My latest 5x4 camera

IanG · Mar 6, 2020

I swapped this camera for a large Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter back in November it was posted 2nd Dec Canada Post tracking stopped 13th Dec and I'd raised an issue 3rd MArch but was told the sender needer to file a complaint. They say delivery to Europe is 1-2 months.

Then the next day I checked and tracking showed not only was it in the UK but also out for delivery (so no Import taxes).

Came in this leather case.

That's your clues its a beauty, the only other clue is by about 1905 the company had 20-25 of the US market for cameras like this

It's a lovely light weight kit, probably the highest quality camera of this style I've seen.

Ian

IanG · Mar 7, 2020

The focus knob pulls out for use, a very nice feature.. The camera needs a little bit of work the bellows are coming apart, but it's an easy repair, the focus hood was detached, I've already glued it in place and re-ground the focus screen.

The shutter isn't working I'll see if it can be repaired, but I'll make new lens boards anyway and have a choice of lenses I could use with the camera.

It came with two DDS plate holders, I have plenty of film inserts, I took it in my local real ale pub on Wednesday night and have been challenged to make some images in there with it

Any guesses what make and model ? A clue it was made 1904/5.

Ian

Derrel · Mar 7, 2020

Is it a Century Grand? Made by Century Camera which became Folmer and Schwing which was then soon after folded into the Umbrella of the Eastman Kodak Company ?

IanG · Mar 7, 2020

Yes it's a Century Camera, Model 46 which has a revolving back, so similar to the Grand but not as much bellows extension, double rather than triple.

Ian

Derrel · Mar 7, 2020

Looks like a neat machine.

webestang64 · Mar 7, 2020

What a sweet bit of kit. Cameras back then had so much detail and style. Very nice piece for your collection.

Derrel · Mar 7, 2020

Canada Post...over two months to the UK...like dog sled mail time frames back in the Yukon gold rush days...

Derrel · Mar 7, 2020

DDS... does that abbreviation stand for double-sided dark slides? As far as I know that abbreviation is not commonly used here in the United States.

zulu42 · Mar 7, 2020

Its beautiful-I love the red

Jeff15 · Mar 7, 2020

I look forward to its results.....

Derrel · Mar 7, 2020

I would love to see some photos of a modern-day Pub made with this over one century-old camera.

IanG · Mar 8, 2020

Derrel said:
Canada Post...over two months to the UK...like dog sled mail time frames back in the Yukon gold rush days...

Over three months !!!

Derrel said:
DDS... does that abbreviation stand for double-sided dark slides? As far as I know that abbreviation is not commonly used here in the United States.

DDS - Double Dark Slides, it's the holder itself that's double side, it's the common term here in the UK for film and plate holders, book form or more modern.

The Bausch & Lomb shutter need stripping and rebuilding but I have a Kodak ball bearing shutter with the same focal length B&L Rapid Rectilinear lens which is identical to the B&L Centar fitted on the camera.

I'll possibly fit a 120mm f6.8 Dagor (CP Goerz, Berlin) in Compound shutter for the interior shots of the pub. I do have old brass WA lenses but they aren't in shutters.

Kodak sold the Model 46 with some better lenses including B&L Zeiss Tessar, B&L Zeiss Protar and Cooke Series III (the famous Cooke Triplet). I have a modern Rodenstock Geronar MC 150mm f6.3 which is a Cooke Triplet design, or a 165mm f5.3 CZJ Tessar which is closer to the Centar in FL. The 165mm f5.3 isn't a typo CZJ appear to have made these lenses specifically for Kodak., the don't appear in any Zeiss catalogues.

Ian

Derrel · Mar 8, 2020

Thanks for the added information. Here in the USA DDS is a the degree that dentists have. LOL. It is always nice to learn new photographic terms from around the world.
I know very little about antique large format cameras or lenses for them.

Looking forward to seeing a pub photo made with your new find.