Can you identify this camera?

[Laughing-Pixel]

Picked this up at a car boot the other week as im looking at playing with some wet plate photography.

Has anyone got a clue what this camera is designed for, i can see someone has modified it but why or what for baffles me.

there is a plaque on top and its branded Lancaster & sons, Birmingham

Any help would be greatly apprieciated..

 

[Steve Smith]

Possibly a horizontal enlarger. Light in the aluminium bit, negative holder in the slot in the black bit to the left of the main body and shorter bellows.


Steve,

 

[Digisatman]

check out

http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=1031

http://redbellows.co.uk/CameraCollection/Lancaster/StandardInstantograph_gen.htm

 

[Laughing-Pixel]

the compressed bellows, have no movement capability, at the other end with bellows extended there has been a lens fitted at some time.

the aluminium bit looks like its been fitted as an add on, very crudely made, different screws etc.

You can tell that the main body is of a high quality build, nice carpentry with brass fittings.. the extras look handmade.

Ideally i would like to find out how it started out and restore it back to origional.

Cheers

Chris.

 

[Laughing-Pixel]

Cheers Digisatman, ive done a fair bit of research myself and have had a good look through those sites already, but theres nothing like this there at all

 

[Alastair]

Ideally i would like to find out how it started out and restore it back to origional.

First step is to identify what's original. It could be a bit of a frankencam in it's current guise.

For help with that, more comprehensive photos would have to be shared. Close-ups as well as views of all sides, top and bottom.

 

[Steve Smith]

I think everything to the left of the main wooden body is a later addition. The two clips on the top of the main body which appear to attach the new piece would originally have been used to hold the ground glass/spring back/film holder (whichever configuration it used).


Steve.

 

[chilled.pud]

Looks like a an ancient sinar. Lol Great find though whatever make.

 

[Alastair]

A bit more searching around the web suggests it's a magic lantern condensor enlarger, there are a couple of old eBay listings that show enough similarities to be of a similar type (Google image search will turn them up, but the images have expired on eBay). The back end has been mullered to remove the original spirit lamp and replace it with that piece of bent tin. Probably to secure a repurposed electric lamp and update the usefulness at some point in the past. This leaves the rest looking substantially original, although with several fixtures that have obviously been replaced over the years.