What's the correct name for the big crank-up camera tables old studios used?

[williaty]

Way back in the day, studio portrait cameras were often used on platforms on wheels, rather than on tripods or modern studio stands. The wheeled platforms had a table you set the camera on and a crank would raise or lower the table along vertical posts. Usually, a second crank would tilt the table.

What the heck were these things called? I've spent way too long typing increasingly random phrases into google trying to find them. I finally got to "old camera floaty thing" and figured it was time to give up and ask you guys.

[mdarnton]

Try antique studio camera stand.

For instance: https://www.google.com/search?q=antique+studio+camera+stand&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5u_ino9rZAhUB3IMKHY41BYAQ_AUICygC&biw=1242&bih=579

[jnantz]

some were called "semi centennial stands"
... " the camera stand of the future ... "

http://tinyurl.com/cokdhop ( page 181 has everything you need as well as a sketch )
in case you are afraid to go to google books


twelve reasons a professional photographer should have one.


first, because you can lower the camera within thirteen inches of the floor,
this being lower than any other stand will admit of.

second, because you can raise the camera as high as you wish.

third, because it is the only camera stand using rubber wheels as casters,
therefore it is perfectly noiseless.

fourth. because it has one of the best turning castors in use.

fifth, by the use of its coiling springs and key, you can make it counterbalance any weight of camera, from 8×10 to 14×17 inclusive.

sixth, because you can quickly adjust your camera up or down with perfect ease.

seventh, because it is very strong and rigid.

eighth, because it is simple in construction and will not get out of order.

ninth, because it is thoroughly made, of neat design, light with no heavy weights.
it is an ornament to the studio.

tenth, because with ease of working you will make better work. you never look down upon the sitter, but squarely in the face.

eleventh, because it was invented by a practical photographer, and has been perfect in all its points.

twelfth, because every stand is warranted perfect in all respects.
the stand when packed ready for shipment, weighs ninety-five pounds, and the price, boxed is twenty-five dollars


have fun !
john

[Tin Can]

John, a great list. I fully agree with quibbles.

IMHO the Semi Centennial Stands were and still are the finest stand for studio portraiture. As they have 3 wheels, the 2 front are fixed with a single rear steering wheel, they drive quickly into position.

I had an Ansco version, which I sold for several reasons. Not enough room in my tiny studio and it would not hold my heavier cameras. Now I have room and wish I had it...

Deardorff and others also made this style stand. I yearn for a Deardorff model. A member here has one. http://dustyman.com/post/131904281522/deardorff-studio-portrait-camera

I make do with my Deardorff Studio Stand and S11 which can do a little more. But never quickly. It can go all the way to the floor, by rotating the camera upside down, if tilted it touches the floor. Originally mine came with 20 ft tall posts, which gave it a lot of possibilities. I had to cut mine down. :(

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/26952290722_3ffa320c5d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/H4Fx2C)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/H4Fx2C) by moe.randy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[Michael Graves]

"Old camera floaty thing" didn't find anything? Google you must be slipping!

[Jac@stafford.net]

[...]Deardorff and others also made this style stand. I yearn for a Deardorff model. A member here has one. http://dustyman.com/post/131904281522/deardorff-studio-portrait-camera

I like the streamlined base that it cuts through the wind as we move it in place. I'll bet it helps a lot. :)

[williaty]

Funnily, until now I've never wanted to put a camera on one.

We had them in the studio at university and at that time I only put models on them.

[Leszek Vogt]

Just saw more modern 'floaty thing' at Harbor Freight (hydraulic lift table). Hey, it's relatively easy on the pocket and you can always put LF model on one :>).

Les

[William Whitaker]

Studio stand.

175649

[williaty]

OK, I started the thread so I knew what search term to use to start searching for one for my studio now that I have a camera that would benefit from it.

Those of you who have found one, how did you manage to find one? They seem extremely rare and very few are willing to ship.

[Tin Can]

They are not as rare as you think. Deardorffs are. I found a grey painted Ansco Semi-Centennial stand and matching tailboard camera with the very popular 5X7 back. Grey paint was the 'premium' model and priced higher as for a while everybody wanted the 'new' Industrial finish. Now nobody does. 5X7 became the most popular studio size as the format is good for groups and standing poses. It is can also be used with a sliding back to give 2 images very quickly on one piece of 5X7. As film improved smaller sizes saved money, again 5X7. Tailboard cameras were prefered as they only needed rear focus and adjustments, the front standard on a Tailboard can carry a huge portrait lens and internal shutter. Strong.

Another arcane fact is every small town in the USA had a Portrait studio and one of these cameras was de rigor. How many were made? How many are still somewhere in Ohio. I bet Ohio has a lot of them.

I found mine while looking for an enlarger. Horse country Chicago area. A falling down house, 2 very odd brothers. I think I barely escaped with my life. Not kidding. The musty basement had father's old gear. I bought 2 enlargers for cheap. Then I asked what was under that dusty sheet. The Ansco! It was just begiining to rot, but not yet. Maybe 2013. $25 and they loaded everything. I was on crutches. The house was remote, far off the road and i had to park out of sight of the road. After loading one brother gave me a very scary look, the other brother said, 'Get out of here now'. Not in anger, more like he was worried...

When picking take a partner if possible.

Your camera and stand are somewhere in Ohio.

I later sold mine for $250 to a guy who was going to restore it. I had used it for several years as is. He was buying everything LF in sight from NY down the Midwest and home to Texas.

In his van and cargo trailer he had a Deardorff Portrait Stand with camera, 3 of the big Dearforff stands with cameras like in my picture. My Ansco and all kinds of stuff. He claimed to run out of cash at my studio. Nice guy and wife. We hit it off. It was a good day for me. He left me with a full load going home. Never heard from him again, but i bet he reads this Forum, eBay and every Craigslist in the country. I knew where he got his 'good stuff' from sold eBay listings I had watched.

Let us know when you find one!

[williaty]

I agree that there's probably a lot of these things tucked away in dusty places in Ohio. Dusty objects seem to be our chief product (aside from meth and moonshine). The part I'm unsure about is finding that first lead. Obviously, now that you guys have given me the right words to use, I've got search alerts saved on ebay and the Columbus craigslist for as many variations on the theme as I can come up with. I've also got a "if you find one, call me" cards in for several different things at the local used camera store (the one who doesn't take advantage of customers, at least). I'm just not sure what to do beyond that. I have a feeling I might be better off looking out towards Newark or Zanesville (smaller towns but still county seats) but I don't have a clue what threads to start pulling on there. It'd be nice if I could run an "all-Ohio" search on Craigslist or some of the actual physical auction websites.

[Tin Can]

Pm sent

[williaty]

Pm sent

Thanks Randy, I appreciate that you took the time to do that. I'll repeat what I said in the PM in case anyone else tries to help. I have a spinal problem and riding long distances in the car messes me up bad. I can pretty much make it to any of the borders of Ohio but that's a hard limit with the exception that I'm a little closer to the southeast border of Ohio so I can make it just across the river into the near parts of WV.

[William Whitaker]

Mine was found on Ebay and required a full day's drive to pick up.

Like everything else, they are most apt to show up when you do NOT need one and/or do NOT have the money to buy one.
Similarly, Murphy dictates that the first to show up (or the most desirable) will be on the other side of the country from you...

[LabRat]

I see more "birdhouse" cameras + stands in people's living rooms now as décor, and they will probably never be used to shoot a sensitized piece of material ever again... So maybe look into the antiques market for them... (But probably more $$$...)

Steve K

[William Whitaker]

...The musty basement had father's old gear...

...and possibly father as well, eh?

[William Whitaker]

I think the name "semi-centennial" was used by Kodak or Folmer & Schwing (or both) to refer to the stand they sold for their line of Century cameras.
Agfa referred to their studio camera as the Studio No. 5.

I've had both, but still have the Agfa version. They are of comparable quality and I would recommend either to someone looking to acquire a nice old camera stand. And no, mine's not for sale!

[Tin Can]

...and possibly father as well, eh?

Not quite the right smell, I know that smell.

When they were loading the van, the odd brother noticed all the tie downs and made a comment that chilled me.

I got the Hell out of there.

I think I survived as the 'ok' brother was a biker and we had mutual acquaintances. I always search for common ground. Saved my stupid ass a few times.

[Tin Can]

I think the name "semi-centennial" was used by Kodak or Folmer & Schwing (or both) to refer to the stand they sold for their line of Century cameras.
Agfa referred to their studio camera as the Studio No. 5.

I've had both, but still have the Agfa version. They are of comparable quality and I would recommend either to someone looking to acquire a nice old camera stand. And no, mine's not for sale!

Right now I know of 3 for sale. One is close to me, well 300 miles...

Then there are these clumsy things. I know of one for sale. I sold another to the Texas guy.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9186748666_ec7b9aaa76_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/eZNujo)20130701-DSCN2992 (https://flic.kr/p/eZNujo) by moe.randy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[Alan Gales]

Those of you who have found one, how did you manage to find one? They seem extremely rare and very few are willing to ship.


I've seen quite a few on Ebay. Almost all were pick up only. A few offered that the buyer could arrange for freight shipping.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I've seen quite a few on Ebay. Almost all were pick up only. A few offered that the buyer could arrange for freight shipping.

"Pick up only" can refer to the buyer arranging a shipper to go to the seller's place, pack and ship the item, either door-to-door or even by Greyhound if the buyer is near a terminal. I have shipped big items, including two studio stands that way and it went well.
.

[williaty]

Well, I owe you guys a big thanks. Since you provided me with the correct name for the thing, I tried the used store again and got an "OH! Is THAT what you want" and it turns out there was one behind a ceiling-high stack of boxes in the back room. Needless to say, it came home with me. I feel like I overpaid a little but I figure it was worth it for finding one quickly and locally.

It's a good thing I opted for the long wheelbase version of my van (over-the-shoulder selfie shot)!
https://i.imgur.com/mAeLpaq.jpg

It's in pretty good shape. It needs new felt on the table (BADLY) and the rear caster is missing. That's not to bad at all for finding one just 20 minutes away.
https://i.imgur.com/gjFjMGf.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TSeYo3h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FwARJdT.jpg

[William Whitaker]

Aye, yer done good!

[Tin Can]

Ya, congratulations and my that is a tall lad. Very cool!

[goamules]

I've seen dozens of these. Never seen one that goes that high. We'll call it the Golden Gate model.

Basically, every town had a photography studio for about 100 years or more. Every small city had two. Every big city had 5. The all used these stands. There are a LOT out there, you just have to find them.

[williaty]

Yeah, honestly, I shorter/normal height one would work better for me but the tall one is what's available. Frankly, it'd be to my benefit to cut it down but I don't know if I could bring myself to do it. It'd make more sense to trade with someone who would actually want the tall one. The table is also larger than I require, but I figure that'll give me places to collect the accessories of shooting.

Speaking of which, this one kind of surprises me. There's 2 ways to tilt the table. First, there's the crank mechanism that tilts the table en masse. Then there's a second "top" to the table that raises up using the friction-locked runners you see at the sides. It can elevate the actual camera-bearing portion of the table an additional 90* beyond the pitch set by the crank adjustment. You could actually take a picture of your own feet sitting behind the stand with the combination of the two.

[Tin Can]

I don't have one to trade.

But before you cut that one, please contact me. Perhaps we can work something out.

I have 10 ft ceilings. It looks about 9 ft tall.

Thank you!

[williaty]

It's less, but not much less, than 8'. Probably 7.5' or so.

[Tin Can]

It's less, but not much less, than 8'. Probably 7.5' or so.

Then it should work inside most rooms.

Have fun!

[williaty]

The room I use for my studio is more than tall enough. However, the walls slope inwards and the height of this will prevent it from being pushed clear into the corner when it needs to be out of the way. That's the only reason shorter would be better for me: it'll park better.

[goamules]

These are simple assemblies. You could make a spare set of shorter arms. The only thing that would have to be cut is the gear track, and they are cast iron and often break anyway. See if there is already a cut in the gear track, it may be two pieces. You can buy some 5' 4x4s or whatever they are, route out the runner track, and screw the gear track back on.

[barnacle]

While looking for something else, I found one currently for sale through www.the-saleroom.com - search for 'camera stand'.

Neil