Bruno Zenger 18x24 cm camera, any info?

[timeUnit]

I just got my "new" Bruno Zenger camera. It's a very nice camera, with a bit rise/fall/shift movements on the front, and som tilt movement on the back. It came with three double sided plate holders with dark slides that don't "come loose" like the modern holders.

I'm guessing it's built in Russia or the Soviet Union, sometime between 1900 and 1930. The woodwork is well done, and there are some nice features like the way the bed is folded down and locked by a sliding panel in the center of the focusing bed. The sliding panel is also where the tripod mounts.

You can check it out here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=260128016659&rd=1&rd=1

Miraculously the 240 Schneider Symmar (convertible) I bought for the camera fits perfectly in the lens board! And: the tripod thread is a standard 3/4 inch, so the whole thing is a complete working camera for which I payed less than 450 USD including shipping. I'm very happy about this camera. It's beautiful too! Can't wait to start shooting wet plates with it (although it make take som time before I do).

If anyone has more info on the camera or camera maker I'd be interested to know!

Henning

 

[Ole]

I know nothing of the maker, but I know that it has to have been made before August 1914 when the city was renamed to "Petrograd".

It's a very common type of camera, a German "Reisekamera". I have two of these - one 13x18cm, one 24x30cm, both maker unknown - and a later Soviet version in 30x40cm. The "old originals" are superior to the Soviet-made ones in every respect!

 

[timeUnit]

Are you chastising my new camera!? ;-)

I'm sure the German ones are great, but I must say I get no "Russian" feel from the Camera, like I did with my old Moskva-5 folder...

 

[Ole]

Henning - your camera is Russian, pre-revolution, probably made by a German (Bruno Sänger?) living in St. Petersburg.

This type of camera continued to be made (and used) after the revolution too, but the quality deteriorated rapidly. So I was commenting on Soviet cameras, after confirming that yours is pre-revolutionary Russian!

 

[timeUnit]

Oh! Sorry!

I'll go hide in some dark corner now...