universal types, is a bit awkward. It is not because of the shape of the bellows but because of the short focal length of the lens. You have to have the rear standard very close to the front. If you then try to focus with a loupe the tailboard hits you in the throat. A few contortions are required.
My Universal doesn't have a carrying handle which makes me think, as Ernest says, that it was made to be used in the studio. Using longer lenses so the tailboard doesn't get in the way.
I have a Zeiss "ReiseKamera" which does have a carrying handle which bears out again what Ernest said.

[Robert999]

OUCH - I can see just what you mean...that platform looks like it will get me right in the neck, unless I manoeuvre around from the side or something. I will have to take that into account when I size a darkcloth, and even set up the tripod. I am guessing that it means setting up the tripod fairly low to give myself enough reach.

It also means that I probably can't get much of a shorter lens than the 127mm that I have on it to focus - I can't see how to fit a tophat lensboard on the front panel, and the rear standard is almost right up against front even to focus the 127mm. I might have a conversation with Gandolfi's current owner and see what he says...

[Ole Tjugen]

Well, both my "Universal" and all my "Reisekameras" have carrying handles.

The "Universal" is thicker than the "Reisekameras", meaning that it cannot use as wide lenses - my 24x30cm German Reisecamera can focus the 47mm SA XL at infinity, the Gandolfi Universal stops at about 105mm.