Who Made this Tripod?

**tom thomas** · 3-May-2011, 09:06

I found an old tripod and case in an open air "brocant/garage sale" last weekend here. It's not large format capable as about 40cm long and 150cm extended with head. If I'm asking in the wrong forum, please move to Lounge.

I have seen similar with 3/8" thread mount but this on is a bit fancier as the legs reverse to show 1/4" on one side and 3/8" on the other. I also came with the tilt/swivel adapter with 1/4" screw. Nice leather case, dry but in good shape.

There aren't any markings on it, I assume it is French though. Photo 3 shows how articulated it can be to get the base level. The 3/8" bolt is visible.

The little folder is an English Ensign Selfix 620. The camera was a gift from an old English friend now living in the Charente region. It was his childhood camera which I'm entrusted with now. The camera will make a great partner for the tripod. It accepts either 620 or 120 roll film as is. The British plan for everything. It came in a Zeiss Ikon case, fits perfectly so it must be a close copy of a Zeiss model.

Could this tripod be a very early Gitzo? Age?

The seller at the garage sale was very apologetic when he mentioned that the case wasn't original for the tripod since the flap couldn't be closed with the tilt/swivel adapter fitted. I bit my tongue when I accepted his price of 5 Euros since it wasn't the "real" thing. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the adapter screwed off and fit under the flap for storage.

Tom

**TheDeardorffGuy** · 3-May-2011, 20:46

Look carefully. Somewhere it should say Made in East Germany. I have one exactly like it. And if it does not Its not a super valueable one anyway. I do not think it's a Gitzo.

**IanG** · 4-May-2011, 01:04

A very similar tripod came with one of my German 9x12 cameras and there's a lot more like it of various makes shown in pre & post WWII British Journal of Photography adverts & new product reviews.

It's condition & age may be deceptive I have a pre WWII Avo lightmeter which looks mint particularly the leather case.

Houghton and also Butcher, then Houghton Butcher later renamed Ensign (A Houghton brand name) were making cameras before Zeiss (inc roll film) so they didn't really copy and there were a large number of similar competitors some in the UK but mainly in Germany.

Ian

**Rick A** · 4-May-2011, 04:26

It looks very much like a deJur tripod I had in the 60's. deJur was rebranding mostly German gear back then, it came with the 35mm camera I purchased, don't recollect the actual maker of the camera.

Looked in my notebook -Neidig Perlux- IIa camera, also Braun accessories, the company was deJur- AMSCO. Possibly a Braun tripod.

**Bob Salomon** · 4-May-2011, 06:12

Except for the ball head instead of a pan head it looks very much like the current Giottos RT 8150 8-section tripod.
http://www.giottos.com/ click on products then RT tripods to see it.

**tom thomas** · 7-May-2011, 13:35

Busy week so haven't caught up. I checked the tripod and case carefully. I can't find either a name nor place of manufacture yet. I suspect it is French, ca late 1930's as it resembles one I have seen with a 3/8" screw post. I saw a very similar one on E-* where the celler said it was "turn of the century." Didn't say whether 19th or 20th however. If Chinese, I'd suspect turn of the 20th. No markings though.

I took the Ensign 1620 out on a photo hunt to Les Baux de Provence, Daudet's Mill at Fontview then on to Aigues Morte. I used ASA100 T-Max B/W film, eyeballing distance, but used a Zeiss lightmeter.

I was surprised to find that I got 16 exposures off a 12-exposure roll of T-Max. The little Ensign isn't 6X6 square but 4.5X6 (approx) and winding manually revealed that the film is marked up to 16 exposures. With a Rollei, and other TLR's, we don't get to see the film number, just advance to the next stop. I wasnt' aware that the film paper was labelled to 16.

Now I know why the shutter button on the Ensign is on the left near the film wind knob instead of on the right top. Shooting landscape, the shutter button is handily located under the left forefinger. And the 120 film loads flawlessly in the 620 frame as the British planned for use of both 120 and 620 film. Nice springloaded spool holders easily load both spool sizes.

Now to finish another roll or two, then a trip to Nimes for development. Then I'll have to wait 3 weeks or so until I return to the US so I can scan the negs.

Tom