•The Show Us Your Vintage Camera Thread•

[IanG]

View attachment 182422 A vintage Stereo Realist 1041. Just your average realist....but geez why did they NOT make some in Black! ....so I did!

Very nice, I've always wanted to shoot stereo, I have a project in mind and I'm thinking Large Format stereo. Have you used yours ?

Ian

 

[IanG]

Vintage cameras need Vintage Shutters

The smaller shutter and SD card are include to indicate the size, the lens is a 20" f8 Rapic Rectilinear, the combination is fitted to my British pre-1900 12"x10" field camera. I've also made an adapter board to use the lens and shutter on my two 10x8 Agfa Ansco cameras.

This size Thornton Pickard shutter is not very common, I do have one or maybe two others including a less common TP Studio shutter, there were some slightly larger but I've yet to come across one.

Ian

 

[Heidi Rosser]

Thought I'd share some colour in my vintage collection images.

Here we have:
Zeiss Ikon Ikonette in blue/grey 1950s
Argus A in khaki 1930s/1940s
Ilford Advocate in white 1940s

 

[Heidi Rosser]

From the Agfa part of my collection we have a Agfa Super Isolette and the funky looking Flexilette.

 

[star camera company]

Beautiful Machines Here! They are art, they create art, and they hide art. The Art of the design, the invention of all these intricate parts, microscopic screws, precision tolerances.....all working together in concert, a miniature world of small parts....hidden from view, •••• Here we have the Contura Stereo Camera, built in 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By design, it was intended to be the Finest Stereo Camera possible. The art “inside”, was designed by Seton Rochwite, inventor of the Stereo Realist and designer of the Kin-Dar Stereo Camera. The Beautiful exterior was a product of Famed Industrial Designer Brooks Stevens. The f 2.7 35mm Volar lenses were custom designed for this camera by Ilex. The covering California Saddle Leather by Salz. The case beautifully made by Perrin. ....unfortunately, it resulted in a late in the craze launch, very high price and direct competition from the newly introduced Kodak Stereo Camera, Bakelite and low cost. •••. The results, as they played out, were not good. The Contura Stereo Camera was built basically as the company folded to satisfy investors. Only a few were sold to the public. A few exist partially completed, under construction as the doors were shut. Sources say 130 were built, I’ve searched the net and find serial numbers 12 to 80, about 20 cameras in all. Serial Numbers start with an A10x or B100x prefix. The A Cameras went to investors, the B cameras were sold. This one is B1012, the earliest serial number I can find, the twelfth camera made. Pretty Thing, eh?

 

[IanG]

My 10"x8" Agfa Ansco Commercial View, the original owner was a student and later lecturer at the Clarence White School of Photography. Around 1940 he bought what was (he) regarded as the best US field camera available and the best lens a 12" f6.8 Goerz Am Opt, Dagor, this was coated after WWII..

It acme in its original case with the extension board and 3 Agfa Ansco DDS, as well as items added by the second owner - 3 spare blank lens boards, another that had been used with a 300mm f9 Nikkor M. a NIB Beattie Intenscreen, Compendium hood, and a large dark-cloth. There's also a home made 5x4 reducing back,

This one's unusual as the original owner had Agfa Ansco add front swing.

Ian

 

[star camera company]

Wow that entire front Standard is held by One bolt?

 

[IanG]

Wow that entire front Standard is held by One bolt?

Yes and it's remarkably stable as well. Actually a few US field cameras use the same system, it's the length and width of the two piece that helps the stability.

Another area where US field cameras typically rely on one bolt is the extension rail, on the Seneca City View the front rail is two pieces and slides to provide front shift rather than having the shift on the front standard itself.

Ian

 

[star camera company]

1. Color is GOOD! I done a Stereo Realist 1041 in Black with Blue Lizard Skin.
   

 

[JudoJohn]

I think you need to define what's vintage, Mamiya 645 cameras don't really fall into that category, maybe pre WWII, or perhaps 60+ years old. After all cameras from the 1960's have reached a mature quality in terms of build and functionality.

Ian

yea, anything over 20-30 years old is vintage. the Mamiya certainly meets that criteria.
you might be thinking Antique.

80's is vintage.

Actually, IMHO, anything film is vintage.

 

[IanG]

OTE]
Actually, IMHO, anything film is vintage.

That opens a can of worms as many have never stopped using film and cameras are still made and there's new manufacturers.

I've been a large format photographer since 1976, I've seen film users switch to MF, LF and even ULF in recent years, I've not chaged.

You could equally argue that some digital cameras are vintage, and yes I used them early Casio cameras my Boss bought, a friends expensive 1mb Polraoid camera.

Realism is quite different if you're a working or exhibiting photographer.

Ian

 

[compur]

Actually, IMHO, anything film is vintage.

There are still new film cameras in production and major motion pictures being shot on film.

 

[IanG]

Actually, IMHO, anything film is vintage.

There are still new film cameras in production and major motion pictures being shot on film.

And why films sales are up over 20% this year.

It's now the digital users sticking their heads in the sand . . . . . . . . . . .

Ian

 

[star camera company]

1. This thread is to show vintage cameras, not That argument trod out.
   

 

[IanG]

My Kodak Specialist 2, this is the UK evolution of the Eastman and Kodak Ltd versions of the 2D. It's a Half Plate camera but as it's an International back moder 7x5 film or plate holders fit perfectly.

Front and rear focussing is geared as are the sliding block and most of the movements, came with it's original case with the extension rail, 203mm f7.7 Ektar lens in a Kodak Epsilon shutter, the Dallmeyer 4½" f6.5-11 WA, dark-cloth, and 6 Half Plate DDS film holders.

The Dallmeyer WA has a focussing aperture of f6.5 but max taking aperture of f11. The track bed has a Centimetre/Millimetre scale for measuring extension precisely and there's a table with Exposure factors on the side of the camera.

These were the last View cameras made by Kodak Ltd here in the UK, they weren't made or sold in the US. A true precision camera.

Ian