Originally Posted by
IanG
Dallmeyer sold 5x4 (4x5) wet plate cameras in the mid 1870's. British made lenses of that era were often marked with their coverage with the longer side first i.e. 8x5.
A number of British companies associated with cameras, lens, materials manufacture were established many years before Antony, and there were similar companies in the rest of Europe. Dallmeyer began in 1860, Wray in 1850, Ross in 1830, Johnsons in 1743 - still trading as camera importers and repairers they sold silver nitrate and other chemicals to Fox Talbot.
There was no mass market in the 1880's not for plate cameras, you only need to look at the numbers of lenses large manufacturers were making it does increase when dry plates started to become common and the number of camera manufacturers increases in the 1890's.
The mass market only begins with smaller, lighter more portable cameras, faster emulsions, commercial processing, roll films (available in Europe before Eastman Kodak) etc.
Ian
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