What is this old camera?

[JamesFromSydney]

Not interested in buying this, but am curious now that I was unable to google it:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Antique-V...-/230622430066

I'd guess it's a half plate.

[IanG]

W.B. is William Butcher, the and Sons means 1901-25 but it may say Ltd as well so after 1907. The company became Houghton Butcher and later changed its name to Ensign.

These cameras sell in the UK for anything between £60 and £200-£300 if it a desirable collectors item.

Ian

[Discoman]

whoa, look-it has a hinged ground glass.
I can't really tell from the pictures the scale of it, but i'd say it's either half-plate or whole-plate.
interesting item. might be better off in a collection with a nice brass lens and old shutter than used-plates are hard to work with and plate sized film is really uncommon.
really beautiful camera though.

[IanG]

The dimensions rule out it being a whole plate camera, it's very definitely a W. Butcher and Sons half plate camera, most likely a "National".

it's very easy to adapt these cameras for film use, either make a new back, adapt a Graflex Crown or Speed back by just screwing to an appropriate sized board or make an adaptor plate to allow modern DDS to be used. I've used the last option with my half plate Houghton Duchess camera the adaptor and DDS just slide in instead of a plate holder.

Ian

[Two23]

Ironically, one of my favorite photographers was a guy who lived in the 1880s-1910s and worked as a traveling postcard photographer in Nebraska. His name was Solomon Butcher. His sons got into the business later one, and were known as "Butcher & Sons" as I recall. Ironic, no?


Kent in SD

[Fourtoes]

Looks almost exactly like one I had until recently.

clicky link

Sold it on fleabay to someone from the Scottish Ballet who are using it as a prop for a production...?