Everything you'll need in this excellent quality but undoubtedly clunky looking 1959 - ish outfit. It has every possible View Camera movement known to man and some of them in multiples! It can take a picture of it's own back door!
Included is 2 film holders and the most excellent little book where the wizards at Kodak explained all of the theory and workings of the movements for fine focusing.
It has a dandy coated Ilex 6 1/2" lens in a shutter that's just been serviced and is running perfectly.
These deserve a lot more respect than they usually get. Rock solid, forgiving, and easy to use. But it's heavier than the new sexy models, and of course it's 1950's industrial battle ship grey. The bellows will grab you though! RED and supple! This'll stretch out to 24" for those close up studio images. Price in the next frame with a few more pics.................................
I'm interested... my girlfriend wants to take up large format (I know, lucky guy, right?). Seems like the perfect little setup for her. What is the lens exactly?
Yes, maple under the gray. People do make silk purses out of these old sow's ears. Yes, that back comes off and makes either vertical or horizontal. I'm away at work so will guess the weight at 8 pounds. + or - Not the lightest 4X5 by a long shot.
The lens is an Ilex 165mm f6.3 Tessar. (or is it f4.5?? I think it is.) Ilex made lots of these after Kodak quit making the Commercial Ektar. It's the same formula, Tessar. It covers 4X5 very well and is quite sharp. It's single coated.
Thanks for all the attention. Forgive me for not answering right away.
Thurs. 4-17 12:22 PM PST; late this afternoon and through the Easter weekend I'll have limited or no computer access. So if you decide you want this, I may be slow responding.
I sanded down a couple of those gray wooden B&J's years ago . . . you don't know what type of wood they used on one until you stripped off the gray paint. I guess they just used whatever on which they got the best price at the time. This month ASH, next month MAPLE, etc.
Whatever wood they used was OK, as those old B&J's were work horses and indestructable battleships, and that's why they painted them gray, I suppose!