cliffmanley

JDM is right 1/30 to 1/50 mileage may vary..

Stops are

1 f/11

2 f/16

3 f/22

4 f/32

If it looked like this one, they were available in 4x5 as well as 1/4 and 1/2 plate sizes.<div></div>

You are the only one here that actually saw it. Everyone is trying to guess what you saw!

If it was big, it could be a 4x5, or a 10x15cm, or a 9x12cm. We don't have a clue, we didn't see it! Why don't you go back when there IS staff around, and take a tape measure and a note pad, and a camera, then show us, and report back to us, just what you saw, including the lens length. Otherwise all we can say is it's an old box reflex of some type with Salex marked on it. And if you're not really interested, why should we be? If you are interested, if it's a large format, go back and see what it is.

Quick update and a crappy picture! This will be the ultimate street camera using a 9x12 plate camera on the front. It will have slide in paper holders to do 2 x 3 wallet size, 4x5, 5x7, 3 1/2x7 stereo cards and Postcards! I made the front mount rotatable to be able to do portrait and also Landscape photos and postcards. This will be just like the other cameras shown, and do the copy and developing inside the camera on paper with no outside power needed. It will also serve as a developing and copy box for other cameras, such as my transposing stereo camera, I'll be able to make on the spot 3D stereo cards and stereo postcards too. Look for a new post when it's done!<div></div>

They make good see thru lens caps, take em off when ready to shoot, and you have a nice clean lens! Of course a good screw in metal lens cap is much better.

Is this a Gear Giveaway?

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<p>I think I might make one of those!</p>

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<p>Just as a follow up, yesterday I drew up what I wanted for a developing box to mount a plate camera, and will likely start on it today (Sunday) It will use a slide on 9x12 plate camera and I'm intending it to produce 4x5 and 5x7 prints with standard 1/4 inch borders or plug in Vignette rounds and ovals, etc. I'll post it when it's done and working! The only drop tank will be the fixer. I don't want any fixer inside the camera, so it will be through a trap door into a drop tank.</p>

<p>Yes the Aptus is one of the street cameras I was referring to in my earlier post where I said this Afghanistan camera was patterned after. Another famous one was the Mandel or Mandelette. These were street ferrotype cameras and some used paper ferrotype plates. There were also ferrotype cameras that produced little round tintypes that could be mounted in buttons, and tiny round frames and boxes. The Carnival and fairground operators used this type of setup too at the turn of the Century. I find it funny that some of these articles say that the process is unique to India or Afghanistan, and that they invented the process by merging other technologies. When in fact the just made homemade box cameras that mimic the traditional ones that had been used for decades.</p>

<p>Many people ask me why I usually make the little 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 size instead of larger plates. The reason is that most (in the upper 90%) of the Civil War and later tintypes were 1/6th plate (what I use), and the next greatest number were Gem size (even smaller ). My 1/6th plate camera will do not only the paper process we have been discussing, but also wet glass plate, tintypes, ambrotype glass plates, or any other process that could be used back then, but processed in a dark tent rather than in the camera. Larger Parlor Cabinet cards, Boudoir, and Imperial size prints were reserved for the fairly well to do class, that could pay for them. Things haven't changed much when you look at the prices of gallery 20x24 B&W prints, the average guy on the street is never going to be able to afford them. These street cameras are not very flexible as to the type and size of the finished product, but are incredibly efficient and light self contained units.</p>

I really like that idea of mounting a plate camera to the end of a developing box like that first shot is showing. Looks like a 1/2 plate camera. That makes a great street camera, that has a bellows to focus anywhere, instead of having to move the holder inside the box (usually just a portrait and copy position). It's pretty rare to see a street camera with a bellows. I think I might make one of those!

Peter: Please show me a picture of a building , anywhere in the world, that the builder intended to fall down? I don't think it is just my fantasy to think buildings are meant to stand erect! Is that some backward antiquated type of thinking? Women Voters? Man on the Moon? I don't get it? Again, I was trying to help. Some people love what I have to say, others reject anything I have to say, and like yourself lash out at me for saying ANYTHING. For the ones that like what I have to say, I will continue to post my opinions, and hopefully some will learn from them. And even though you think that I represent EVERYTHING people hate about forums, many have learned a variety of things from my postings here.

Soeren, My intention was to try to help make a beautiful shot even nicer. I find it interesting that both parties that mention liking the original image used the word Dynamic. You see, that is the very reason I thought it should be fixed. The buildings are not supposed to be Dynamic and moving (ie:falling over) but static and solid as a rock as the Stone Masons that built them intended them to be for eternity. I also thought that opening up the foreground shows the People who are the true dynamic, and are moving and ever changing. I find it also interesting that one comment said that "a picture didn't have to always be correct". That is saying in other words that the edited version IS correct, but it doesn't have to be that way. The other comment described the buildings as odd and drunken, but then goes on to say but it's ok. So even though they are trying to compliment you on your photo, which I also did, they are really in agreement with what I had shown. You said " as always - feel free to comment :-) " so I did, and I meant it to be constructive.

John, you can do it either way. If you do it wet you need the paper wet too. So you soak it in cold water a few then use a roller to squeeze out the water between them. I usually dry the negatives first, and the RC paper dries really fast anyway. then I put them in a contact printer with a border mask and can make as many prints as they want. I usually use my 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 camera and make wallet size contact prints and have a tiny enlarger in my darktent and can make any size up to 8x10 on the spot from the paper negatives. If you are in the field you can use low voltage lamps or like I do, use a little inverter run off a battery. If i'm close to elec, I just plug in.

Your Kodak 7.7 should work fine. One of my favorite lenses is a B&L RR that I think is an f7 lens. and it works great. ASA 6 sounds a bit fast but it might be. I use a Weston meter that is calibrated lower so whatever. You really don't want bright light, but shaded if possible so you can control the contrast.

Whatever floats your boat David!

Mike, that happens to be Kodak polycontrast F/RC with an expiraton date of 3/78. I still have a couple hundred 8x10 sheets of the stuff.

 

Bill, I don't know how to be a movie star, but I might see if I can do something.

I looked at a picture of one on Ken Rockwells page and there might be one of the rings in there that is reflecting. I think the aperture is behind that so might not eliminate it unless it was stopped down a long way. Why don't you go back out and try some shots with it stopped down and let us know if it worked? Shine a flashlight in the front of the lens and see if any of the rings look bright.

It would be a ring that is shiny toward the front and reflecting off an element in front of it.

If it's an internal reflection, there may be no fixing it unless it's a shiny spacer ring.

Well that's a beautiful shot. Even nicer when the foreground is turned on and the buildings aren't falling over.<div></div>

It may be a reflection off of the chrome filter thread. You might need to paint it dead black or screw in a black filter adapter ring with no filter.

I do paper negatives all the time at different events and such. But I do contact prints rather than retake a photo of the negative. You can do the entire operation in the field, and it's quick! The longest part is hanging the prints up to dry, but that is what keeps the crowd around waiting to get their's ! You sell more that way! And yes, it is Classic and Manual.

Want dreamy? Here is the same lens opened up with no filter. I just took this one and dried it with a hair dryier. It's still warm! Would make lovely portraits!<div></div>

Here is a close up! So tell me what's wrong with a paper negative?<div></div>

It's not a pinhole camera. It's a steet box camera, Paper negatives can be as sharp as a tack if it has a good lens on the box and is focused correctly. This one looks to be a home made box camera with an enlarger lens on it. Aparently there were many of them made in Afganistan and used in the streets there. They are patterned after the early commercial street cameras of the 20th century that used a variety of media, such as tintype, photo paper positives, photo paper negatives, etc. They were very popular, and I guess in some places continue to be used.

 

Here is a scan of a photo paper negative I just did 2 days ago so you can see that it is not just a blurry unsharp image as Michael would have you to believe, but actually very nice. This is from a 1924 Heliar lens.<div></div>

Oh yeah, I see that now. I had to download it and reduce the jacked up contrast to be able to see it. Yeah looks like light rays coming across there when it's not just all black. That's cool!

I only see a little flare washing out the image in the upper right. Is that what you are talking about?