I restored an old wood field camera built in 1909 back to working condition. The camera is now good as new, I take the viewer on the journey from my workshop into the field using the camera and shooting some black and white film with it.
@toddkorolphoto I'm working on a much smaller scale. I'm getting 2 old Voigtlander folding cameras in working order. A Bessa and an Avus 6.5x9cm. I hope to use the Avus to play with paper negitives and Arista Ortho films. Kinda small scale large format. Your videos are helpful. I have to convert a pack film holder to take a ground glass focus screen. The shutter on both need work. I think I have the Bessa shutter working properly now.
Interesting video on a great refurbish on your camera, I didn't fall asleep once while watching! It's great to see you using it, rather than sitting it on the tripod in a corner collecting dust!
That was awesome Todd, didn’t expect you to take us from beginning to end of the restoration. And I had no idea the tolerances were something to worry about in ground glass or film holders. Now you’ve got me thinking.
Lots of information! Holders always "a need to check". Note is only to 5x7 prints, my Leica and slow film, good lenses 35,mm Summaron will equal your images! I could NEVER afford sheet film. Bravo!
Your channel has become one of my fast favorites on RU-vid. Great stories, very useful information, and high quality. So glad to see this 1909 camera made its way right back where it belongs, in the hands of Todd Korol. Cheers!
Todd, thanks for the inspiration. It's always great to see your videos. Looking through my holders today to root out offensive Lisco Regal #1s! I look forward to the video where you show some more extreme camera movements. Thank you for taking large format junkies along on the ride.
Same thing with the one Lisco Regal holder I have. Riteways are my favorite by far. You’re much more handy than I am! I just used some gorilla tape for a problem I had on my new/old speed graphic 😂 really enjoying your channel!
I have two Kodak 3-A (with the Tessar lens and the coupled rangefinder), both over 100 years old, which I remodeled to accept 120 film (instead of their original 122 film). These are two of the cameras which I have always in one of my wheelchair bags, one loaded with b&w film and the other with color film. I sometimes use them for architecture, sometimes for landscape or cityscape, but mostly for full body portraits. I really like these two old guys.
Hi: I don't have the Criterion mine is the Competitor model (bigger lens board and front swings) - My thought is have you ever tried the wooden crutch type tripods from Graflex - say the big #4, I find it to be very stable (surprisingly so). Enjoyed your video - but the metal parts are brass or steel nickel plated.
Todd, Your video inspired me to find an old camera to keep alive, i.e. Graflex RB Tele 4x5 c.1920. No dust collector for me. Testing Jena 180mm, Heliar 210mm and Jena 300mm lenses now. Thanks for the encouragement.
Hi; I inherited a Rochester Optical Pony Premo #2 which apparently was bought new by my great Aunt around 1897. I haven't restored it but have used it with success. I did use modern modern filmholders as all 3 of the originals were in degrees of rough shape. That prompted me to go out and get a Chamonix 45. I'm up in northern AB (Beaverlodge) so pretty much on my own with respect to large format. Love to find some original holders for the Premo but no luck yet.
Glad to learn of the bellows company in England. I have a B&J Orbit/Calumet C-2 8x10 with a bellows that's held together with book binder tape and a dark flexible adhesive cement. It's light tight for the moment, but replacement is inevitable.
as a note, this camera style is called a "tail_board" camera, as it has a 'bed' on the rear, and a "rigid" front standard, in effect a reverse linhof Technika design, which I think is termed a "field/technical camera", a camera reserves the 'Technical' designation if movements are limited, or just shift & rise/fall, for architecture shooting, like the Ebony RS45 ( which is a rigid camera, no back movements).
Well done on the refurb, Todd. It's so relaxing to watch how you approached each stage and I learned a lot. It gives me the courage to try and breathe new life into an old camera. Thanks, George.
Amazing video! Thank you for sharing! You should rebuild and resell them for those of us who don't have the technical expertise or the optical engineer friends :)
@@toddkorolphoto well from the video we can see that any other person without the knowledge would have bought a camera that wouldn't have worked! Also, you know how much a camera is worth without overpaying haha I see it as a win win
What a joy to watch this, Todd. Lovely content and such a pleasure to see you refurbish the camera and THEN ... use it. Very enjoyable. Last week I bought two 5x7 double dark slide film holders and will acquire some more, in anticipation of finding a camera. ATB
Glad to see you also enjoy the broad horizons of the prairies along with your love of the west coast. Sort of have to be lucky on setting up the camera in the middle of the road and not have a combine wanting to go through. Great job on the camera, nice that you brought it back to life and better then being in a museum, it is out capturing images.
Exactly, out taking photos where it should be. I always think even if my cameras are bouncing around and getting dropped in the dirt, they are happy, beats sitting on some shelf.
Thanks for this video. I am currently downsizing from 8x10 to 5x7 and looking for potential cameras to buy. I am trying to decide between buying a modern 5x7 or an older camera like this Korona.
Really depends on how much movement you want on your camera. I really don’t need much so one of these older cameras work fine for me. And they are super light!
Oh wow! You really did a great job with your restoration! The test shots really show the potential of the camera. Even the shot with the light leak looked beautiful.
Sometimes the backs come with exposed but undeveloped film that can be developed in a darkroom. I developed three glass plates over a hundred years old in this fashion and got images of victorian women.
just bought a similar camera, in similar shape. wish me luck in terms of getting it working again. i will be using the original beck lens, since i like old lenses. Though ill have to make new film holders, as i only get 1 for it. Ill likely have to completely disassemble it, restore all the brass, and give the wood some good french pollishing.
I'm curious how you dated it to 1909. Is there a table of serial numbers somewhere on the net? I'd like to be able to date mine more accurately. It's listed in Gundlach catalogs until at least 1925. Yours must be a deluxe model of some sort as the others I've seen are chrome plated rather than the then brand-new stainless steel on yours. Great cleaning job, looks new!
nice camera, if you have to disassemble the bellows frame, why not convert it to interchangable bellows ( ie a clip_on style of frame), as a wide angle set would be beneficial for the wider lenses, and in fact help make this a reality, that is, to allow such a close focus with the bellows, yet still have the movements available. Also a focus scale, like on the Linhof Technika's perhaps even replaceable, so each lens has it's own scale; would aid in finding infinity each time, and know bellows ext. at a glance, for Bellows factor calc's.
How funny I’ve been wondering on 5x7 but couldn’t really find any pictures. I want something wider than 4x5. I notice not many film is available for 5x7. I love in uk so ilford has me covered. In colour lol forget it
Ilford makes pretty much anything you would want, Delta 100, FP4 and HP5, Kodak still makes Tri-x, and then KB Canham still does special orders of Kodak colour films for it.
@@toddkorolphoto That ok, Todd... Great VID you have posted. Looks like Nebraska. LOL!!! (Pool Table Flat with the Northeast "corner pocket" lobbed off.)
Yes, James is right, stainlesssteel was not used in those days, all metal on the camera's is/was nikkel. Cleaning tip, we in Europa have some polish called "Brasso" (also used for copper) you must have something similar over there and don't use powertools as Todd did, it gives abrasion marks and scratches, when you use this polish it shines as new ;-)
I'm not a photographer, but I love antiques, and restore a lot of old furniture and other antique items. Your videos are very interesting! I'm glad parts are available for the old cameras. We bought an antique oak plate camera stand that I'm refinishing. I don't know why the rectangular top is hinged to flip up and reveal a sort of cobbler's stool-shaped surface? @@toddkorolphoto
Thanks. Well I have been using the slightly wide 180mm, it's about a 35mm in 35mm terms. A 210mm is close to a normal lens. I like the slightly wider view because I shoot mostly landscapes with this 5x7 camera.
Great walk through of the restoration - lovely camera! Also good advice on re setting up the camera for use. I am about to start same on my Kodak Specialist 2. The metal parts look very similar but I worry they may be chromed rather than stainless. Any advice on cleaning them up?
Great video. Is the bottom bed extending so far past the rear standard inconvenient in using the loupe on the GG with short focal lengths? Appears so, wondering if there is a work-around. Thank you for sharing.
I thought it was going to be as well, but it's really not, especially with a nice big ground glass like that. It might be a bit tricky with really wide angle lenses. But I'm not worried about that because this is going to be a one lens camera.
Very enjoyable watching you restore the camera. I have a Conley 5x7 of similar vintage and condition that could certainly benefit from such care. Interesting about the GG holder tolerances. Would that be due to warping or a fault in the original manufacture?
Conleys are very nice as well. Probably a little bit of both, wood of course of time changes, but my friend Bill said they really didn't have set standards back then. They were definitely not as precise as they are today.
It’s really light just under 3 pounds. I put a short bellows on it because I knew I wouldn’t use long lenses. But I could put a 300mm on it. I use a 180 for it now.
Newbie question here, but in general, do you have to worry about light leaks with film holders in direct sun? I've wondered about that. (Also going to check my holders for Lisco Regal!)
Also, if you are in need of good film scanns, i have a top of the line AGFA scannera, capable of scanning up to a3 in transparency, with 8000 theoretical, and 5000 proven DIP resolution.
I'm not sure, but I would guess there is a little bump on the outside of the camera somewhere either on the side or top, push that down and it should be a little latch to release the front of the camera so it should open.
Did you have to make any changes to the camera to fit the Lisco holders? I have a similar, although a bit older cycle camera that I'm restoring and only the original holders fit.
No my back fit any new 5x7 holder perfectly, I suspect you might have an odd size camera back, there were many variations and weird sizes until they started to standardize. I had a light leak from an actual Lisco holder, and not the camera back itself. Good luck with your camera.
No, it was advice I received from a friend of mine that works on old items made of wood. He said until you know what it’s like, it’s good to wear gloves so you don’t get any grease or stains on the wood. So I was just being cautious. And working the garage my hands were always getting dirty.
Ha not quite, a friend of mine who works with old wood advised me to try and not get any grease on the wood until I looked at it well. Also I was working with glues and such that I did’t want to get my fingers stuck together like I always seem to do. 😉
Truth to be told. It isn't amazing and ain't great. The only thing you kept original are the things that don't intervene with the image quality of the pictures. You just kept the frame all else is brand spanking new. If you would stuff a new lens, lens board, ground glass and slides and back and Bellows in a cardboard box your pictures would be just as good nay dare I say it? Even better. But still nice work, it looks good.
