Dating a Calumet Monorail

[Absinthe]

I just picked up a Calumet monorail, it is the battleship grey one, with the light colored bellows and the viewing screen is gridded with red lines if that helps. It has a leather handle on top and a pair of levels, that I can only assume were yellow but now have clear fluid in them.

The serial number is #16684, and other than the little C at the top is all the markings on it.

I would like to find out whatever I can about it.

 

[Absinthe]

I have been looking around th enet for pictures of them and I am also noticing that the front (where the lens is mounted) is a fair bit recessed from the standard.

 

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, you can find a scan of the manual for the camera and Calumet catalog at http://www.cameraeccentric.com/

You may have the wide angle version of the cc-400 if it has a very short rail, CC-402 or CC-403, not sure of the name.

Jon

 

[Absinthe]

Looks like it has 18 " rail

 

[Konical]

Good Evening, Absinthe,

Sounds similar to mine, which I purchased in about 1974. Mine has a tripod block number of 105845; on the bottom of both standards is #105853. It seems logical to think that yours is somewhat newer than mine. I believe that more recent models are black, but I don't know when the color change happened. Mine came with black lines on the ground glass.

Konical

 

[Absinthe]

I got those same numbers. I think I read somewhere they went to black in 1970 but I will not swear to it. I took some pictures and posted them at largeformatphotography in their forum you can see them here

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?p=322466#post322466

I just flipped the upright supports, kind of gammied up 2 of the 6 screws that hold the mounting plates, happen to knwo what size they are? They are back in there, but might have to replace them some day

 

[Konical]

Good Evening, Absinthe,

The change to black had to come later than the mid-'70's when I purchased my Calumet. Sorry, I can't help on the screws, but I don't think Calumet used anything not fairly easily found. I'd take one to a good hardware store and just buy whatever seems to be the same.

Konical

 

[Absinthe]

Well, the screws screwed back in, and since they are covered they are not coming out so I am nto worried about it, maybe little a10's or something. Not important, still can't find a picture of one that looks like mine.

Can everyone see the pictures at Largeformatphotography or do I need to repost them here?

 

[Jon Shiu]

Yours looks like a combination of parts: front standard from CC-402 and bellows and rail from CC-400:
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/calumetb/p10.html

Jon

 

[David Grenet]

I have a CC-400. You may wish to know that Calumet still have some parts for these cameras and I found them very helpful indeed.

If you want to use a polaroid 405 back for example, you can order longer springs for the back.

David.

 

[bdial]

I bought one in c1978. As I recall, black was an option at that time, which is what I bought. I liked the Calumet far more than my current Graphic View.
All of them I've been familiar with had black grids on the GG, the oldest I've used would have been c1970, or perhaps a bit earlier.

 

[Absinthe]

Hmm, ok, so now that I flipped the uprights on the front standard they are both goign in the same direction and the adjustment knobs are all on the same side like the 400 again, the only thing diffrent is that extender on the front of the bellows that attaches to the riser control. I see by the position of the detent why the upright arm would have been flipped in the first place to be able to adjust the two standards one more inch closer together.

I assume this should be ok until I want to use a 90 or 65 or 45 mm lens right? I can only assume this is the standard bellows rather than the "soft short bellows". Well now that I have had it apart, I see how I can put it back into the other configuration pretty easily, though if I do i will keep the knob changes this way, I think I prefer them both on teh same side.

 

[Absinthe]

Well, I assume that the GG is probably the easiest thing to break, so the replacement of that with something not exactly original would nto surprise me, but the red may have been an option?

 

[Absinthe]

David --

How do I get a hold of them is it just 1-800-calumet?

 

[bdial]

For a 90 or shorter, you'll probably need a recessed board, though if yours is one of the short ones, you might be able to get by with the 90 on a flat board. Mine was a long rail model, and there was no way I could use a 90 without the recessed board.

 

[PhotoJim]

Heh. When I saw the topic, I thought you had made a humourous post about beginning a romantic relationship with your monorail.

Stranger things have happened with photography addicts, I am sure.

 

[Absinthe]

<offtopic>
You should see what happens with chess enthusiasts

Funny thing, the guys talk fondly about books and such and fondling a particular book in a store wanting to buy it. Well one of the fun ones is when people are into strategies like the "King's Indian Defense" which is refered to as the "KID" let your mind wander from there...
</offtopic>

Back on topic I am not into extreme wide angle yes anyway so it may not matter.

So does this bellows come off or is it permanently attached to the standards?

 

[Absinthe]

Here is a top view...

 

[David Grenet]

David --

How do I get a hold of them is it just 1-800-calumet?

Well, I live in Australia so I used email to avoid having to be awake during the middle of the night

Their website is here btw.

 

[Whiteymorange]

This page gives the phone numbers for their stores. I needed the spring clips that hold down the ground glass for a 401 and was eventually sent to the Chicago store, where the parts for old cameras are warehoused. They were great to deal with and shipped out two spring clips for me in very short order. I'd call there first.

 

[Absinthe]

Actually, after talking with them on the phone I was told that service can be located here:

630-860-7447 x 2258

from 8-4 c

 

[Absinthe]

Well I thought I was buying a case for my camera, turns out I got a whole second camera. This one is not a hybrid though... Now if only lenses were thsi easy to come by...

 

[mjs]

One thing you may not have noticed yet: my CC400 came with a ground glass with a red grid, as did yours. It isn't a very good ground glass (very dark compared to new ones.) I replaced it with a ground glass from Satin Snow and it's just worlds easier to compose and focus. If Satin Snow isn't accepting new orders yet, perhaps you can try a different vendor but definately consider replacing the ground glass.

 

[Absinthe]

Thanks, however, unfortunately, they are not currently accepting orders. However, how difficult is it to make a ground glass? I will be giving it a try soon anyway, as I am slowly building a camera, and as such this is one item on my list.

Second one, has the red lines on it too.

Wouldn't mind coming across a nice fresnel viewer, or maybe I can adapt my polaroid mp-4 viewer to attach to my back.