Agfa Ansco 5x7

[Jim Jones]

My Burke & James 5/7 flatbed has front and back swing and tilt limited only by the bellows and the lens coverage. The back has +/- 3 inches shift and 3 inches rise. The front has +/- 1.5 inches shift and 5" vertical movement. My Burke & James 5x7 Saturn monorail has lots of front and back tilt but more limited front and back swings. It has moderate front and rear shift and no rear rise, but plenty of front rise. B&J may lack the class of more expensive view cameras, but it has plenty of versatility. Some photographers have added class by stripping the grey paint and found decent wood beneath to be finished as desired. However, I can't see how it would improve their photographs.

[Roger Thoms]

I bought this 5x7 Ansco, it has front tilt. https://www.largeformatphotography.i...5X7-late-model They’re out there, and not to expensive if you’re patient, especially if you like grey.

The Burke and James Commercial View also has front tilt and comes in that nice grey that makes it more affordable. My girlfriend has one in 5x7 and loves it. I feel that they are underrated cameras.

Roger

[pepeguitarra]

I bought this 5x7 Ansco, it has front tilt. https://www.largeformatphotography.i...5X7-late-model They’re out there, and not to expensive if you’re patient, especially if you like grey.

The Burke and James Commercial View also has front tilt and comes in that nice grey that makes it more affordable. My girlfriend has one in 5x7 and loves it. I feel that they are underrated cameras.

Roger

One of the problems is the gray color, it is really ugly. Every time that someone applies opaque paint to a natural wood, it is bad taste. They may have done to hide the different types of wood they were using. There is nothing like Mahogany, or even Teak (ask Chamonix) well polished and varnished.

[Roger Thoms]

One of the problems is the gray color, it is really ugly. Every time that someone applies opaque paint to a natural wood, it is bad taste. They may have done to hide the different types of wood they were using. There is nothing like Mahogany, or even Teak (ask Chamonix) well polished and varnished.

Yes, my preference is certainly for clear finish and possibly a lightly colored stain. There is something very beautiful about nicely finished wood. That being said if you can live with the “ugly” grey color there are some nice deals out there. And your right about the the grey paint being used to cover up miss matched wood. I've seen some cameras that were stripped and refinished and look nice and others that didn’t look so good.

For My girlfriends B&J I made some lens boards out of Poplar, which in my eye is ugly, and had my local paint store color match the grey paint. How crazy is that.

Roger

[Tin Can]

[Mark Crabtree]

It is hard to relate to now, but many people really did turn away from natural wood finishes mid-20th century. Our house is full of solid oak, the previous owner apparently got tired of it. If it was vertical it got painted and if it was horizontal it got carpeted. She was not unique; that wood was a sign of the past, and old stuff. Look at how Kodak "modernized" the Cirkut Cameras under Folmer Graflex with the black ebonized finish over the mahogany that Century had beautifully finished while Cirkuts were under their domain. If you knew people of that generation you'll realize this is not unique at all.

The thing that finally convinced me was some camera trading/talk with a 90 year old friend this winter. He had a Century 8a camera and tall stand that had been at Kodak in their commercial studio. They wanted that old stuff out of there in the early 50's. As soon as he got it home he painted it grey like the modern Ansco stuff. It is clear he has no second thoughts about that. He was just building his own commercial business and you didn't want the clients to think he had a bunch of old junk. He also has a custom made 12x20 that he painted grey, and actually did banquet work with it, w/multi-flashbulb lighting. His contact in NYC for the banquet work complemented him on his modern camera, and complained about the old junk his competitors used.

Me, I hate the grey too. I can't even decide whether I want my friend's old studio stand or not since I don't want to strip that much wood. I have no doubt that the manufacturers cleaned up on this by being able to use cosmetically poor and unmatched wood, but I don't think they were entirely the driving force.