Determining the parentage of my 8x10

[al olson]

I am trying to determine the parentage of my 8x10. (I hope that the photo I uploaded is attached to this email.) The red logo below the front standard says Orbit. It was my belief that the Orbits were marketed by Calumet but manufactured by Burke & James.

On the other hand, there is a stick-on label beneath the rear standard that reads:

"Warranty repair or ex-
change privileges void
if this tag is removed.
Arkay Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin"

and below there are two rectangles, one with an 8 and the other with 1978 that is hand-embossed into the tag.

I am presuming that the serial number is 8 and the date of manufacture would be 1978, unless this was a tag that was stuck on when the camera was serviced. I don't know anything about Arkay Company. Did they also market the Orbits?

I bought this camera on ebay for $250 four years ago. It is in great shape, but weighs 19# without lens. I originally intended to use it in the field, but I have only taken it out in the field a half dozen times. It is pretty awkward to collapse and I am afraid I might lose some of the screws when I am out in the dark, so I transport it in my SUV already set up. I don't shoot shoot anything now that is more than a few yards from my vehicle. It has become more of a studio camera than I intended.

I would appreciate any help for identifying this camera and its history.

Thanks,

[James E Galvin]

I don't have my Calumet C-1 in front of me, but it looks identical.

[Jim Noel]

The Orbit and the CAlumet C-1 are identical cameras. The C-1 came first, then the camera was made under the Orbit name.

[Merg Ross]

Looks like my C-1. As Jim notes, identical to the Orbit.

[Ernest Purdum]

Orbit was a Burke & James tradename.

[Glenn Thoreson]

Burke & James bought a lot of surplus photographic equipment and marketed it under it's own labels. It also had private label license agreements with other manufacturers.
One of it's most misleading labels was the Carl Meyer name they used on lenses of who knows what origin. They had huge inventories of lenses from all over. The Burke & James lens bank. Refered to by some employees as "Bunk & Junk", they would buy and sell anything and everything.
Edit: I want to say I'm not knocking any of their wares, just trying to illustrate the history of a very colorful company.

[Steve Hamley]

Al,

It is a "studio" camera by virtue of weight, however Christopher Burkett does quite well in the field with one, and Ries and others have used a familair shot of Cole Weston using a C-1/Orbit in the field, or at least on a hilltop overlooking the ocean.

If you can get it where you want it, "field camera" doesn't mean a thing. IMO, most everyone would agree that a C-1 is not an optimim hiking camera.

Steve

[al olson]

Thanks, All, for your comments.

It seems pretty conclusive that my Orbit, then, is pretty much identical to the Calumet C-1. Thanks for your responses.

The reality as to who actually did the manufacture seems to be pretty murky, perhaps lost to history. It seems that Burke & James and Calumet both have a history of putting their brand on other manufacturers' cameras.

According to the web site below,
http://members.lycos.co.uk/jolommencam/Burke/%22%5Dhttp://members.lycos.co.uk/jolommencam/Burke/
provided by Bill_1856, the former Vice President (1875-1978) was interviewed and he stated that B&J did manufacture some cameras, they put their brand on others, and they represented certain manufacturers such as Toyo. It is not clear to me that Calumet actually manufactured any of their branded LFs.

Then last week when I discovered the nameplate/label under the rear standard (see original entry) that seems to indicate that Arkay Company had something to do with the production...perhaps they were doing the manufacturing and selling their product to both B&J and Calument for sale under their house brands.

An internet search on the name Arkay turned up some products such as darkroom sinks, developing tanks, camera stands, and other accessories that could possibly associate them with the same Arkay Company on my camera label. They apparently have no web site of their own and I am unable to identify their location as Milwaukee.

Unless someone else comes forward with additional historical information, my curiosity in this matter is being laid to rest. Thanks again for your inputs.

And thanks, Steve, for your comments about using it as a field camera. With 19# of camera, 26# of tripod, plus lens and holders, I am not planning to take it on a hike any farther than 10 steps from the tailgate of my SUV. Anything more distant than that will look much better with my 4x5.

[j.e.simmons]

I have the same camera, made in 1980. I always assumed it was made by Arkay, which was bought by Regal Photo Products in Milwaukee in the mid-90s. A few years ago, they were still offering parts and support for Arkay products, although they still don't seem to have a web site.

As for weight, get a jogging baby stroller. I use one to carry my Orbit, a Zone VI heavy duty tripod, a bag with seven film holders, meters, dark cloth, etc. for miles.
juan