minhnguyen9113 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I've just got an interesting Kodak 3A special model A, must be around 100 year old.<ahref="http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/?action=view¤t=DSCN1565A.jpg"target="_blank"><imgsrc="http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1565A.jpg"border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1565.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 I put a Polaroid lens on it. The interesting thing is camera can be tilt up, tilt down, shift right and left http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1566.jpg http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1567.jpg http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1568.jpg http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg63/minhnguyen9113/DSCN1569.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick j dempsey Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Awesome awesome camera man! I wonder if thats one of those Kodak cameras made by Nagel Works in Germany before WWII? I know they made some cameras with movements for Kodak. I can't wait to see what you do with it man! Time to do some freaky tilt and shift work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark f Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Funny, I have one on my workbench right now. I fixed up the bellows (basically, stripped the outer layer and replaced it with Porter's black out cloth) and converted it to a 5.5"x2" camera. The conversion was simply making a film gate from brass, making little end adapters for the film reels, and make a new pressure plate. I really wish that film was available, though. That would make a 3.5x5.5" negative on roll film.....large (enough) format for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Definitely a product of Eastman Kodak, made in Rochester. The Nagels are much newer cameras. The Specials had the best lenses and shutters, and often exotic leather. That might be sealskin on that one. Or maybe Morrocan Calf. Check out the Kodak catalogs at http://mgroleau.com/catalogues_kodak/index.html 3A is a neat film format. Even more fun if you have some rolls of Verichrome Pan VP122 in the film fridge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Could be the 1912 version. That was clad in Persian morocco leather. Came with a Compound shutter, and a f/6.3 Zeiss Kodak anastigmat (licensed Tessar design) lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 I start to collect them now and find out model B special is better. I'm looking for someone who can replace bellows so I can order a "Rainbow set", interesting !!!. Mine comes with an excellent looking Zeiss lens but the lens has only one speed + B and T. Let see how the pictures comes out soon. Thanks for information John, and thanks everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_medin Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 My father got one of these cameras when he arrived in this country. He must have bought it used, as it predated his arrival here (it was a red bellows version). I still have a few negatives (and many prints) of things he shot from about 1920-1958. I could tell that as the years wore on he forgot how to use it - the early pictures from the '20s and '30s were excellent, the later ones from the '50s pretty bad. It had an f/6.3 lens and one shutter speed IIRC and I wish I could find it, but it was put away fifteen years ago and not seen since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_supplee Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Must be a run going on these things. I just received mine from the "bay" 2 days ago. Awesome cameras. 3 1/4 x 5 1/2 postcard format. According to McKeown's, they were built 1910-14. They were made with Persian Morocco leather. Mine has a B&L compound shutter spds 1-200, and the Zeiss Kodak Anistigmat 6.3 lens. As I was writing this, I just found out that the wheel to control the forward/ back movement pulls out for operation. One question is, since these are roll film cameras, how would you utilize the differnt movements since you can't look at a ground glass for focusing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick j dempsey Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Craig, stop that sucker down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 They have scale for ranger focusing, I put a Polaroid lens, adapt the scale from the Polaroid 110B to it, set infinitive, convert to 56x140mm... load couple rolls and see if the Polaroid lens can handle this format in tilt and shift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 I add an eye-level view finder from a Kodak 616 for easier viewing and guessing for tilt and shift, I think. What will you do Craig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_foreman1 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Wow, I'd sure like to find one with the better lenses.MY 1A is so-so and my jiffy besides the leaky bellows is almost hardly usable. Comment on Mark's comment about photo quality fall-off. What is it that causes this...expensive (precious film)suddenly more affordable therfore expendable? LAck of interest? Lack of care (ie forgetting to be still, taking for granted the "camera" will deliver the quality and " you push the button" mentality? Film Speed? Excuse my ignorance but did the film speed change over the years? Effectively changing the assumed exposure? Or do the sunny conditions of youth give way to the "gray" of age? Whatever the reason, I've seen this with my own hands! Minh, Neat work with old formats ... keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_supplee Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I think for now I will just clean mine up to make it proud and then let it show itself off to people. I don't really plan on retrofitting it to make it work for todays size films. Looking forward to seeing your pics though Minh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_roach Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Minh, and anyone else interested. I have several NOS bellows for the kodak 3A. They fit the model C. I'm not sure if they also fit the model A. it looks the same. email if interested. $10 plus shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene m Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Minh's The Man. I just got a present from him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_supplee Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I just realized that this camera can also take plate film. There must be a special back for this. I noticed that there are 2 distance gauges on the front board. The top one is hinged and it is for roll film and the other underneath it is for plates. Now I understand why the camera has all the movement settings! I wonder what the plate back looks like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick j dempsey Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Now thats cool... it acts like a standard folder for rollfilm and as a mini view camera for plate film! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_medin Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Chuck, I think in my father's case, it was just that he used the camera a LOT when he first got here - I have about 150 photos of his that date from 1920-30, then his interest fell off after he got married and became a business owner. He didn't use the camera again (that I could tell) until about 1957. In the ensuing period, he seemed to have forgotten how to focus and set exposure. My guess is that his buying that Duaflex didn't help, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_shriver Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yes, there is a "combination back" that takes plate holders, and a ground glass screen. Then you gotta find the film sheaths for the plate holders -- not a common size. Then cut down film. I've done it, almost certainly the first color film that 3A ever took. (Kodacolor was available in 122 for only a few years.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minhnguyen9113 Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Yes, I have a 3A model C with 2 backs, I think we can adapt a 4x5 back on it. No, put a wide angle lens and make it a panorama camera with tilt and shift is easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_roach Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 here's my 3A. I still haven't actually shot any film with it. The film spools are cut down 122 spools soldered together. The supply side has the entire end of an ansco/agfa folder epoxied into it. They have a cool little flip out mechanism. I'm thinking of covering the "autographic" slot with rubylith and using that as the red window. if I use every other number that will give me 60x120mm. They'll be some overlap as the gate is actually 140mm wide. the lens is a 90mm WA Optar. I still need to make a focusing scale for this lens. I really should get busy and finish this project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_roach Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 oh and this is what the combo back looks like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip_williams2 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 <p>i have a 3A Special that i use quite often...it has the built-in rangefinder. my camera is in like-new ( mint ) condition and works great. its a perfect architechual camera & makes beautiful negitives. i mostly just make contack prints.<br />122 film can be obtained from " FILMFORCLASSICS.COM ".<br>i am trying to get a combihation back for mine but havent had any luck so far.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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