Burke & James aka Calumet?????

[tonyowen]

A 4x5 Burke & James Orbit Monorail View Camera With 360º Rotating Back is available on the UK eBay site.

Visually it seems identical to my Calumet CC401.

What (if any) is or was the relationship between the two companies.

I understand there is no official outlet for Calumet spares - does the same apply for Burke & James spares?

regards

Tony

[IanG]

Burke & James were a US company sourcing products from around the world inc the US, they were the distributors of Thornton Pickard shutters etc for a few years sold under their own name.

Later Calumet bought Cambo and they still exist, in fact I had contact with their (Camb0) Marketing manager a few days ago via social networking (he contacted me). Calumet in the US ceased trading, then restructured much smaller, the European side wasn't involved and remained healthy.

There's an old man (an ambiguous Unisex first name) who posts here occasionally who was involved with B&J after WWII. There's a link between B&J and then Calumet :D

Ian

[Jim C.]

IanG, I always thought B&J manufactured as well as distributed, could what tonyowen saw was manufactured by B&J and branded as Calumet or vice versa ?
Much like the Cambo SC series, they are/were available branded as Calumet.

[mdarnton]

That particular camera started as a Kodak. The B&J was a bootleg copy and I believe the Calumet version was made with tooling purchased from Kodak.

It's all in the archives here somewhere.

[Tin Can]

No NOS parts anywhere.

Most of us upgrade our boxes with bits wherever we find them.

Lynn Jones...

[Bob Salomon]

Burke & James were a US company sourcing products from around the world inc the US, they were the distributors of Thornton Pickard shutters etc for a few years sold under their own name.

Later Calumet bought Cambo and they still exist, in fact I had contact with their (Camb0) Marketing manager a few days ago via social networking (he contacted me). Calumet in the US ceased trading, then restructured much smaller, the European side wasn't involved and remained healthy.

There's an old man (an ambiguous Unisex first name) who posts here occasionally who was involved with B&J after WWII. There's a link between B&J and then Calumet :D

Ian

Ian, calumet US was liquidated. At the bankruptcy auction the assets were bought by a New Jersey company named C & A Marketing. They also bought at bankruptcy the Ritz, Wolf and the other assets of that group as well as Penn Camera. C&A has reopened some of the previous stores but does most of their business on the internet under various names (they also own the rights to use the Polaroid name in the photo industry).

The last Calumet group, prior to the bankruptcy, in the USA tried to reopen in Chicago after they lost at the auction, across the street from their old, main store in Chicago. However that venture was unsuccessful.

[MrFujicaman]

My reading showed that this camera started as Kodak product. (Kodak Masterview?) Sometime in the 1950's, the tooling and dies were sold to Burke & James, who produced it as the "Orbit". Then sometime in the 1960's the tooling and dies and blueprints got sold to Calumet who sold them as their 400 series 4 by 5 view cameras.

[Jac@stafford.net]

My reading showed that this camera started as Kodak product. (Kodak Masterview?) Sometime in the 1950's, the tooling and dies were sold to Burke & James, who produced it as the "Orbit".

I have the Orbit, and used it just a few days ago. It is the most reliable 8x10 I have, but it gets heavier every year - some kind of physics anomaly. :)

[mdarnton]

B&J definitely did not buy it from Kodak.
http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00YqI2

More:http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?48306-Association-between-Agfa-Ansco-amp-B-amp-J-on-View-Cameras&p=463308&viewfull=1#post463308

[tonyowen]

Lynn Jones...

Randy
Don't understand this reference(??)
I'm quite happy to acknowledge my ignorance - but it might be important to my quest - please elucidate
regards
Tony

[Jim Jones]

Tony, the late Lynn Jones is the person mentioned in post #2. He was in a position to provide first-hand information on B&J and other subjects.

[cowanw]

I hadn't realized that Lynn had died. Very sad. He was a great source of stories about Karsh and, my god, what a career in photography.
From Photo.net
"Lynn Jones passed away on October 28, 2012. He was 81. Graduate: Fla. School(50), USN Medical Photo School (54), Brooks Inst. of Photo BA (60), Brooks commencement speaker and HonMS, 2003. Free Lance Photographer since 1947, writer since 1949. Co-developer of optics systems, Calumet Caltar, Burleigh Brooks Computar, Burke &James, Celestron. creator/co creator 220 Roll Film, Calumet Wide Field View Camera, Calumet roll holder,world'd first Calumet SBC meter, 8x10 magnesium View Camera, numerous lab systems, designer of 2 motion picture processing systems, 750mm f6.3 mirror lens, Calumet color anaylyser, Calumet 10x10 color enlarger. 450 or more magazine articles, 44 catalogs, 150 national ads, thousands of photos published, teacher in several colleges and universities, co owner of photo studios. Creator of practical sensitometry and quality control systems, professional motion picture QC systems, designer of photo chemical systems. Long time photo, cine, AV, advertising, PR, and business consultant. 14 years head of a very large pro photography training program. About 58 years of professional experience."

[Merg Ross]

Randy
Don't understand this reference(??)
I'm quite happy to acknowledge my ignorance - but it might be important to my quest - please elucidate
regards
Tony

Lynn Jones passed away in 2012. He was the Calumet expert and always willing to share his vast knowledge with members of this forum.

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00Qs2m?start=10

Bill, thanks. I missed your post while typing. Quite an impressive career, indeed!

[Bob Salomon]

Lynn Jones passed away in 2012. He was the Calumet expert and always willing to share his vast knowledge with members of this forum.

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00Qs2m?start=10

Back in the early 80s Lynn was our sales rep for IL and WI for a short while. That was before we became the Rodenstock, B+W and Rollei distributor. But we were the Linhof and Multiblitz distributor as well as Bewi Meopta and Gepe then.

[cowanw]

I found this in popular photography
http://forums.popphoto.com/showthread.php?288769-Would-this-be-the-same-Lynn-Jones

I was Middle America VP of Burke and James and head of the Lens Bank. I was simultaneously VP of sister corporation, Burleigh Brooks Optics (member of the lens design team for all Computar lenses). Later I was VP of Celestron Pacific (telescopes).



You can only do these things (and lots of others) if you are old.



My very dear friend, George Drucker, bought B&J shortly after WWI (he was a Navy photographer in that war) although the company dates from 1892.George bought Goerz Optical from Zeiss in about 1927 and started making Goerz Berlin lenses from Chicago. George sold the company to Ilex optical which later sold the company to J.D. Callahan (who hired me) of BBOI until the demise of both companies in th e1980's. George died at age 99, (still walking 2 to 3 miles a day) back about 1989 or so.



I wrote for the Rangefinder and sister publication Photo Lab Management part time for nearly 30 years. Spent serveral year with Calumet (the manufacturing company, not the mail order camera store) being closely involved in Caltar lenses, 220 roll film, wide field view camera, 8x10 magnesium view camera, 10x10 color enlarger, color analyzer, first silicon blue cell light meter, and like that. I was tech manager of Texas Industrial Film Co., we were the prime contractors for the space agency in the original program in Houston (I think only John Glenn still survives although Gordo Cooper may still be around). Don't forget being a USN Hospital Corpsman and Medical Photographer for 9 years too. I got a two year head start by being a high school drop out before a GED and going to Brooks from the Korean War GI Bill.



By the way, one of my mentors in my 20's was Victor Keppler, father of my long time Modern Photo and Pop Photo friend, Herbert E. "Burt" Keppler.



So now you know lots about Professor Jones of Austin Community College.



Best regard,



Lynn



PS: John, I graduated from Brooks Inst. (BA and Hon MS) but when I lived in Los Angeles, I was very closely associated with Art Center when it was in LA (1968 to 1972). I frequently counseled photo students and was a periodic guest lecturer. I loved that school with Dept. Head Charlie Potts, the great Phil Cohen, and my super friend Ray LaMarca.



L.

[Tin Can]

Thanks for the Lynn Jones link. It filled a lot of gaps about Calumet and Lynn Jones whom I never knew. I would love to read his 35 page History of Calumet if anyone can supply it. I only knew Calumet when it was on it's last legs and went under. These days I don't consider the reincarnation despite being only 2 miles away. They lost the NOS C1 parts inventory! I now make the much longer trip to Central Camera. I have a Bensenville Calumet catalog from the 70's which shows great variety of LF products. I also have a working set of Calumet Gas Burst tanks that I love to use for LF film up to 8x10. I am sure Lynn had a hand in that wonderfull system. I used it last night.


Lynn Jones passed away in 2012. He was the Calumet expert and always willing to share his vast knowledge with members of this forum.

http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00Qs2m?start=10

Bill, thanks. I missed your post while typing. Quite an impressive career, indeed!

[Bob Salomon]

I found this in popular photography
http://forums.popphoto.com/showthread.php?288769-Would-this-be-the-same-Lynn-Jones

I was Middle America VP of Burke and James and head of the Lens Bank. I was simultaneously VP of sister corporation, Burleigh Brooks Optics (member of the lens design team for all Computar lenses). Later I was VP of Celestron Pacific (telescopes).

To close the circle Jack Callhan's son is currently a photo rep in the IL and WI area and was, previously, the Sales Manager and then President of Satter distributing which is now owned by Omega Brandess who also owns Arkay.

Supposedly Don Flesch's, the owner of Central Camera, grandfather loaned Burleigh, of Burleigh Brooks, the money to start importing Rolleiflex into the USA.

You can only do these things (and lots of others) if you are old.



My very dear friend, George Drucker, bought B&J shortly after WWI (he was a Navy photographer in that war) although the company dates from 1892.George bought Goerz Optical from Zeiss in about 1927 and started making Goerz Berlin lenses from Chicago. George sold the company to Ilex optical which later sold the company to J.D. Callahan (who hired me) of BBOI until the demise of both companies in th e1980's. George died at age 99, (still walking 2 to 3 miles a day) back about 1989 or so.



I wrote for the Rangefinder and sister publication Photo Lab Management part time for nearly 30 years. Spent serveral year with Calumet (the manufacturing company, not the mail order camera store) being closely involved in Caltar lenses, 220 roll film, wide field view camera, 8x10 magnesium view camera, 10x10 color enlarger, color analyzer, first silicon blue cell light meter, and like that. I was tech manager of Texas Industrial Film Co., we were the prime contractors for the space agency in the original program in Houston (I think only John Glenn still survives although Gordo Cooper may still be around). Don't forget being a USN Hospital Corpsman and Medical Photographer for 9 years too. I got a two year head start by being a high school drop out before a GED and going to Brooks from the Korean War GI Bill.



By the way, one of my mentors in my 20's was Victor Keppler, father of my long time Modern Photo and Pop Photo friend, Herbert E. "Burt" Keppler.



So now you know lots about Professor Jones of Austin Community College.



Best regard,



Lynn



PS: John, I graduated from Brooks Inst. (BA and Hon MS) but when I lived in Los Angeles, I was very closely associated with Art Center when it was in LA (1968 to 1972). I frequently counseled photo students and was a periodic guest lecturer. I loved that school with Dept. Head Charlie Potts, the great Phil Cohen, and my super friend Ray LaMarca.



L.

[al olson]

There is another discussion in the thread below with comments from Lynn Jones, most of which corroborates what has already been mentioned


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?48306-Association-between-Agfa-Ansco-amp-B-amp-J-on-View-Cameras

[Anthony Oresteen]

.....

Later Calumet bought Cambo and they still exist,.......

I did not know that Calumet had bought Cambo. I was under the impression that they were Cambo's US distributor. Who owns Cambo now?

[Oren Grad]

I did not know that Calumet had bought Cambo. I was under the impression that they were Cambo's US distributor. Who owns Cambo now?

Calumet US didn't own Cambo; IIRC both were part of a larger holding company structure based in Europe that included Calumet retail in Europe as well, and possibly other companies. It's hard to find a clear account of what, if anything, happened to the holding company during the US bankruptcy, other than that the US operation was operating independently and was allowed to go under.