A Studio Camera which isn't a Century, Deardorff or an Ansco!

[Steven Tribe]

Here is a Continental Studio Camera perched on a Century Stand. The many line illustrations I have seen in brochures from the early 20th century don't really do justice to the joinery and gleaming nickel parts.

This one is a "Globus" by Herbst & Firl - the smallest version for 18x24cm/24x30cm. The metal fittings give a somewhat steam locomotive appearance from the side but I think it has a lot of charm. Same movements as a Century, with additional racking of front standard on the track and the rather smart rise and fall. Extends to over 1 meter.

Restoration is restricted to replacing a single lost brass screw.
This is, of course, the camera which I was not supposed to buy!

[GPS]

...
Restoration is restricted to replacing a single lost brass screw.
...

Why? How about cleaning the nice nickel parts? ;)

[Tracy Storer]

Looks great, I've never seen one of those, and I love the fancifully decorative hardware. I've always wanted to build a camera with some art-nouveau inspired metalwork. (Which this is not, but made with more attention to being pretty than we usually see.)

[andreios]

A beauty.. I just wonder where do you folks come across such deals..

[Steven Tribe]

The story is not too long!
This was offered in the local (Danish) Craigslist type auction. Fixed price type with little admin/control like E**y. The camera owner, believe or not, had been a course with our own "Gandolfi" (Emil) as mentor about 10 years ago. He still had his interest in photography (well done Emil) but had decided that Mamiya TLR was his best useable tool with a young family. He had bought "The Globus" some type ago in similar listing.
Now Gandolfi was on his way to Prague (co-incidence again?) when this turned up and he is still there until to-morrow. Perhaps he wouldn't have interested, though? I paid enough to gain a disapproving look from my wife - there being a current veto in operation about items that are visable.
Like most purchases of this kind, there was a bonus in a plastic bag containing the two cells from a Dallmeyer 3B which will turned into a useable objective within a week (another thread).

[Tim Deming]

nice!

I especially like the "blinking eye" shutter

Tim

[Steven Tribe]

This is my second "Grundner" shutter - the next largest one made - at 14cm. A genius design with no vibration and a single light clap sound.

[cyrus]

This is, of course, the camera which I was not supposed to buy!

We never are, Steven, we never are. :rolleyes:

[Lynn Jones]

What a great looking camera and I've never seen one in my 6 decades of experience.

Lynn

[Emil Schildt]

The story is not too long!
This was offered in the local (Danish) Craigslist type auction. Fixed price type with little admin/control like E**y. The camera owner, believe or not, had been a course with our own "Gandolfi" (Emil) as mentor about 10 years ago. He still had his interest in photography (well done Emil) but had decided that Mamiya TLR was his best useable tool with a young family. He had bought "The Globus" some type ago in similar listing.
Now Gandolfi was on his way to Prague (co-incidence again?) when this turned up and he is still there until to-morrow. Perhaps he wouldn't have interested, though? I paid enough to gain a disapproving look from my wife - there being a current veto in operation about items that are visable.
Like most purchases of this kind, there was a bonus in a plastic bag containing the two cells from a Dallmeyer 3B which will turned into a useable objective within a week (another thread).

oh crap - I knew I shouldn't have taken the trip to Prague.....:rolleyes:

BTW: I thought Ernemann made the Globus camera... (?)

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Steven, this is a beauty! Tell the wife that buying cameras is better than chasing and spending money on other women! I love the metal work and the front rise is a nice design. I'm glad I'm done building cameras?????? Did I just say that??!! At least for now. I love the bonus too! Wish I could find a bonus like that!

[Steven Tribe]

Herbst & Firl have a history that is similar to that of Century in the USA.
Made a dramatic entry to the market with top quality Studio and other Cameras.
They (H&F) were quickly taken over by Ernemann who continued to make the same range of camera (like Kodak did with Century) using the trademark "Globus".
The only identifying mark on the camera is a "puck" holding a camera astride a Globe! A rather odd trademark which I assume must be a "Globus" badge!
So perhaps it was under Ernemann's ownership as there is no H & F?

I have found the later Globus schutzmarke. It is the third one down on the left-hand side. It includes both company names - but the odd drawing has been given up!

[OldCrow]

I happened to stumble onto one very much like it. It is missing the base and has some slightly different hardware. I have had hard time figuring out who made it, but yours is very much like it. I was going to try and build a base for it and use it, but I picked up a century with stand so this is going to be sold off pretty cheap.

[Steven Tribe]

It's certainly related to the Globus.
I have looked through my illustrations - which are not as exhaustive as those in the book I posted yesterday - but can't find it.
The nearest base design I can find is posted below.
Most of these de luxe Studio cameras were made around Dresden (mostly in Görlitz).
Known makers were:
Ernst Herbst & Firl (became the top model in Ernemann). They are branded on the front right side top.
Curt Bentzin. They made the technological leap into modern camera design later. Many have the name on the lens board retaining brass strip.
Kamerawerk Paul Quill.

There were many other anon. makers. The adverts say " Made to order - available within a week"

[OldCrow]

Its amazing how some of these were built and the engineering that went into them. If I had the time, space and tools to rebuild this one it would be cool, but I do not. So I think its best to get it in the hands of someone that can do it up right.

The coolest part is the inset lens board and the packard shutter thats on it. Just cool!

[Steven Tribe]

I have received an interesting note from one of the active people behind the Camera and Optics Museum in Görlitz (near Dresden). This is housed in one of the old stores of Herbst & Firl (Ernemann) there.

There is no doubt but that the trademark is that of Mlitz & Kügler - another specialist camera maker between 1890 and 1920. He sent me a couple of pages of company history. If anyone else has a question about a Görlitz product, I'm sure they would as helpful to you as they were to me!

[Steven Tribe]

Well this Kügler Studio Camera was not the only one sold in Scandinavia!
I have just bought another one - but this is destined for someone in Southern Sweden.
This one has lost it's stand - BUT has a lot of original plate holders (13x18 and 18x24) and a sliding back.

[Emil Schildt]

ok - this looks a lot like one of mine! I think mine is called "Stella" by gorlitzer...

I'll check tomorrow. the cassettes aer awesome! With internal rolling blinds (?).. fantastic craftmanship.

Mine also has an old Hermann Petzval fitted on it.

EDIT:
Maybe I have two ?... I - or the school was given one unnamed camera, and that looks also like yours..

pics tomorrow.

[Steven Tribe]

"I or the School was given...."
Whoops, Emil!
You had better check your paperwork - I advise that you get the donor to sign a "deed of gift" to _______.

I am sure this is a Kugler Studio Camera too - unless the smaller makers in Görlitz had someone who was making standard brassware for them.
I fortunately have a appropriate stand I can pass on the glad buyer.
The main interest here was the type and number of near original backs (alternative process?).

[Emil Schildt]

hehe..;)

Actually the camera was given/sold to the school (the lens was given to me), but as the school has yet to honour the promise of "paying" (which is a week short course run by me), the camera belongs to me...

I have a couple of pics of that camera. I said it was unnamed, but I actually see a space, where the little round plaque with the mane of the camera used to be... fallen of long time ago..

the metal ornaments looks a lot like yours.

[Emil Schildt]

The other one is bought and paied by me... (over paied I think, but it was my very first LF camera so I didn't know...)

"Stella" as it states in the first image.

a little different in the brass moldings. Still beautiful. And I just love those cassettes (the same as then ones depicted on your last post). Half Plate.

Hermann Petzval lens.

[Steven Tribe]

Actually the "Stella" is a late production from Görlitz.
The company was started in 1920 by an ex foreman from Herbst & Firl.
I enclose both the sales catalogue and the company logo!
Görlitz has really a lot of data on its photography history.
And the first model you posted IS yet another Kügler - I hereby authorise you to make a copy of the logo and place in the appropriate space on the right-hand side!

I assumed that the old plate holders were 13x18, but they could be half-plate!

[Steven Tribe]

Another Gölitzer camera has surfaced in Stockholm and has been snapped up by Stephane! I can't think for a more suitable and deserving new owner/user!
And yet another is currently for sale in Denmark!

[Stephane]

It was quite a drive, and I should have bought butter along the way, because there's no more butter in Norway ("Tine" has the monopole and messed up big time).

Studio cameras are great with their square bellows for super extension, and the stand is a big step up for me :)
I need to put an 8x10 back on it...

Thanks Steven for the tip!

[Emil Schildt]

And yet another is currently for sale in Denmark!

where...? :rolleyes:

[Steven Tribe]

PM is sent.
Lens is the F5 Suter Aplanat no. 3 I mentioned in the lens thread.
No stand, though!

The Danish exporters were offered a temporary reduction in the huge import duty on butter (Norway is very much a non-member of the EU. Which they declined to take up, in pique!

[valotus]

Hi from a forum newbie... I just wanted to add some pics of my camera I purchased 20 years ago. Since then I have occasionally tried to find out it's brand and other data as there is no logos except Finnish importer's round "S.V.O." logo. Company started their business in 1920, so the camera is from that era.

78384 78385

Camera looks pretty much like Kügler above and the stand has almost similar design as Stella. Lens is 350mm Voigtländer Portrait-Euryskop III with Waterhouse-style aperture stops.

I might be interested in extra "rolling blind" plate holders as I only have one of both 13x18 and 18x24 sizes. I think I've seen similar plateholders in some later DDR cameras, so I guess they should not be as rare as the camera itself.

J-P

[Steven Tribe]

I think the back "trapdoor" film/plate holders were more common!

It certainly was made in Görlitz and I think I can see the indent on the right-hand side of the front standard where the "puck leaping over the globe" trademark used to be!

The 5a Series III Portrait Euryskop (13") was designed for slightly larger formats (10x12")!

Fixing systems at the back (with or without the sliding back) are regretable not a standard type - even for the same maker!

[valotus]

I just wonder how much there may be old DDR -era studio stuff still for sale in Germany. I found pic of 70-80´s Globica studio camera which still looks to have similar curtain type plateholders if their size matches.

http://auktion.lpfoto.se/auk/w.MegaPic?inC=LP&inA=20120303_2042&inO=9

Also there was one quite special type (police/prison?) camera for sale in German ebay that shows the very similar type plateholder.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/X212-Antik-Taterbild-Stuhl-Taterbild-Plattenkamera-/280086739468?pt=DE_Alte_Kameras&hash=item4136787a0c

About the trademarks of my camera; there are small round logos in top of the stand and the front standard of the camera. But both of these are obviously swapped by the Finnish importer to their own S.V.O. logo.

I will take some closeups of the camera as soon as I will get it back to my studio. We had a photoshooting session at local outdoor museum last weekend and it's still in their warehouse... :)

J-P

[Sevo]

I just wonder how much there may be old DDR -era studio stuff still for sale in Germany.

Not that much. GDR Globicas in particular are as scarce as hen's teeth, I haven't ever seen one other than in a museum - even pre-war Globicas seem to outnumber them by magnitudes.

[Steven Tribe]

The market for regular family photoshots - and therefore the total number of active town studios - fell off a lot after the 20's, and especialy after WW2. There was no need for new equipment for new studios , no real technologic advances, requiring and the "turn of the century" studio cameras and stands couldn't be worn out!
So new studio camera/stand production must have been low everywhere - apart from commercial industrial/product studios who benefited with growth in the use of photographs in advertising/magazines etc.

I have seen quite a few reisekameras with tambour plate holders - mostly 13x18 and French and a single 18x24.
I can see that the holders in the institution camera is 1/2 tambour/ 1/2 trap door single plate type. The more modern(?) has double tambour I think - must also be a single plate type as the "central" mounting slot is nowhere near central!