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Detrmining age of a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco View Camera



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 20th 05, 01:00 AM posted to rec.photo.equipment.large-format
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Default Detrmining age of a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco View Camera

Hello,

I recently bought a vintage Agfa Ansco view camera and lenses. I'm
hoping someone can give me an idea of when the camera was made, the
model and information on the lenses.

The camera is a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco with a 5 x 7 back. The metal plate on
the front of the camera reads: AGFA ANSCO CORP'N Binghampton NY
The finish on the camera is stained cherry, with a high gloss lacquer
finish. The hardware is finished with a bronze or gold gilt paint. I'm
not sure if it is brass underneath the paint or some other metal. The
various knobs on the camera are metal rather than the later Bakelite.
The camera has rear focus only, the front standard is stationary. The
front standard has rise and fall and shift only, no tilt. A brass L was
inset at the bottom of each side of the front standard for added
rigidity. Unlike some photos I've seen of 5 x 7 Universal Views, the
front standard vertical supports do not taper at the bottom. A Packard
shutter was installed behind the lens panel at some point in its
history. The bellows and handle are the original leather.

The camera has a built-in bed extension and could extend out to a
maximum length of 21 inches if the bellows were supple. A key lock
handle locks the front and rear beds together.

Any idea what age the camera is? I was thinking it had to be post 1926
(after Agfa Ansco merged). I also question whether this is could be a
Universal View because it does not have front focus. I don't think it
is the Standard model because of the finish, the excellent hardware and
21 inch rear extension. When did Ansco introduce front focus on its
view cameras?

It also came with four lenses:
1. 12 inch f/ 5.5 Goerz Celor in brass barrel with US stops.
US stops from 2 to 256 No shutter

2. Bausch & Lomb Protar Series VII 16 1/8 inch for both cells.
Cells mounted in a Wollensak Optimo shutter. F-stops f/6.8 to f/64

3. 8 1/4 inch Goerz Dagor f/6.8 Series III No. 3
In aluminum barrels mounted in a Koilos compound shutter

4. Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Protar Series V 6 1/2 x 8 1/2
In small brass barrel with US stops 20 to 256 No shutter

Any information on the camera and lenses would appreciated.

  #2  
Old November 20th 05, 02:49 AM posted to rec.photo.equipment.large-format
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Default Detrmining age of a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco View Camera

Scott Sharp wrote:


Any idea what age the camera is? I was thinking it had to be post 1926
(after Agfa Ansco merged). I also question whether this is could be a


And before 1943 [I think that's when the US government took over] when the
name was switched back to Ansco.

Universal View because it does not have front focus. I don't think it
is the Standard model because of the finish, the excellent hardware and
21 inch rear extension. When did Ansco introduce front focus on its
view cameras?


It sounds like a portrait camera to me. It also sounds like it's got the
basic finish. At least that's my guess.

Nick


--
---------------------------------------
"Digital the new ice fishing"
---------------------------------------
  #3  
Old November 20th 05, 04:22 AM posted to rec.photo.equipment.large-format
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Default Detrmining age of a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco View Camera


"Scott Sharp" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I recently bought a vintage Agfa Ansco view camera and
lenses. I'm
hoping someone can give me an idea of when the camera was
made, the
model and information on the lenses.

The camera is a 5 x 7 Agfa Ansco with a 5 x 7 back. The
metal plate on
the front of the camera reads: AGFA ANSCO CORP'N
Binghampton NY
The finish on the camera is stained cherry, with a high
gloss lacquer
finish. The hardware is finished with a bronze or gold
gilt paint. I'm
not sure if it is brass underneath the paint or some other
metal. The
various knobs on the camera are metal rather than the
later Bakelite.
The camera has rear focus only, the front standard is
stationary. The
front standard has rise and fall and shift only, no tilt.
A brass L was
inset at the bottom of each side of the front standard for
added
rigidity. Unlike some photos I've seen of 5 x 7 Universal
Views, the
front standard vertical supports do not taper at the
bottom. A Packard
shutter was installed behind the lens panel at some point
in its
history. The bellows and handle are the original leather.

The camera has a built-in bed extension and could extend
out to a
maximum length of 21 inches if the bellows were supple. A
key lock
handle locks the front and rear beds together.

Any idea what age the camera is? I was thinking it had to
be post 1926
(after Agfa Ansco merged). I also question whether this is
could be a
Universal View because it does not have front focus. I
don't think it
is the Standard model because of the finish, the excellent
hardware and
21 inch rear extension. When did Ansco introduce front
focus on its
view cameras?

It also came with four lenses:
1. 12 inch f/ 5.5 Goerz Celor in brass barrel with US
stops.
US stops from 2 to 256 No shutter

2. Bausch & Lomb Protar Series VII 16 1/8 inch for both
cells.
Cells mounted in a Wollensak Optimo shutter. F-stops
f/6.8 to f/64

3. 8 1/4 inch Goerz Dagor f/6.8 Series III No. 3
In aluminum barrels mounted in a Koilos compound shutter

4. Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Protar Series V 6 1/2 x 8 1/2
In small brass barrel with US stops 20 to 256 No
shutter

Any information on the camera and lenses would
appreciated.


Its hard to date view cameras because they didn't change
much over the years. I think the camera you have is the
Agfa 5x7 Studio Camera, it can be found in the on-line 1941
Agfa catalogue at:
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/agfa/agfa.html

See pages 8 and 9. The camera was available in three
finishes. This catalogue also describes other Agfa view and
studio cameras of the time. I have both an 8x10 and 5x7
Universal View of about this period. Both of these cameras
have the "standard" finish, that is French polished Cherry
with bronze-gilt metal fittings.
I don't know when this camera originated but most of the
Agfa-Ansco studio and view cameras date back to the mid
1920s with few changes.
As you know the ancient company of Ansco was bought by
Agfa in 1926. The Agfa trade name predominated after that.
In 1941 all German owned properties in the US were seized by
the government. Agfa/Ansco was then put under a caretaker
management but continued to use the Agfa name until sometime
about late 1943 when it was dropped in favor of Ansco.
However, I suspect old labels, etc, were used until they ran
out.

The Goerz Celor is a symmetrical lens of the Dialyte
type, i.e., four air spaced lenses. It is the generic type
on which the Apochromatic Artar, Dogmar, and 70 Series Kodak
Anastigmats are based in addition to a lot of other lenses.
These should be good, sharp lenses but are limited in their
coverage to an image circle no larger in diameter than the
focal length. It does not get larger with stopping down. The
later Dogmar is the same type of lens but with some power
shifted from one cell to the other to optimise it for
distant objects.
I am not sure of the date of its discontinuance but the
Dogmar dates from the late teens and I suspect the Celor was
not made much later. This was one of the two designs brought
to Goerz by Emil von Hoegh, the other being the Dagor.

The Bausch & Lomb Protar Series VII is the same design as
the Zeiss Convertible Protar of the same series number. B&L
began by building them under license but all German patents
became property of the U.S.Government on the outbreak of
WW-1 and were expired by the end of the war. Up to 1914 the
lenses will say Bausch & Lomb-Zeiss on them.
These are very sharp lenses. The combined focal length of
this lens is 9-1/4", f/6.3 listed as covering a 6-1/2 x
8-1/2 plate at full aperture. At f/45 the combined lens
covers about 75 degrees. The single cells can be used at
their marked FL behind the iris. Speed is f/12.5. The lens
can be used in front of the iris with some loss of
correction, its speed is then slightly faster because of the
magnification of the stop by the lens. The individual cells
of the Protar are corrected for coma so they yield sharp
images at the margins at larger stops than do the single
cells of a Dagor. As a combined lens there is not much
difference. Coma is cancelled in symmetrical lenses.
The Wollensak Optimo was a deluxe shutter. The shutter
blades turn completely around each time its tripped rather
than reciprocating as in most shutters. As a result the
shutter is capable of higher speeds although it won't really
do the 1/300th marked. The regulator is an air brake and
cam. When they wear the slow speeds become shorter.

The Dagor is a famous lens. Dagors were made from around
1895 until the late 1970's. They are essentially wide angle
lenses. At f/45 a Dagor will cover about 87 degrees. The
Dagor has some zonal spherical aberration (so does the
Convertible Protar) which makes it a little soft when wide
open, sometimes useful for portraits. At f/22 its very sharp
across the entire field.
A single cell of a Dagor can be used behind the stop with
a focal length of about 1.8 times the combined FL. The
individual cells are not corrected for coma so the lens must
be stopped down to around f/36 or smaller to be reasonably
sharp at the margins.
The Series III is the f/6.8 version. There was some, but
not much, change in this design over the years. Old ones are
perfectly good if in good condition. The Koilos and the
Compound are different shutters. I think the Koilos was a
Goerz made shutter, the Compound is an air brake regulated
shutter made from around 1905 until the late 1980s. They are
very reliable and can be quite accurate when properly
cleaned. Watch out, some early ones have fiber or rubber
blades.

The Zeiss and Bausch & Lomb Series V Protar is an extra
wide angle lens of f/18 speed. It should be stopped down to
around f/36 - f/45 to be sharp at maximum coverage. These
lenses will cover about 102 degrees. They are often found in
barrels because the spacing between the cells is so small
that only a few shutters, notably the B&L Volute, will work
with it. These lenses do not have the compensation for light
fall off found in modern WA lenses. The fall off is probably
a little more than the theoretical cos^4 theta.
The 6-1/2 x 8-1/2 lens has a focal length of 5-9/16". The
B&L-Zeiss marking dates it from before 1914.

Keep in mind that the lenses may be older or newer than
the camera.

The home site at:
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info.html

also has many other catalogues including several lens
catalogues. Probably all of the lenses you are asking about
can be found in one or another of them.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA





 




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