I just picked this one up this weekend - the 5x7 sized Kodak Empire State camera-
Overall, it seems to be in very good condition - the wood and joints are all solid - the bellows must have been replaced some years ago, not new, but probably too good to be original. The top handle is missing, but that is only a few minutes to cut and fit a new leather one.
The adjustments on the back are smooth, the ride and fall are good on the front standard. Moving the front standard forward and backward was very stiff at first. The camera has likely sat unused for a while (one film holder has a piece of tape on saying it was loaded in 1978) so I expect dirt and corrosion is to blame. Slowly moving back and forth has helped, but the farther back you go the harder it gets, I am going to try and clean the tracks with the nylon bristles on a Dremel so I don’t mar or cause wear on the wood.
One corner bracket on the ground glass is a miss match but fits fine.
The knob to tighten the sliding tripod mount is missing, that is something I will have to find or turn a replacement for.
The Gundlach Optical Co. lens is very clean, but shutter speeds below 1 sec are increasingly slower, the sliding vertical rod in the right tube barely moves at the slowest speeds (I don't know the tech names for the parts) would a light lubing of the exposed rod help that? Or is that a professional adjustment
There was what I thought was the base extension piece included, but it does not line up, it is wider, so I assume it is from another camera – maybe an 8x10 looking at the width
It came with two film holders that look pretty good, they are Graflex “made for Kodak” wood/metal models, which I expect are of later manufactory. I will try to pick up some earlier wood ones –
I shoot a lot of vintage roll film cameras, and 4xt in a Speed Graphic and an Intrepid, but this is my first over 100 year old LF, so thoughts and comments are appreciated
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