Drew Bedo
27-Mar-2012, 06:01
Hello Everyone,
For months past I have noticed a bunch of oscilloscope cameras offered on e-bay for hundreds of dollars each. Not surprisingly they don’t sell. No one wants to buy these useless 50s-60s era industrial cameras. Now they are being offered at buy-it-now prices <$50 and <$25 .
Most of these cameras have 75mm/f-1.9 Wollensak lens in an Alphax #3 shutter. They won’t cover 4x5 at infinity (make a 6cm circle on 4x6 film), but they are optimized for 1:1 reproduction at short working distances where they do cover 4x5 . . .and max aperature is f-1.9. I’ve gotten two at $25 each, and close-ups seem fine to me. Had to work some to dismount/disassemble them from the camera though.
If we don’t buy up all these old shutters at thrift store prices, they will eventually get junked —and they will be lost to LF photography forever.
For months past I have noticed a bunch of oscilloscope cameras offered on e-bay for hundreds of dollars each. Not surprisingly they don’t sell. No one wants to buy these useless 50s-60s era industrial cameras. Now they are being offered at buy-it-now prices <$50 and <$25 .
Most of these cameras have 75mm/f-1.9 Wollensak lens in an Alphax #3 shutter. They won’t cover 4x5 at infinity (make a 6cm circle on 4x6 film), but they are optimized for 1:1 reproduction at short working distances where they do cover 4x5 . . .and max aperature is f-1.9. I’ve gotten two at $25 each, and close-ups seem fine to me. Had to work some to dismount/disassemble them from the camera though.
If we don’t buy up all these old shutters at thrift store prices, they will eventually get junked —and they will be lost to LF photography forever.