What kind of fool would buy a half-plate camera?

[Bernard Kaye]

A guess: the front standard was customized by a user or his good selection of craftsperson. Note absence of a shiny horizontal strip of metal on top to insure that spacing of top of front standard does not vary. Of course, people in this quorum are not collectors but I think that BarryS should sleep with this, at least for a while. Bernie Kaye

[BarryS]

Some interesting observations. All the screws do seem to be aligned except in some obvious instances where screws were removed and replaced. I had no idea that plate cameras were manufactured relatively recently. I still am unable to positively match any of the hardware to any other makers or cameras. There are many similarities to early British view cameras, but that's as far as the trail goes. I've attached some more photos in the hope that someone recognizes a distinctive bit of hardware or design element. I'm starting to develop a fixation with identifying this camera.

[BarryS]

[E. von Hoegh]

Well it looks like it has a Thornton-Pickard rollerblind shutter behind the lens.

Otherwise, still a lovely piece of work.
And I agree that it may have been modified at some time..

[Robert999]

The camera doesn't have too many similarities, but the bookform holders DO seem quite similar to the ones that came with my WW I Gandolfi Universal half-plate, down to some of the brasswork pieces. If you could post one or two more of them...

[BarryS]

The camera doesn't have too many similarities, but the bookform holders DO seem quite similar to the ones that came with my WW I Gandolfi Universal half-plate, down to some of the brasswork pieces. If you could post one or two more of them...

Perhaps they'd fit your Gandolfi better than my mystery camera. I've found there are a lot of variations of bookform half-plate holders--all slightly different sizes. The holders that came with my camera are a good, but not perfect fit. Unfortunately, they're in unusable shape due to warping and damage. Thanks to some generous forum members, I have two perfectly fitting holders (see one pictured below) and some slightly small holders in good shape that I hope to modify to work with the camera. The basic design of many half plate bookform holders is remarkably similar--but alas not the size.

[Gene McCluney]

Your camera is equipped with a reversable back, which means it easily comes off. It is a simple task to adapt a back from a salvage 5x7 camera, and that is what I would do, and actually DID do for a Toyo metal half-plate field camera, and it has become my workhorse for my field photography. This would not damage your camera in any way, as the original back would be easily installed in an instant.

[BarryS]

Gene--that's exactly what I'm planning on doing. I'd still like to shoot some half-plate film now and then using the camera in its original form, but I'm on the lookout for a 5X7 back that I can adapt.

[Sandeha]

I suspect that Vageeswari copied Houghton for many aspects of structural design and metalwork.

The focus knobs are very similar to my Houghton whole plate, but the fittings on the front standard look much more like one of the Vageeswari's I've seen.

Mine doesn't have the original back, but it works a darn sight better for that !! I bought the camera with a Kodak whole plate spring back that must have been fitted 20+ years after the camera was first made. You can see here how I filled the base of mine ... http://www.sandehalynch.com/restoration.htm

[BarryS]

Sandeha-- I'm familiar with your page from my research and you did a beautiful job with that Triple Victo. The way you filled in the base is nicely done. I've been hunting for some Crown Graflex tripod legs to see if I can modify them to attach to the brass turntable. Ideally, I'd like to keep the camera unmodified--or at least make the modifications easily reversible.

As to the identity, I don't think it's a Vageeswari or any other Indian camera. The hardware seems consistent with British camera makers. From what I understand, there were British hardware vendors that sold stock to different camera makers, so you can sometimes find identical brass hardware on cameras from different makers.

Sean, the admin on APUG, has a half-plate camera (mis)identified as a Thornton Pickard Imperial Triple Extension and despite some significant differences--it may be from the same maker as my camera. At the very least, it shares some hardware. There's a chance the maker could be W. Butcher & Sons--which eventually merged with Houghton's in 1915.

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum192/...new-forum.html