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Back to the Future

Back to the Future
3A Autographic Kodak Special Model B
I bought this as an ornament then realised they can be adapted to take 120 roll film instead of the no longer made 122 film which made a negative 3.25: X 5.5" which meant postcards could be contact printed lots of old photos are postcards the example shows the size of the camera. When this model was first sold in 1916 it was 'Special' it's believed to be the first camera with a coupled rangefinder.
Autographic refers to a special film Kodak made which had an extra layer of tissue like paper, on the back of the camera is a flap which could be opened and using the metal stylus supplied you could write details of the shot on the border between the negatives expose it to the light and the information would appear on the negative.
Adapting it to take the much smaller film isn't to much of a problem you can buy adaptors for the smaller film then I need to make film guides and a pressure plate, the problem is the getting the bellows light tight it is possible to buy new ones very expensive so I need to repair them if you look on the internet there are all sorts of ideas non ideal, a local art shop suggested Acrylic paint mixed with a small amount of PVA glue, I bought a very cheap bellows camera and tried it worked and looks alright but tends to stick if I fold the camera so I'm thinking not to fold fold it make a case to carry it open. Unless any one has any ideas

Klara Gellet, Nouchetdu38, Berny, Eric Desjours and 35 other people have particularly liked this photo


24 comments - The latest ones
 Günter Klaus
Günter Klaus club
Wow,da hast du noch einen tollen alten Fotoapparat lieber Peter,eine exellente Darstellung ist das mit diesen alten Bild dazu :))

Wünsche noch einen schönen Abend,liebe Grüße Güni :))
6 months ago.
 Steve Paxton
Steve Paxton club
Peter you could spray a sealer over the bellows but in truth may be a better way is no longer fold just have in a hard case even a small make up case like I have my astro calibration gear. was a cheap on but its lined with foam cutouts everything is protected.
6 months ago.
 Christa1004
Christa1004 club
What a great contribution for WPD, Peter, and also your explanation.
6 months ago.
 William Sutherland
William Sutherland club
Excellent compo! Happy World Photography Day!
6 months ago.
 Makrofan
Makrofan club
Sehr schön und danke für die Informationen!
6 months ago.
 Keith Burton
Keith Burton club
A beautiful looking old camera together with nice vintage photo Peter.............and your rock garden has provided a lovely background.

I do hope you manage to work out how to make the bellows light proof and are able to use the camera to take some photos!
6 months ago.
 @ngélique ❤️
@ngélique ❤️ club
Superbe pour cette journée mon ami **********************belle soirée !et portez vous bien !
6 months ago.
 Xata
Xata club
Amazed with what you can and know how to do... but cannot help you !
Great photo for this day+++++++
6 months ago.
 raingirl
raingirl club
Peter! This is awesome. The photo itself is done beautifully, and the act of repairing and once again getting to use this camera is so great. Such ingenuity on your part. Thank you for sharing this on our special day. I look forward to seeing the result in the future.

Happy World Photography Day!
6 months ago.
 Ruesterstaude
Ruesterstaude club
Es macht Spaß, mit solchen alten Apparaten zu arbeiten, aber es ist sehr aufwändig. Ich habe noch eine alt Ica mit Kassetten für Glasplatten geerbt und damit ein paar Fotos gemacht. Wenn man's richtig macht, ist die Schärfe nicht zu übertreffen.
– Schön das du ein altes Foto noch hinzugefügt hast!
6 months ago.
 HaarFager
HaarFager club
Very nice camera and shot! A suggestion: You could use some graphite on all the swivel points of the metal slide mechanisms and a good saddle soap or Armor All to soften the leather bellows to make it not so dry. When they get old, the bellows tend to dry out. By rejuvenating it with something, it will help it last longer.
6 months ago.
Peter Castell club has replied to HaarFager club
Unfortunately the bellows are paper coated with something besides the usual pinholes some of this coating is flaking off. I have a Houghton and Butcher Ensign Carbine that has leather bellows I used a leather balm on them which made them feel softer
6 months ago.
 Boarischa Krautmo
Boarischa Krautmo club
well done!
6 months ago.
 Love Song
Love Song club
Amazing *_* J**********************************
6 months ago.
 Heide
Heide club
Fabelhafte alte Kamera, sehr schön gezeigt.
6 months ago.
 Roger (Grisly)
Roger (Grisly) club
In my younger days I used a bellows Kodak and that eventually suffered with light problems,
I do hope you are able to resolve the issues Peter, good luck!
6 months ago.
 Roger Bennion
Roger Bennion club
This is an impressive entry to World Photography Day, Peter. Such a fascinating read too and brilliant that you no longer have to keep the camera purely as an ornament.
6 months ago.
 Don Sutherland
Don Sutherland club
Fantastic composition.
6 months ago.
 José Manuel Polo
José Manuel Polo club
Una fotografía retrospectiva interesante y bien presentada. Tengo antiguas, pero no tanto, la más del 1963 y funciona; Yashika Minister D, con telémetro claro.
6 months ago. Edited 6 months ago.
 * ઇଓ *
* ઇଓ * club
Wonderful shot of this beautiful, historic camera, Peter!

Repairing bellows that are not light-tight does indeed involve one or the other issue. If you are generally satisfied with the result of the procedure recommended by the art shop and want to leave it at that, a suitable case would be a good solution.

If you're thinking of possibly replacing the bellows, you might want to have a look at the following sites, Sandeha Lynch, and Custom Bellows.
6 months ago.
 Deborah Lundbech
Deborah Lundbech club
Our family 1950s photos were taken using a German camera, an Agfa. The bellows has a light leak and I've thought about repairing it to shoot some film for sentimental reasons. Great to have these links if I ever do it.
I am far from any kind of camera expert - but I love the look of old bellows-type cameras as well as their many other virtues
6 months ago.
 Wild Rose
Wild Rose club
I have a Zeiss Super Iconta, with coupled range finder
I use to use the range finder to shoot moving shots of racing cyclists and athletics

Pick a spot where I could get the people completely in view, then get a person to stand there and set the rangefinder
Follow the action using the rangefinder viewer, press the shutter when both images combined
4 months ago.
 Cheryl Kelly (cher12861 on flickr)
Cheryl Kelly (cher12… club
Such a cool looking camera.
3 months ago.

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