Camera to match a lens

[moltogordo]

I have a Commercial Astragon 180mm f6.3 in a Seikosha SLV shutter, just repaired by Carol Miller. I know it's basically a copy of a Kodak Commercial Ektar, made in Japan in the 1970's to take up the slack when Kodak dropped their Ektars.

I really have no use for the lens per se as I have many other lenses I use in that range, but I thought, as I collect cameras, that it might be kind of fun to find a camera from the same period (1970s or before) to put it on. Preferably a 5x7 because this lens will cover this format. As it's a knockoff lens, not exactly top of the line but very usable, I thought matching it with a decent knockoff camera might be fun.

Any of you historians out there have any suggestions as to what might be a good camera to mate it with? Nothing high end, please. :rolleyes:


(PS: by the way, Carol Miller's work is just excellent!)

[Andrew Plume]

how about a Burke & James - plentiful on the used market, unless I'm way off course - not overly expensive, should fit your pitch well

good luck

andrew

[mdarnton]

Second vote for 5x7 B&J flatbed camera. Totally the correct thing to be behind this lens.

[Jim Jones]

Ditto on the B&J. I used a 5x7 flatbed B&J for decades, usually with the readily available (or improvised) 4x5 back. You have the choice of flatbed or monorail. They used the plentiful and easily fabricated 4" or 5.25" lens boards so the Astragon would also fit on countless other contemporary cameras.

[DrTang]

Second vote for 5x7 B&J flatbed camera. Totally the correct thing to be behind this lens.

and BTW...want one?

I picked one up just for the lens..so...

[LabRat]

Finding some old Japanese 4X5 (that might be a copy of another well known camera) might be fun...

Steve K

[AtlantaTerry]

What about a Crown/Speed Graphic?

I am wondering what company actually manufactured the lens. After all, making lenses is not something done on the cheap, even if it is a knock-off.

[moltogordo]

I have a B&J monorail. Big, heavy, clumsy and lovable. The flatbed might be great. Don't have a Crown Graphic, so that's good too. There's a start! I'll keep checking older Japanese knockoffs, too.

I've been told it was made by Yamasaki, maker of the Congo lenses. They were also apparently a private brand of Stirling Howard. It's a single coated, Tessar design - a usable piece of glass. I'm claiming not "correctness" for all this . . . . it's simply the results of my searching on the net, and there are others who disagree with these statements, but they are a concensus.

If I can get around to it, I'll put it on a 4x5 and take a few shots, to see how it looks. I'll post them if I do this, in this thread.

[Drew Bedo]

There are several 5x7 Kodak 2D cameras on e-Bay right now. should be period correct for your lens.

[moltogordo]

Just did an Ebay check of B&J cameras in general . . . you know, a guy could make a pretty good case for a collection of just their cameras! They were a pretty big player in the early to mid part of the 20th Century! Decent and functional cameras that wouldn't break the bank!

A good starting point for history buffs: http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium/pm.cgi?action=display&login=burkejames

[cowanw]

Perhaps an Indian knock off of a Deardorff.
A VIJAY or RAJAH or PRINZDORFF

[Mark Sampson]

Calumet CC-400. The most popular 4x5 view camera when your lens was made (in fact the most popular 4x5 view of all time). Capable, common, cheap.

[mdarnton]

Yeah, B&Js are cool. I was given one, and that set off my LF binge. Like Omega enlargers, they're the kind of thing that you get the idea you could sort of build one at home with a pile of aluminum and some metal forming tools. American garage DIY taken big time. It was a glorious time in American manufacturing.

[moltogordo]

I do have a Calumet, Mark. Perhaps putting the Astrogon on this camera might free up the 210mm Schneider that's on it for a 5x7 field camera . . . . . .