16x20 Empire

[RTucker]

Does anybody shoot 16x20? I am being offered an Empire 16x20 camera, that appears to be in good shape except for the bellows. I am thinking of picking it up and doing a light restoration on it, putting a new bellows on it. It has one film holder, and a voiglander 50cm barrel lens on it. My question is it worth spending some money on it, to try to resell it if nobody is shooting in that format. What would you do?

[Amedeus]

I would shoot collodion with it ...

[Tim Meisburger]

I think almost everyone here would jump at it if the price were right. Regular film would be expensive, but many people would shoot x-ray film and use the large negative for alternative processes. So yes, you should get it.

[Jim Graves]

I think almost everyone here would jump at it if the price were right. Regular film would be expensive, but many people would shoot x-ray film and use the large negative for alternative processes. So yes, you should get it.

+1

[Oren Grad]

My question is it worth spending some money on it...

With apologies for saying the obvious: it depends how much "some" is.

[Tracy Storer]

"Empire State" ? My (late) friend Patrick Alt did a lot of work with his beautifully restored 18"x22" Empire State. A new bellows from Custom Bellows will likely be around the $500-$600 mark, but worth it, they make all my ULF (and all other sizes) bellows.
Don't know your budget, the offering price, or what the lens is......all are important factors in the que$tion.
Good luck !

[Oren Grad]

Are you set up to handle 16x20 in your darkroom?

I like to contact print with a decent border to allow safe handling and corner mounting, and since the biggest paper I can reasonably handle is 16x20, that would rule out 16x20 for me. But in principle I'd be game to try 14x17, if the price was right and I had the cash on hand.

[StoneNYC]

If you're going to do it, and want real film, you have 3 choices for new film that's not x-ray, and it only comes around once a year so you better snag it!...all ilford

Delta100

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/117395...6x20-25-Sheets

FP4+

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/190455...6x20-25-Sheets

And of course HP5+

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/187178...6x20-25-Sheets

Good luck!

Don't forget this is once a year, there's an order deadline... So don't wait.

[RTucker]

Its part of an estate I am buying. The owner has boxes of new old stock Hasselblad, and the cool Rolleiflex sl2000, left over from a store he owned in the 80s. The empire camera will be just kind of included in the deal. The Voiglander lens if I remember said something like periwinkle on the top of the barrel.

[Drew Bedo]

My Vote:



First get the camera.

When it comes to these old cameras we can't really own them, We are really stewards or curators who care for and hold them to pass onto another generation. You have the opportunity to bring this camera back and pass it on; now—or later.

When I first got it, I idid a gentle restoration on my Kodak 2D (8x10) to clean it up and so on . . .and I use the camera. Its disposition is mentioned in my Will.

This Empire is great camera for ULF-alt photography, AND IT COMES WITH FILM HOLDER AND LENS. If you decide on not doing the restoration you can sell it as-is right here to someone who will give it a good home.But, first . . .get the camera!