After an endless number of 5x7" and 8x10" "project" wooden cameras, which i bought very cheap, but never get finished (i start one camera, then i leave it mid-way, then i start another one, leave it because i need a missing part, then i restart an old one... and the lathe of a friend suddenly dies!) my partner took pity of me, and purchased a well restored 8x10" camera as Christmas gift.
As my only perfectly working 8x10" cameras are either practically unusable outdoor (a tank-like DeVere monorail), or very unlikely to be carried too far from the car trunk (a black Calumet C1), the choice went for a very light one: an F&S Century Universal.
It's the same camera i had already seen in a personal homepage, with pictures taken before and after the restoration. It's the camera that came with the two adjustable aluminium braces... i guess that the seller is/was a forum member, and that the braces got sold to another forum member.
The camera is restored very well, so it didn't come cheap. I would not spend that money for a camera body, but i must admit that i'm cheap... and of course my partner is not
Apart from the holes left by the stabilization braces, which weren't filled, the only aesthetical glitch is a missing ground glass clip.
Unfortunately the clips are not made like the common ones used in other cameras. The shape around the screw hole is not round, but crown-shaped.
You can see the shape in the picture i am posting.
I know that the ground glass is probably as secure as with all the four clips, but the present i got is so wonderful, that i am feeling like i have fix that only imperfection!
No way to cut the clip from a brass sheet, cause it's nickel plated.
All the pictures i have seen show the various examples of CU cameras with standard GG clips, only mine has that strange clip design.
Whatever... the clips must come from somewhere.
The previous owner reports that the camera came to him with the same clips, so i have no useful informations, my only hope is that one of the many forum members involved in the restoration of old wooden camera could find a spare clip in the "parts" drawer.
That would be super-nice!
Of course i am willing to refund postage, disturb, etc. etc.
Just a small side note.
I am pleasantly surprised by the camera!
I must confess that i had more than a few doubts about the Century Universal.
I knew that the wood of the case is very thin, and i had seen too many unrestored examples in very bad conditions (sign of an intrinsic fragility of the design, or possible problems with the construction process). It is not so uncommon, some Ansco Universal cameras literally come apart because of the bad quality of the glue that was used to assemble the wooden parts.
The braces that were originally attached to the front and back of the camera reveal that at some point it developed a wobbly front - other way there won't be any need for them.
I own a Technika III, so i know all too well what it means!
I am always over critical of the equipment i use (not like some photographers, who always have the best of the best... just because they own it!), and while i believe that you have to try to "play over" technical shortcomings, there is no meaning in denying their existence.
Now i have just barely handled the camera, used all the movements, extended to full bellows length... so i can't comment about its usability, but i can't deny that i was impressed by the nice mix between light weight and decent rigidity.
Probably the tension of the new, robust bellows (by Custom Bellows, UK) helps in some way, but i found that the front standard does not flex, and my impression is that all, but the most weighty lenses for a 6x6" lensboard, can be used. Even at full extension, and with the camera inclined towards the ground.
It could be the quality of the restoration, and probably not all Century Universal cameras are as tight and smooth as mine, though i am not so sure that a Deardorff V8 would be a better choice for heavy optics. Not any more, after i handled mine for some time.
I would be happy to learn what other people think about this matter.
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