Help identifying folding camera

[Jon_b]

Hi,

I'm hoping that someone on this forum can identify this camera. The photo is of my great-grandfather and was taken around 1892.

Thank you

Jon

[Steven Tribe]

Might well be possible!

The lens board/standard is very different from the usual. It is asymmetric and there is "something" at the top left hand corner!

The size is, I think 5x7" or 1/1 plate size. 1892 is just before the boxed folders went into production. The tripod is typical of this period, probably with iron spikes at the ends, which explains the wide angle.

Which country is this Jon?

[Jon_b]

This was in London where my family come from.

Thanks

[Steven Tribe]

I thought it might be the UK!

I think I know the series of makers ( they merged every few years in the 1890's ! ) with this type of design. I'll do a search.

[Steven Tribe]

It is Payment's Patent camera ( 1/2 plate) made by Perken , son and Rayment from 1886.

Here is an image:

There is whole page at Earlycameras.co.uk giving details. It was a de-luxe camera!

It looks like he is using the original mounted Dallmeyer Rapid Rectilinear lens.

[Jon_b]

Hi Steven,

That's brilliant! Thanks so much for helping. He passed on his hobby to his son, who took many pictures with a Kodax during his time in WW1, so this really adds to that part of the family history. The camera was kept by my grandmother for many years but sadly got sold.

Thanks again.

Jon

[Steven Tribe]

The illustrated camera was a 1/2 plate one on the earlyphotography website - but it is possible there were larger sizes made. They advertised in the British Journal of Photography (BJP) and there may be more information there.

[Regular Rod]

It's stuff like this that really makes this forum special! Great question to ask. Great detective work to answer it.

RR

[Steven Tribe]

The real work was done at earlycameras.co.uk.

The camera looks really "uninteresting" on the old photo, but it reality it was a splendid apparatus!

Sorry I don't have the old BTP magazines, but they are rather pricey these days.

[Jac@stafford.net]

The real work was done at earlycameras.co.uk.

Do you mean http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/?