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Up for sale is a project I bought, worked on a bit, tried out for a while, and decided against. It's a whole plate Eastman Empire State #2.
IMG_1260 by Scott --, on Flickr
The camera's a solid user. It is not a shelf queen. It's seen its share of use in life, and has the marks to show for it. But the wood is in solid shape, the brass work is robust with a nice patina, and everything is in good order.
The good:
The bad:
Oh, it's also missing the little plumb bob thingy on the side, but I should have that replaced tomorrow. It also has a new, fine ground glass, and funky little corners on the ground glass clips that allow you to look through the cliped corners of the glass to check lens coverage. An elegant design.
That's the thing about this camera - it's nicely, elegantly designed. Really all that I would do to it at this point is replace the handle. Personally, I'd use the bellows as-is for now. And I have used this several times with good results.
More pictures of what's included, along with some pictures taken with this rig, are available on Flickr. It's a great user - I've just decided I prefer 8x10.
Considering the shape of the camera, everything that's included, and the new glass, I'd like $350 plus insured shipping for this get-up. And don't forget - this is film AND plate-ready! PayPal only ("gift" preferred), and if it goes international, it must go with some trackable service.
Scott
IMG_1260 by Scott --, on Flickr
The camera's a solid user. It is not a shelf queen. It's seen its share of use in life, and has the marks to show for it. But the wood is in solid shape, the brass work is robust with a nice patina, and everything is in good order.
The good:
- The camera has geared rise/fall (and a ton of it), geared rear tilt, and geared rear swings.
- The sliding tripod adapter is in place and works perfectly.
- The extension rail for this camera is included and works perfectly.
- The camera has about 24" of draw.
- The camera uses the same lensboards as the 5x7 Eastman #2, and one is included. They're not complex and are easily fabricated.
- This includes two 6-1/2x8-1/2 plate holders, which include four film sheaths. So, if you've been wanting to step into shooting plates, well, here ya go. Shoot film or plates with this rig!
- There's no riblock on the back, but rather a hinged flap light trap. Not a bad thing - just a different design. Only effect is that you need to keep a hand on the holder when withdrawing the darkslide. Easy peasy.
The bad:
- The handle needs replacing. I had posted about sources for new leather straps, but decided this is a kind of personal taste thing, so will leave that to the new owner.
- The included original lensboard has a crack. The good on this is that it appears to be a surface defect only, and doesn't seem to affect the strength of the board.
- The bellows have pinholes. The good on this, though, is that the pinholes only really appear at or near full draw. And even then, a dark cloth thrown over the bellows would make them fine. The pinholes are true pinholes, and should take to patching well. And I've used this camera several times as-is, with no evidence of any light leaks.
- The geared front rise is a little sketchy sometimes, and the pinions want to skip a little at times. If you guide the standard with your other hand while applying rise/fall, there's no issue.
- One of the holders needs a new hinge tape.
Oh, it's also missing the little plumb bob thingy on the side, but I should have that replaced tomorrow. It also has a new, fine ground glass, and funky little corners on the ground glass clips that allow you to look through the cliped corners of the glass to check lens coverage. An elegant design.
That's the thing about this camera - it's nicely, elegantly designed. Really all that I would do to it at this point is replace the handle. Personally, I'd use the bellows as-is for now. And I have used this several times with good results.
More pictures of what's included, along with some pictures taken with this rig, are available on Flickr. It's a great user - I've just decided I prefer 8x10.
Considering the shape of the camera, everything that's included, and the new glass, I'd like $350 plus insured shipping for this get-up. And don't forget - this is film AND plate-ready! PayPal only ("gift" preferred), and if it goes international, it must go with some trackable service.
Scott
