A "Factory" Front Tilt & Swing Conversion for Kodak 2D 8X10?

[jimgalli]

I am in receipt of this camera yesterday although the friends at UPS did their best to nearly destroy it on it's way to me.

The front tilt and swings conversion is rock solid and looks like it may have been something Kodak offered to it's service shops after WWII. That's my guess. Look how the nameplate is retained and riveted back on. Has anyone seen one like this before, or better yet, does anyone know of any literature, perhaps sales literature offering this kit to service stations? Would love to see something in print.

The lens is just there for eye candy. And just to keep it all in the Kodak family (guess I should have put the 16 portrait on to keep it all Kodak) the tripod is Eastman Commercial Model B from 1938. Enjoy. This will replace my "ordinary" 2D 810. It's pretty sweet! It holds up an 18" Wolly Verito effortlessly.

 

[awty]

Impressive work. Guess anyone could of done it and reinstalled a Kodak badge.
The tripod looks very solid, is it? How much does it weigh?

 

[jimgalli]

One of the reasons I think it may be Eastman is because of the similar architecture of the front bracing with the Eastman Commercial camera from the same era. The all metal 2D

The tripod is aluminium but still quite heavy. It would hold up the corner of a house. I have a special bracket assy that I am able to use this tripod with the Cirkut cameras.

 

[BradS]

It appears to be very nicely designed and executed. Based on the fact that the nameplate and some of the knobs are re-used from the original 2D, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that it is a one-of-a-kind custom. Eastman Kodak would have made the knobs and nameplate match. Even if it were a kit intended to be retro-fitted, the name plate would have matched or omitted. Also...the use of aluminum may hint at a substantial passage of time between manufacture of the base camera and the custom front tilt&swing bits.

 

[nosmok]

Question: is that 2D retrofit aluminum or magnesium? Because that metal Eastman Commercial is magnesium. EK then went to crackle-finish aluminum for the Kodak Master, finding that Mg was just too hard or expensive to work with, I guess.

 

[jimgalli]

Question: is that 2D retrofit aluminum or magnesium? Because that metal Eastman Commercial is magnesium. EK then went to crackle-finish aluminum for the Kodak Master, finding that Mg was just too hard or expensive to work with, I guess.

Umm, dunno. How do I tell without setting it on fire?

 

[shutterfinger]

Kodak dropped the magnesium commercial view in 1941 as magnesium was needed for the war effort.
AA had front movements added to his Commercial View Model B and the workmanship on the #2 above looks the same from what I can remember.

 

[MarkS]

As an ex-Kodaker and user of a few different Kodak cameras, I'll suggest that yours is a custom build.
EK did offer a special lensboard for the Commercial (and thus the 2-D) that had a small bellows- which allowed front tilt (or swing if mounted sideways). Of course it added a bit of extension, and was a bit of a kluge, but it did work. A friend had that setup in the '80s- I assisted him few times with it, but that was in maybe 1983 so my memories are a bit dim now.
Still, it's a beautiful camera you have there. Enjoy!

 

[zos3000]

I'm warming up the old thread with the topic of custom build parts:

I have 2 Eastman Commercial magnesium cameras. One of them has what I think is a very well done front tilt mechanism.
The knobs are original magnesium.

What do you guys think: factory custom build or modified by a mechanically savvy user?

 

[jimgalli]

Like mine, we'll likely never know. Would be fun to unearth something printed from Kodak to their service centers like a kit to accomplish these.

 

[MTGseattle]

Really cool.

 

[awty]

Does it have swing like Jims? Looks like it ma have shift?

My specialist has tilt and rise, but no swing or shift on the front. All rear movements are geared.

 

[zos3000]

The original Eastman Commercial has back swing and tilt in the rear and shift in the front. Front tilt and swing was accomplished with an adapter. I was able to find such an adapter together with the extension rail and the sliding block. unfortunately, this adapter is missing the knob and the corresponding thread on one side. I have commissioned a precision mechanic to copy the missing parts.

The picture of my second, unmodified camera shows the bellows extended 30inches.

in addition a sales brochure from a catalog from about 1940

 

[zos3000]

Here are two more pictures. The camera pushed together and the frontrail folded up and a nice detail integrated at the bottom of the frame: a small spirit level that still works.

unfortunately the original tripod like jim's is missing

What was also available back then: a reducing back to 5x7 inch. which is even harder to find.
if anyone of you has one lying around and the camera is missing I would be very interested!

 

[jimgalli]

That tilt mechanism is like the 1929 Eastman Commercial View except metal where the 1929 one was all woos

 

[jimgalli]

Wood