Is Zone VI really gold?
Just got a nice Zone VI as my only field camera, and I noticed some of the fittings look like they could use a polishing.
Are the fittings really gold plated? Will that rub off? (presuming it IS gold, which I find hard to believe)
I read somewhere the fittings were gold, just in case you thought I was dumber than I really am.
I suspect they are lacquered brass.
I'm guessing that if it looks like it needs polishing, it's not gold. Gold doesn't corrode.
Hi Herb,
Fred Picker was not satisfied with the way polished brass fittings tended to tarnish, even after they were protected with lacquer.
He decided to improve his brass work, and he ran a series of Zone VI 4x5 cameras that had beautiful gold plated hardware.
Your camera is from that series.
Yes, the gold sometimes wears or peels off.
Properly lacquered brass is good for quite a few decades, judging by some brass items I have from the century before last. I'm no fan of Fred Picker, and I think the gold plating he used was just a pretentious gimmick.Originally Posted by Gem Singer
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
Fred picker was not attempting to be pretentious, nor was it a gimmick, when he decided to gold plate the brass work on his cameras.
The shellac coating on the polished brass of Ron Wisner's cameras (he called it "spirit lacquer") tended to wear off leaving the underlying brass to tarnish when exposed to air.
Fred came up with the idea of gold plating the brass on his Zone VI cameras in order to improve the look and durability of the metal fittings.
Eventually, Ron began to use gold anodized aluminum metal fittings in order to lighten the weight of his cameras.
Fred sold Zone VI to Calumet, and they used black anodized aluminum on the last series of Zone Vi cameras, which they referred to as light weight.
I lived through that era. Owned two Wisner 4x5 Tech fields and a 4x5 Zone VI camera with gold plated hardware.
Perhaps he wasn't attempting to be pretentious, but he succeeded in being pretentious. Remember how he worked the gold into the sales pitch?
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
One man's pretentiousness is another man's attempt to make improvements in his products and market them to the wold.
Fred Picker was not a warm fuzzy guy, but he played an important role in the world of large format photography.
Imagine Fred Picker and Ron Wisner working together. Together, they could have been the world wide leaders in the LF photo industry.
They did gold plate the fittings at one point.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Over the long run the brass looks better anyway IMO.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
The fittings on mine are real gold (plated, probably quite thin). I don't know what the actual metal is.
They did this for a couple of years. I don't know if it was an option or standard on the product.
These cameras were made by Zone VI in Newfane Vermont. I don't think any of the other versions had gold fittings.
One thing to check...
Make sure all your screw fittings have the nylon washers in place on both sides.
Tightening a knob without the washers will definitely damage the plating.
- Leigh
If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.
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