Picture of a big (process?) camera

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

[Minolta Bert]

Way cool! I'm new to large format photography, but not so new that I can't appreciate the work (and pleasure) represented in your picture of this impressive camera. All the best. Do you tow it behind your car like a fishing boat?

Bob

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

not mine

[djdister]

Technically speaking, this is probably not a view camera, but rather a process or copy camera.

[Michael E]

We had a similar process camera in college, back in the early 90s. It was built into the wall, the back was in the darkroom. The original to be copied was placed on a standard that also moved on the rails, with big hot lights on both sides. All standards were moved by cranks from the darkroom side. The ground glass was hinged and replaced by a vacuum back (20 x 24"?). The film was placed on the vacuum back, exposed and processed right away. It would be great (but difficult) to modify one of these cameras for general ULF use.

I'm sure there are a lot of people here who have worked with these beasts on a daily basis and know a lot more than I do.

[Jim Andrada]

I seem to remember that they had 30 x 40 versions - or maybe more. A long time ago I was building a new darkroom and toyed with the idea of getting one, but came to my senses in time. Unlike with most things photographic.

[Duolab123]

I had a chance to take a 30 x 40 , went to scrap. I did get the lenses. Rodenstock, huge can't remember exactly but they were 30 to 40 inch at least. I traded them to a guy for an enlarging lens. Not so bright of me. Wouldn't have been able to use but they sure looked cool. I remember thinking I would have needed 4 feet of bellows to focus at infinity.

[Fr. Mark]

I have an 8x10 with that much bellows...

[Drew Wiley]

The largest one I was offered was 22 feet long, with a bellows so big you could walk inside it like a tunnel (if the bellows material could hypothetically support your weight, which it obviously could not). I cannibalized the lenses and the superb pin-registered vac back, which itself weighs about 400 lbs, and now serves as a vac
easel on one of my big 8x10 enlargers.

[Duolab123]

I have an 8x10 with that much bellows...

Yep, I have an 11 x 14 with 5 foot bellows, the guy I traded to made a killing. I was young and foolish. Things probably cost 15k each in 1975. Oh well. One less "project".