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JRJacobs
17-May-2009, 10:06
Can anyone help me ID this wood field camera? It is wonderfully made, but has no manufacturer marking. It has a hole in the bed to keep larger lenses on when folded up, has back tilts and swings, and the bed drops. Fittings are satin brass - wood I believe is mahogany. Would love any info to help ID this camera! Thanks!

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/36852/2821261750025874283S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/43245/2956973680025874283S600x600Q85.jpg

Kerry L. Thalmann
17-May-2009, 11:36
It looks a lot like the Calumet Wood Field that was made for Calumet by Nagaoka back in the 1980s - not to be confused with the Calumet Wood Field XM that was made by Tachihara.

Kerry

Gem Singer
17-May-2009, 12:06
It's not a Wisner. However, Wisner cameras seem to have many of the same design features. Could have been a role model for Ron Wisner's design.

Kerry L. Thalmann
17-May-2009, 12:38
It's not a Wisner. However, Wisner cameras seem to have many of the same design features. Could have been a role model for Ron Wisner's design.

It's hard to judge scale in the photos, but that camera is nothing like a Wisner. That version of the Nagaoka/Calumet weighs about 2.5 lbs. and is a double extension model with about 12" maximum extension and folds up very compactly. Wisner's first model was called the convertible classic. It was based on the old tailboard cameras like the Korona and Kodak 2D - only heavier. Wisner's first "clamshell" design the Traditional was a 6 lb. triple extension model that had 20.5" of extension and a much bulkier folded size than the camera shown.

The movements are also different. The camera shown has no front shift and a strangely implements front swing. The Wisner had front shift and a more conventional front swing. The camera shown has no rear movements other than base tilt. The Wisner Traditional has rear swing, the later Technical model also added rear rise and geared rear axis tilt.

The Wisner also had interchangeable bellows. The model shown has a fixed bellows that is glued to the front and rear standards.

In terms of weight, size and movements, the camera shown and the Wisner are at opposite ends of the 4x5 wooden field camera spectrum.

Back in the late 1980s when both were available, they were also at opposite ends of the price spectrum. I'd have to dig out my old Calumet catalogs, but I believe the Calumet Woodfield at that time was priced at $375.00. The Wisner Traditional was $1250.00 (later increasing to $1495.00).

Kerry

JRJacobs
17-May-2009, 14:12
It looks a lot like the Calumet Wood Field that was made for Calumet by Nagaoka back in the 1980s - not to be confused with the Calumet Wood Field XM that was made by Tachihara.

Kerry

Thank you Kerry - you nailed it. I looked in some older catalogs and it is indeed the Calumet/Nagaoka. It is incredibly lightweight and very nicely made.

Thank you everyone for help with this!

Gem Singer
17-May-2009, 15:56
Kerry,

Varnished mahogany, large knurled knobs, polished brass metal, same type of locking clasp on top as Wisner used, similar looking handle, etc.,etc.

Of course I realize it's not exactly the same as a Wisner. I said it was not a Wisner, but Ron certainly could have incorporated some of it's design features into the cameras that he designed.

There's nothing unusual about that (Chamonix-Phillips, for example).

Kerry L. Thalmann
17-May-2009, 20:53
Gem,

I've owned both a Nagaoka and a Wisner (at the same time, no less) and they are VERY different cameras. I know it's hard to tell these things from the photos, but the Nagaoka/Calumet is made from cherry, not mahogany. The hardware is brass plated (or nickel plated, or even painted) steel. It's not real brass like the Wisner. The knobs on the Nagaoka are actually very small. I think they look big in the photos, just because the camera is so small. If you set the folded Nagaoka next to a folded Wisner, most people would have a hard time believing they are the same format. The folded Nagaoka is that much smaller than than the Wisner.

When I owned mine, the Nagaoka was my backpacking camera and the Wisner was for working closer to the car.

The Nagaoka is derived from the many pre-WWII Japanese glass plate cameras, everything from the hardware to the hole in the bed to the ultralight weight and very compact folded size. The Wisner has much more in common (large, triple extension camera, similar movements) with the American Deardorff.

Kerry

goodfood
17-May-2009, 21:00
I have the same one. The lens board is different size , can't fit Linhof or Wisner type. I have to make from hard wood floor. You live in North Vancouver?

Doremus Scudder
18-May-2009, 01:38
Some of this camera looks exactly like parts of the Woodman 4x5 wooden field that I own (made by Horseman). The back is identical, down to the swing, tilt, knobs, hardware, and clip. The leaf-spring Graflok back on the Woodman appears to be missing here.

The front standard is quite different, with fewer features. There is no shift and the swings are done differently. Also, the Woodman has a rear-focusing knob. The camera looks like a stripped-down version of the Woodman made for white branding (maybe Calumet).

Kerry, do you know if Calumet contracted with Horseman for any of their wooden field cameras?

Best,

Doremus Scudder

JRJacobs
18-May-2009, 01:54
Gem,

......but the Nagaoka/Calumet is made from cherry, not mahogany. The hardware is brass plated ...... If you set the folded Nagaoka next to a folded Wisner, most people would have a hard time believing they are the same format. The folded Nagaoka is that much smaller than than the Wisner.

When I owned mine, the Nagaoka was my backpacking camera and the Wisner was for working closer to the car.

Kerry

I spent some more time examining the camera today, and you are correct - it is cherry wood.

I am amazed at how light and small it is, I can see why it was your backpacking camera. It certainly is smaller and lighter than any 4x5 folding-type field camera I have handled.

I was also pleasantly suprised to find that Polaroid 550 holder fits easily under the springback.

I tried the camera today with a 90mm Angulon and was able to use ample movements.

Mark Sawyer
18-May-2009, 16:25
Yup, Kerry got it. I've had one for maybe thirty years, and everything nice everybody is saying about it is true!

John T
18-May-2009, 16:35
You should have a nice time shooting with your camera. Very capable and portable.

But there appears to be a problem with the lens board. It looks like the grain of the ends and the center section are all facing the same direction. Unless they are made out of a plywood this will make the board very weak along the grain. Normally, a good wooden board will have the grain on the end pieces 90 degrees to the grain in the center section.

If the boards are not plywood, I would replace this lensboard as quickly as possible. While you may not have a problem, and I suppose some people will write in to say that their boards are similar and they haven't had a problem in 400 years, the board will be much, much weaker and is a disaster (photo equipment speaking) waiting to happen. If the boards are plywood and the grain is just the top layer it shouldn't be a problem.

That said, the direction you have the board in the camera is good. If it were turned 90 degrees you would cause incredible stress on the grain.

Kerry L. Thalmann
18-May-2009, 19:34
Kerry, do you know if Calumet contracted with Horseman for any of their wooden field cameras?

Doremus,

I suspect the opposite might be true. Horseman doesn't make any other wooden cameras. They may very well farm out the production of the Woodman to another Japanese maker of wooden cameras, like Nagaoka or Tachihara.

Calumet has also used both of these makers to produce their Wood Field (Nagaoka) and Wood Field XM (Tachihara) models. Tachihara also produces the Osaka brand cameras for Bromwell and the ArtWorks cameras sold by Fine Art Photo Supply.

Kerry

sanking
18-May-2009, 19:47
What was the date of the catalog?

Although it shares some design similarities with my 5X7 Nagaoka, vintage 1982, it is also quite different. The large center opening in the base led me to believe at first that it pre-dated my camera as this was characteristic of many of the older English field cameras.

Sandy King



Thank you Kerry - you nailed it. I looked in some older catalogs and it is indeed the Calumet/Nagaoka. It is incredibly lightweight and very nicely made.

Thank you everyone for help with this!

Mark Tweed
18-May-2009, 21:13
Sandy, you're right about it being a different twist on Nagaoka's own models. I have an earlier 4X5 Nagaoka, where its rear stand slides but without the later model geared mechanism. Kerry's correct take on the this one, a Calumet Wood Field, is different from Nagaoka's own named offerings with its fixed but swingable rear standard, which in theory is a more rigid design. The hole in the baseboard allowed the camera to be folded with a compact lens in place. The down side is that it shifted the tripod mounting plate to the rear of the bed.

I have 1990 Calumet catalog with JRJacobs camera listed (at $469.95). I believe it was not long after that they they dropped this model and continued to carry only their Woodfield XM (Tachihara) camera until they began featuring the Zone VI models.

I couldn't be happier with my small, featherweight, quick-action Nagaoka. The newer Philips/Chamonix style field cameras are beautiful, precision units with extensive movements and longer extension, but they don't approach the compactness and instant readiness of the clever Nagaoka/Anba/Ikeda design.

Mark

JRJacobs
19-May-2009, 08:08
Hi John -

Thanks for that - something I did not know! This is not a photo of my actual camera, however, but one I found on the internet that is the exact same (the owner also did not know the make/model).

My lensboard has grain in opposite directions, so I guess it is better than the one in the photo!

Thanks again for the help from everyone on this forum. :)


You should have a nice time shooting with your camera. Very capable and portable.

But there appears to be a problem with the lens board. It looks like the grain of the ends and the center section are all facing the same direction. Unless they are made out of a plywood this will make the board very weak along the grain. Normally, a good wooden board will have the grain on the end pieces 90 degrees to the grain in the center section.

If the boards are not plywood, I would replace this lensboard as quickly as possible. While you may not have a problem, and I suppose some people will write in to say that their boards are similar and they haven't had a problem in 400 years, the board will be much, much weaker and is a disaster (photo equipment speaking) waiting to happen. If the boards are plywood and the grain is just the top layer it shouldn't be a problem.

That said, the direction you have the board in the camera is good. If it were turned 90 degrees you would cause incredible stress on the grain.