New here, fascinated by J T Chapman "British"

[antonroland]

Hello All

I see no "Introduce yourself" forum so I'll just jump in here...

I got a "British" camera from a friend...anyone on here maybe who owns one or shoots one?

It is in pretty good nick but needs some attention, would love to hear from you!

Anton

[Brian C. Miller]

Welcome, Anton! Every camera is a good place to start, I say. You probably have a whole-plate format camera. Film is still being cut to that size, and Ilford is doing it's run of odd format sizes. I'm sure there will be some new film available for it.

Did you get film holders with your camera? Those might require a bit of searching for more of them. Most "old" lenses just need a bit of cleaning, and there are a number here who use lenses from the mid-1800s. The bellows probably need to be replaced, and then your camera will be ready for another 150 years!

The Introductions forum is down towards the bottom of the forum list, so I'm sure that the moderators will scoot this thread over there.

[Steven Tribe]

Josiah Thomas Chapman. Active from 1874.
Read more at Earlyphotography.co.uk.
The "British" sounds like the traditional UK type field camera.

[antonroland]

Hello folks

Sorry, I typed a response between 01:00 and 02:00 this morning but never clicked the reply / submit button...

Brian, thanks for the welcome. This half plate, full plate thing is new to me...it looks like 4 x 5 will be close but maybe slightly too large.

Will make a plan, even if I have to cut it myself.

I got 3 holders with it, two badly damaged but one in very good nick, almost as new...the lens looks remarkably good despite a ding on the front which should not affect IQ. The aperture adjustment will need some attention though, seems to be stuck wide open.

Believe it or not but the bellows is in perfect shape...some flaking on the outside but no pinholes I could spot with a small torch.

What I will have to do is source a suitable replacement ground glass as there is currently a piece of clear glass in there.

Then, the Thornton Pickard shutter box doesn't seem to be compatible...do I need it?

Would love to hear more on that.

Cheers,

Anton

[antonroland]

Josiah Thomas Chapman. Active from 1874.
Read more at Earlyphotography.co.uk.
The "British" sounds like the traditional UK type field camera.

That is the one!

[Brian C. Miller]

I haven't used a Thorton Pickard shutter myself, but others on this forum used them regularly.

The lens you have doesn't have an integral shutter, just the aperture diaphram or Waterhouse stops (plates with holes for the various aperture sizes). The lens you have is known as a "barrel" lens, i.e., it's just a little brass barrel with bits of glass at either end. Without the shutter, you'd have to get some practice with putting the lens cap on and off.

Good to hear that the bellows are in good shape! They can be replaced, but on some cameras it requires you to get artsy-craftsy.

I'm sure that others will be able to chime in with where to purchase the appropriate film sizes.

Enjoy!

[Steven Tribe]

Bellows were made to a standard which was far in excess of the expected life of the cameras (10-20 years?) at the time.
The Victorians were experts at getting hold of quality hides and the tanning processes since then, have become environmental friendly but less effective!
A bit like the old lueing technique (evaporating the mercury from a thin gold amalgam) for gold was much better than applying gold leaf.
I have a number of bellows that are 100 years and which have bee folded and stored properly and are good for another 100 years. Bad folding and damp storage will destroy even the best bellows.

[Emil Schildt]

Sitting looking at a camera like that. ...

On mine, there's two holes for tripod - on on the side of the camera. IF your camera is exactely like mine, then BE CAREFUL!! I would not use the thread/hole in the side of the camera..
Doing that broke the camera for me!! (Old thin wood couldn't carry the weight.)

Beautiful camera though.

Image?

[antonroland]

I haven't used a Thorton Pickard shutter myself, but others on this forum used them regularly.

The lens you have doesn't have an integral shutter, just the aperture diaphram or Waterhouse stops (plates with holes for the various aperture sizes). The lens you have is known as a "barrel" lens, i.e., it's just a little brass barrel with bits of glass at either end. Without the shutter, you'd have to get some practice with putting the lens cap on and off.

Good to hear that the bellows are in good shape! They can be replaced, but on some cameras it requires you to get artsy-craftsy.

I'm sure that others will be able to chime in with where to purchase the appropriate film sizes.

Enjoy!

Looking forward to more responses!

As it is there is a bit of a ding and the box is cracked, makes closing it properly a bit of a mission...the lens is a "Wray", the numbers 6 1/2. X 5. 8 1/2 inch appear on the barrel and a serial number 10424. It screws into a brass ring mounted on the front standard so I do not think that the shutter will work without some modifications...something I would rather not do...

[antonroland]

Bellows were made to a standard which was far in excess of the expected life of the cameras (10-20 years?) at the time.
The Victorians were experts at getting hold of quality hides and the tanning processes since then, have become environmental friendly but less effective!
A bit like the old lueing technique (evaporating the mercury from a thin gold amalgam) for gold was much better than applying gold leaf.
I have a number of bellows that are 100 years and which have bee folded and stored properly and are good for another 100 years. Bad folding and damp storage will destroy even the best bellows.

I got two little exposure note books with it...the oldest entry lists 10 January 1898, really would love to take pictures with it eventually!