Show off your Large Format camera!

[Raymond Bleesz]

A bit of help regarding this camera would be appreciated as this was a very recent acquisition at an auction (2 turn of the century EK box cameras were also purchased in my "collective" bid.
The photograph here shows a Scovill Albion 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 folding field camera & lens. It is my understanding that a specific tripod is necessary for this camera. Anyone have one to sell or anyone who might direct me to a proper tripod.

The camera's condition is rather excellent. The Fresnel lens was missing, and one of the brass knobs seems to be a substitute. Other than a cleaning & polishing, this camera looks very nice.

[Steven Tribe]

This the usual base mounting for tripods for quite a period of time. Some people make a round mahogany section which will fit in the hole with standard female 3/8 or 1/4" threads in the middle. Otherwise you can look for a set of 3 adjustable legs - without the platform -that will fit. Folmer made a lot of these and they are a commonly appearing item.

At this time, the ground glass was not "enhanced" by a fresnel.

Full plate size is a very useful size for contact prints. Availability can be a problem, but is always available from Ilford (at a price) through the once a year ordering process. This is just closed for 2016.

You can find info about the Albion - version 1 - on this page

http://piercevaubel.com/cam/scovill/albion.htm

There are a number of other versions on this splendid website.

[IanG]

Scovill Albion 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 folding field camera & lens. It is my understanding that a specific tripod is necessary for this camera. Anyone have one to sell or anyone who might direct me to a proper tripod.

The camera's condition is rather excellent. The Fresnel lens was missing, and one of the brass knobs seems to be a substitute. Other than a cleaning & polishing, this camera looks very nice.

That's a nice camera well done. It would never have had a fresnel screen though just plain ground glass.

Being based on British field cameras I think there may be a small brass piece missing, the focus rail is supposed to wind out the other way - to the right on your image, we can see it's not engaged with the pinion (see also the link Steven posted), often there' a simple brass stop that prevents the focus bed being wound off the pinion and also at maximum extensions. You need to look and see if there's some screw holes, some have two usually an angled piece of brass but depending how the camera folds up one is often sufficient.

On this quarter plate Victo you can see the brass piece I mean just behind the focus pinion shaft, this stops the track and pinions being damaged:



Ian

[Raymond Bleesz]

Gents--from the Aegean & Denmark

My Scovill has a plate saying "Scovill mnf co NY". The lens is a "Victor" Rochester Optical Co which seems to work. The brass knob, a small one, is perhaps a substitute for the original, just forward of major large pinion brass knob on the right side rear. The bellows is exceptional with a minor hole which I was able to repair.

Ian--my camera does not have those two metal items you have provided in your photo, the small unit with 2 screws & the 3/4 x8 plate. However, on my rear standard which allows for vertical & horizontal images, there is a "22" impressed into the wood standard.

I am not familiar with the tri pod suggestions you have mentioned as there is no way a 3/8 or 1/4 threaded trip pod could accommodate this camera. It seems to me that a special brass plate at the top of the tri pod needs to "set" into tracks at the base of the camera.

Yes, the focusing glass plate is not fresnel, but I have cut a regular piece of glass for a substitute. Will this work?

I am not familiar with dry plates of this size (6 1/2 x 8 1/2)---can you provide me to a source--what is the availability?

Further info would be appreciated, especially anyone who might be working with this particular camera

In Colorado
Raymond

[Will Frostmill]

This the usual base mounting for tripods for quite a period of time. Some people make a round mahogany section which will fit in the hole with standard female 3/8 or 1/4" threads in the middle. Otherwise you can look for a set of 3 adjustable legs - without the platform -that will fit. Folmer made a lot of these and they are a commonly appearing item.

At this time, the ground glass was not "enhanced" by a fresnel.

Full plate size is a very useful size for contact prints. Availability can be a problem, but is always available from Ilford (at a price) through the once a year ordering process. This is just closed for 2016.

You can find info about the Albion - version 1 - on this page

http://piercevaubel.com/cam/scovill/albion.htm

There are a number of other versions on this splendid website.

Steven,
I've often wondered about those tripod legs. Is there a specific term to search for when asking about them?

[mdarnton]

I am not familiar with the tri pod suggestions you have mentioned as there is no way a 3/8 or 1/4 threaded trip pod could accommodate this camera. It seems to me that a special brass plate at the top of the tri pod needs to "set" into tracks at the base of the camera.

All you need is the tripod legs, nothing else. Notice that the brass plate under your camera has three semi-circular ears, each with two pins pointed off towards the adjacent ears. Imagine a crutch, without the top crossbar--only the two sides coming up from the handles. Now imagine two small holes drilled into the upright sides, on their outsides. Pinch the two top piece of the crutch together, stick them between two pins on the bottom of your camera, pins into the holes, and that's the first leg of the tripod. On your first picture, one leg would be at 12:00, one at 8:00, and one at 4:00

[Steven Tribe]

This is what you need (from a non actual ebay listing).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Wo...EAAOSwzgRWzYzF

The advantage of this type of "holed" base is that more voluminous lens/shutters could be retained on the front standard when the camera was folded away. The tripod legs are often sold with a round top which has the same fitments which your camera has built into the brass ring on your camera.

[go_jmo]

My Nagaoka Seisakusho Ultralight 4x5 + Fujinon SW 90mm F8 basking in a Northern Irish sunset...

[axs810]

nice set up go_jmo!

[Corran]

New Pelican case, can just squeeze in my Chamonix 4x5, Shen-Hao 6x17, 4 lenses and accessories and film: