Old camera for street potrait photography in India


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aquilaa

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Oct 19, 2008
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Below is an interesting article from LA Times regarding an
old LF camera in daily use for ID photography in Jaipur, India.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-lowtech2-2009sep02,0,4488845.story?page=1

If I am not mistaken, he does the processing (i guess should be photo paper, not film)
inside (or behind?) the camera.


Here is photos of this camera from flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75056404@N00/3234794511/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75056404@N00/3234794287/sizes/l/in/set-72157603399419727/

The taking lens is Zeiss Ikon Tessar f4.5

Just wonder what type of camera is this and how old is
the lens?
 

"Snapping the image involves nothing as humdrum as a button. Instead, Chand scoots around to the front and removes the lens cap for one or two seconds before scooting back under the coverings, sticking his hand in tubes made of a bluejeans leg to shift the paper from developing chemicals into the fixer, then into a plastic bucket to rinse off the chemicals.

If that sounds complicated, you haven't heard the half of it. All this work has produced a negative. He repeats the whole process to produce a positive."

He shoots using a paper negative, which he removes from the camera and develops, and then makes a positive.

From the article, sounds like his shutter is kaput.

Hard to say exactly how old the camera is, but the lens data can be looked up in various databases.
 

Below is an interesting article from LA Times regarding an
old LF camera in daily use for ID photography in Jaipur, India.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-lowtech2-2009sep02,0,4488845.story?page=1

If I am not mistaken, he does the processing (i guess should be photo paper, not film)
inside (or behind?) the camera.


Here is photos of this camera from flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75056404@N00/3234794511/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75056404@N00/3234794287/sizes/l/in/set-72157603399419727/

The taking lens is Zeiss Ikon Tessar f4.5

Just wonder what type of camera is this and how old is
the lens?

LOL, is it the type that explodes when u fire the flash? Just like the ancient British and Chinese use?
 

judging from the distance from lens to the end of camera, looks like using 5x7 and above format. even there is a brand or company, think it also long gone.


large format lens shutter can only go up to 1 sec only, since he is using paper neg, the lens shutter is useless, has to use hand, lens cap or black card to act as shutter.
 

LOL, is it the type that explodes when u fire the flash? Just like the ancient British and Chinese use?

Magnesium powder flash, that long gone.
 

LOL, is it the type that explodes when u fire the flash? Just like the ancient British and Chinese use?

i dont think making fun about preseverence and ingenuity at improvising in the face of change to make a living is appropriate .....
 

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Tikam Chand's Afghan box camera still in operation as of Dec 2017 in Jaipur.

http://ricepotato.co/jaipur-unique-vintage-camera/

The lens is Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 13.5cm F4.5 with a rimset Compur shutter.
Judge from the brilliant finder mounted at the upper right corner and the focal length, the lens probably came off from a 1930s Zeiss Ikon 9x12cm folding plate camera.
I think the lens covers 4x5 with minimal movement.
 

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Great quote from Tikam Chand...

"computerization has made us lazy"
 

A recent video of Tikam Chand's Afghan camera. His son running the business now.

 

Below is an interesting article from LA Times regarding an
old LF camera in daily use for ID photography in Jaipur, India.


The taking lens is Zeiss Ikon Tessar f4.5

Just wonder what type of camera is this and how old is
the lens?

This may be the camera. Circa 1920.
Zeiss Ikon Maximar 207/7 View Camera

 

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