Please help me identify/price this old camera

http://img440.imageshack.us/g/img3273cc.jpg/
It has 6 plate holders. 10x15 cm glass plate

It can be difficult sometimes identifying these cameras some used generic parts, many companies were short lived, there was re-badging as well.

However you can probably narrow it down because if the French lens, and that's quite a large Compur shutter, I'm not familiar with the French market but Dan Fromm may be able to help.

Welcome to APUG BTW.

Ian

"Photo Plait" brand has not built cameras, but only sold them.
Many "noname" plate cameras are impossible to identify.

Craciun,


This is similar to the Ica Ideal and the Goerz Tenax folding plate cameras that were made around 1920. The Ica would have the 5-pointed star and the Goerz would have the stylised 'CPG' logo.


The logo on the shutter speed dial can be seen on the same Compur shutter which is fitted to many Contessa-Nettel cameras from the same era.


Contessa-Nettel was formed in 1919. Later on (1926), they merged with Ica, Goerz and Ernemann to form Zeiss Ikon.


The serial number on the shutter gives a manufacturing date between 1914 and 1920. (see http://motamedi.info/serial.htm)


A lot of the components around this time were mixed and matched and cameras made in one country were sold with a different name in another country. Often, the name or model of the camera is stamped into the leather handle, but when they're this old, you sometimes won't be able to read it!

This is probably a French-made camera as it has a Berthiot lens (same era) and obviously was sold by Parisian camera vendor Photo Plait (of 35-39 rue Lafayette, Paris-Opera).

That's what I know about 'em

Seth

PS, it's worth nothing. Send it to me

I just remembered you have the plate holders too!
By the way, the shot of the glass neg is great! Somehow you've got a weird, godlike overlord with a scary-looking silver device, raining down some kind of radioactive destruction on the town below.

PS I checked with the postie. Nothing yet. Did you send it?

Many companies at that time were making plate cameras, and the designs were very similar to the point that it's hard to distinguish one from the other.

Sometimes, under the focusing rail there is a small plate with the manufacturer's name.

There were only a few shutter makers, which sold their product to everyone. Same goes with Carl Zeiss Jena, which sold its Tessar to many camera makers.

I'll be interested in learning which camera this is.