Does anyone knows something about this large field camera?

[alex from holland]

I bought this camera and really would like to know more about it.
It's a large format field camera.
The ground glass measures 38 x 30.5 cm which is about 12x15"
On a small ivory plate is written : The 1891 extra special patent.
It looks like an English camera to me.

Just for the size, the bottle is a 1 liter bottle.


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[big_ben_blue]

It's a Lancaster, missing the crank for extending the bed. I have one in whole plate; but mine is currently sans bellows.

[Andrew Plume]

Hi Alex

yes, very much a Lancaster, namely a 'Special Brass Bound Instantograph', as shown here:-

http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C549.html

the movements on the front standard are interesting and differ from the one shown in the link

regards

andrew

[big_ben_blue]

Hi Alex

yes, very much a Lancaster, namely a 'Special Brass Bound Instantograph', as shown here:-

http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C549.html

the movements on the front standard are interesting and differ from the one shown in the link

regards

andrew

Hi Andrew,
Close, but not close enough, sorry. Lancaster made a myriad of different looking models experimenting with weird hardware and equally wacky names to match. The camera in your link is yet another model in their lineup. But Alex's camera is a "Extra Special Patent", ... I know because I got the same (just in a different size, but with identical hardware).

[alex from holland]

Hi Andrew,
Close, but not close enough, sorry. Lancaster made a myriad of different looking models experimenting with weird hardware and equally wacky names to match. The camera in your link is yet another model in their lineup. But Alex's camera is a "Extra Special Patent", ... I know because I got the same (just in a different size, but with identical hardware).

Could you send me some pictures of the crank for extending the bed. I wanna look if i might be able to restore it. Thanks,Alex

[Fourtoes]

Looks like a fancy big brother version of this one.....
http://www.woodandbrass.co.uk/detail.php?cat_num=0022

[Fourtoes]

this is the extra special....
http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C688.html

[big_ben_blue]

Could you send me some pictures of the crank for extending the bed. I wanna look if i might be able to restore it. Thanks,Alex

Alex, I'll try to dig mine out next week and do some pics (it's packed away in the "project" storage stack, and I'll have to finish an important deadline first). The crank is basically a small fold-up type. Lancaster used it on a few other models too, you may be able to find a few pics on the web too. A word of caution: there's a reason why those cranks have disappeared - they are utterly useless for efficient operation, mean they are S L O W to operate.

[Steven Tribe]

Lancaster was a big advertiser.
This is a page showing the "extra special" which cost more than double the price of the other cameras in their range.

Lancaster only advertised up to full plate in their ads.

Lancaster, Salex, Rayment and London Stereoscopic all made this ULF size (i.e. seen on the bay!).

[alex from holland]

Thanks Steven!
do you have a link of the listed camera on e..y? can't find it.

Alex

[Steven Tribe]

Seen on E**y - but not the last few years, sorry!

There are a few 30x40cm reisekameras for sale on a French website - otherwise not too many recently.
Steven

[big_ben_blue]

Took a while; but here they are - a couple of pics showing the crank.
Alex - you owe me big time ... making me dig through 20+ boxes in storage to find the camera in question ;)