ReallyBigCameras
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- Oct 13, 2004
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- 4x5 Format
Five years ago, 40 of these new, old stock Globuscope 4x5 camera bodies were discovered in a warehouse. They were sold off to a number of buyers and I managed to acquire a few of them with grand plans for a project that never came to pass. I've moved a few of them along to other photographers, but still have some on hand. Well, it's been five years and it's time to pass them on to folks that will actually put them to use making photographs.
These cameras were made back in the early 1980s. Purportedly, only 150 were made and 50 were fitted with a 65mm f8 ultrawide angle lens made by JML and mounted in a push-pull focusing mount. The camera bodies are made from stamped stainless steel, which makes them both very sturdy and very lightweight. The body, including the ground glass back, sans lens and focusing mount weighs 14.65 oz.
These bodies can serve as the basis for a number of projects. The most obvious is as an ultralight weight, durable ultrawide 4x5 camera for handheld use or backpacking by adding a wide angle lens (like a 65mm f8 Super Angulon or a 65mm f6.8 Grandagon-N and a helical focusing mount). Others have adapted them for use as panoramic cameras by adapting them to use medium format lenses. Want to go even lighter? Make a metal-bodied 4x5 pinhole camera that weighs less than a pound Fortunately, there are lots of examples online of creative uses of these Globuscope 4x5 camera bodies.
For an excellent example of how to adapt a 65mm f8 Super Angulon in a helical focusing mount to a Globuscope 4x5 body, see forum member Dirk Fletcher's blog post Rebuilding Globuscope #74. Dirk has been making custom wide angle and panoramic cameras for as long as I can remember, and this is a fine example of his talents.
Here's a few photos (used with permission) of Dirk's rebuilt Globuscope:
For other examples of how to use these well made, ultralight Globuscope 4x5 camera bodies see Asher Kelman's thread How to use the amazing 14 5/8 oz Globus 4"x5" Camera shell for today's photography!.
OK, enough history. There's more out there, but that will give you some ideas how these cameras can be used.
The bodies I have are new, old stock, meaning they've never been used. However, they are 35 years old and have acquired a little patina (fancy word for schmutz) over the years they've been in storage. No big deal, they are stamped from solid stainless steal, so you can buff and polish them to your heart's content. The one shown in my photos below, was the dirtiest of the ones I will be selling and I spent all of 5 minutes cleaning it up with an old tooth brush, a couple drops Dawn dish washing liquid, a little warm water and a soft cloth to dry it off. With 15 minutes and something a little stronger, it would be easy to polish one of these back to it's original glory. I'll leave that up to the buyers' discretion.
After consulting with others who keep up with these things, I have been told they are typically selling for about $400 - $450 due to the scarcity of remaining, new, old stock bodies. Since I am about to flood the market (relatively speaking), my price here in the forum is $250 + shipping. If you're willing to pay shipping cost, I'll ship anywhere in the world. It shouldn't cost too much as these are very compact and lightweight. As I have multiple bodies for sale, I will also be selling some on eBay and other forums, but my first preference is to sell them here to forum members.
Here's the photos of #93. As mentioned, it has received a very light, very brief cleaning prior to taking the photos. This will be the first camera sold. Subsequent cameras will ship in their current, unpolished condition. So, other than old #93, the actual camera you will receive will require a similar 5 minute effort for a comparable appearance.
Also, since I have more of these than I need, I will offer the following quantity discounts for cameras shipped to the same address:
2 cameras: $450 ($225 each) + shipping
3 cameras: $600 ($200 each) + shipping
Thanks,
Kerry
These cameras were made back in the early 1980s. Purportedly, only 150 were made and 50 were fitted with a 65mm f8 ultrawide angle lens made by JML and mounted in a push-pull focusing mount. The camera bodies are made from stamped stainless steel, which makes them both very sturdy and very lightweight. The body, including the ground glass back, sans lens and focusing mount weighs 14.65 oz.
These bodies can serve as the basis for a number of projects. The most obvious is as an ultralight weight, durable ultrawide 4x5 camera for handheld use or backpacking by adding a wide angle lens (like a 65mm f8 Super Angulon or a 65mm f6.8 Grandagon-N and a helical focusing mount). Others have adapted them for use as panoramic cameras by adapting them to use medium format lenses. Want to go even lighter? Make a metal-bodied 4x5 pinhole camera that weighs less than a pound Fortunately, there are lots of examples online of creative uses of these Globuscope 4x5 camera bodies.
For an excellent example of how to adapt a 65mm f8 Super Angulon in a helical focusing mount to a Globuscope 4x5 body, see forum member Dirk Fletcher's blog post Rebuilding Globuscope #74. Dirk has been making custom wide angle and panoramic cameras for as long as I can remember, and this is a fine example of his talents.
Here's a few photos (used with permission) of Dirk's rebuilt Globuscope:
For other examples of how to use these well made, ultralight Globuscope 4x5 camera bodies see Asher Kelman's thread How to use the amazing 14 5/8 oz Globus 4"x5" Camera shell for today's photography!.
OK, enough history. There's more out there, but that will give you some ideas how these cameras can be used.
The bodies I have are new, old stock, meaning they've never been used. However, they are 35 years old and have acquired a little patina (fancy word for schmutz) over the years they've been in storage. No big deal, they are stamped from solid stainless steal, so you can buff and polish them to your heart's content. The one shown in my photos below, was the dirtiest of the ones I will be selling and I spent all of 5 minutes cleaning it up with an old tooth brush, a couple drops Dawn dish washing liquid, a little warm water and a soft cloth to dry it off. With 15 minutes and something a little stronger, it would be easy to polish one of these back to it's original glory. I'll leave that up to the buyers' discretion.
After consulting with others who keep up with these things, I have been told they are typically selling for about $400 - $450 due to the scarcity of remaining, new, old stock bodies. Since I am about to flood the market (relatively speaking), my price here in the forum is $250 + shipping. If you're willing to pay shipping cost, I'll ship anywhere in the world. It shouldn't cost too much as these are very compact and lightweight. As I have multiple bodies for sale, I will also be selling some on eBay and other forums, but my first preference is to sell them here to forum members.
Here's the photos of #93. As mentioned, it has received a very light, very brief cleaning prior to taking the photos. This will be the first camera sold. Subsequent cameras will ship in their current, unpolished condition. So, other than old #93, the actual camera you will receive will require a similar 5 minute effort for a comparable appearance.
Also, since I have more of these than I need, I will offer the following quantity discounts for cameras shipped to the same address:
2 cameras: $450 ($225 each) + shipping
3 cameras: $600 ($200 each) + shipping
Thanks,
Kerry
