Restoring a Soho Reflex

[Ian Grant]

Has anyone here restored a Kershaw/Marion Soho Reflex, they were made from 1904/5 to 1952. There's so little online. The mirror mechanism is amazing, it doesn't just flip up, a whole section moves back first, to allow the use of shorter FL lenses.

I have two both 5x4, one sort of works, but I think wasn't re-assembled properly after having flash sync added, it came from a closed repair shop, the second needs new shutter curtains and ribbons, not an issue, but some shared experience would be useful . . . . . . .

Ian

 

[AgX]

First time I hear of it. By its name I would expect a "hip" camera and not one built for decades... Likely I got something wrong.

 

[Ian Grant]

The Soho reflex cameras were marketed as "The Aristocrat of the Camera World", in later years by Soho Ltd. Their mirror box is unique, patented by Abraham Kershaw in 1904.

It's the only reflex camera to offer front tilts and swings alongside the standard rise and fall, as an optional extra. Like most British and European focal plane shutters it uses two shutter curtains, rather than one long curtain with multiple slits like Graflex cameras.

Build quality is much higher than most other wooden reflex cameras.

Ian

 

[Digital Wendy]

Do keep us all posted on these projects. They sound fascinating.
What lenses did they come with?
Wendy

 

[guangong]

Ian, post some pictures. Like Digital, I also have a fascination with such projects. I don’t do them, but admire the folks that do.

 

[Ian Grant]

My new Soho Reflex has no lens at the moment, the first has a TT&H Cooke-Butcher f4.5 Anastigmat 67/8" lens, which will be a Cooke Series II. It's possible it's the original lens, aside from being manufacturer Wm Butcher was also a wholesale company.

Kershaw who made the Soho reflex were distributed by Marion & Co, until a number of companies merged to form APM in 1921, and also became shareholders in Thornton Pickard. The photographic film and paper sides of the companies Marion, Paget, & Rajar (in Mobberly) later split from APM and merged with Ilford in 1929. The Rajar site is now the location of Harman Technology, Ilford.

Both my Soho Reflex cameras have Marion & Co badge plate, but they were sold as The Ross Standard Reflex, and also as Beck, & Fallowfield, reflex cameras.

In 1921 a 5x4 Marion Soho Reflex was £43 10s 6d, the extra 4 way front swing f5 9s so my first Soho camera would have been £48 19s new without a lens, adding a Cooke Series II f4.5 lens, twhich £12 14s 6d, the total without a lens boardwould be around £51 13s 6d

By 1934 and the depression prices had droped around 10%, a 5x4 Ross Standard Reflex with an Xpres f3.5 lens was around £46 6s , a Soho Reflex with a Cooke Series II f4.5 lens £46 15s, or with the Cooke Series X f2.5 £70 10s, in comparison a 5x4 TP Ruby reflex was closer to half the price with an f4.5 lens. At the same time a Rolleiflex with an f3.8 Tessar was £22 10s, a Leica III with 50mm f3.5 Elmar £25.

1934 was also a year of change with the introductionofthe first the first Exacta taking 127 film, the Soho Precision Camera, also sold my Hugo Meyer and Porst as the Silar. and made by Perka who also sold under their own name - the company going bankrupt and asets and tooling purchased by Linhof, the camera becoming the first Technika.

I will take some photos later tonight, unless I did someyears ago when I bought the camera. By chance I have found a PDF file on them I downloaded in 2013, it's an updated Shutterbug article from a few years aearlier, the last page is from an Australian camera repairer and gives good instructions.

Ian

 

[Ian Grant]

Some photos, the first Marion Soho Reflex with Cooke-Butcher lens, showing the movements.

With the second.

The shutters

I have the curtains and top roller for the second Soho Reflex, but I'll replace them, the ribbons are lost.

For scale alongside a roll of 120 Delta 400.

I've got some other cameras t finish off first.

Ian