rassa5

I am trying to identify this old camera which belonged to my father, and I have had for many years. It has no identifying marks at all. It is approx. 6 inches square, when folded and has removable wooden film holders for either glass plates or film, 3 1/4 inch * 4 1/4 inch size.
Around the lens it says "Aldis Plano Anastigmat 68 No. 2A. I also have the original wooden tripod, and carry case. There is a leather strap at the top of the camera for carrying it.
Is it worth anything?

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

What size film ??

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Daguerreotype. James would know more than anyone, if he is still around. He even builds his own for fun.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

As to what the camera is... Seems that there should be a brass plate that could identify it. Sometimes that plate is inside!!!

rassa5

Three and one quarter inches by Four and one quarter inches. (Kodak Plus X Pan).

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Very unusual size for that type of camera ! I have never seen/heard of one like this ! .......

Worth anything ?? more so as a display item than as an actual user .

jim quist Loc: Missouri

I believe it’s called. Field camera because photographers took it into “the field” with them

tramsey Loc: Texas

I don't know but waiting for someone that does

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Being curious about your camera, but not being able to identify it, I Googled "Aldis Plano Anastigmat 68 No. 2A". At the top of the list was a link titled '"Ensign" Photography' posted by Pacific Rim Camera. Having heard of (though having never used) Ensign cameras before, and having dealt with Pacific Rim Camera many years past, I followed the link and accessed a (.pdf) article of a 1924 English publication titled "Your Holiday Photographs". In that publication, the lens was listed as having been available, and what appears to be a complete listing of all the Ensign cameras that were available at the time. While Ensign did make and sell a 3.25" x 4.24" field view camera, what was shown was little like yours, so apparently your camera was made by some other maker.

A variety of camera makers made glass plate and film (both sheet film and roll film backs) for 'field view' cameras (like yours) and for 'reflex' type cameras and used that 3.25 x 4.25 format, but that format fell out of favor by the 1930's or so as 4" x 5", 5" x 7", and 8" x 10" films became more 'standard' and readily available. Some of those camera companies, those 'makers', stood the test of time (Deardorf, Kodak, Calumet, etc., and even more 'modern' field view camera companies still exist --Wisner, Tachihera, Zone 6, etc), but in those earlier days there were other makers whose cameras were little known and were less expensive knock-offs of a sort, sometimes even 'commissioned' to a cabinet maker by an individual photographer, and it appears that your camera may have been made by one of those (note the dovetailing on the main body; interesting also that it does not appear to have a removable lens board as is normally found on cameras of this type).

It's pretty, though. And while it's best use would be as a display camera, I'd doubt anyone would buy it for more than $100 - $150, though that is just my guess.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I'm guessing half a million $$$!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Kodak Plus X Pan would be the type of film, not the size. I am guessing it would take sheet film in the holders but perhaps a 120 film back might fit. Of that I am not sure.

Dennis

rassa5

The size of the film, as written on the Kodak Plus X Pan box, is: 3 1/4 inches by 4 1/4 inches. This is the same size as the slot of the wooden glass/sheet film holder of the camera. i actually have some sheet film for this size and took some photos with the camera, over twenty years ago now. It still works with a black sheet over the camera, but the image is upsidedown! The Kodak film sheet fitted straight in without any resizing.

Capn_Dave

At one time there were a lot of cameras made my everyday people that had some skills. Te cameras are easy to build. I had one that was built by a dentist. There were no markings on it as to the builder. My father had had the receipt for it and it was his father's. I have no idea what happened to the rediept.

rcarol

3 1/4" X 4 1/4" was a format that was popular circa 1925. I don't think it is possible to purchase film in that size. I had a camera with this format that was built by my wife's uncle. I resorted to cutting down film from 4" X 5" stock.

pappleg

Fred Picker of Zone VI Studios out of Newfane Vermont in the 1980's and 90's sold a very similar camera made out of cherry or walnut wood with brass fittings and, indeed, it was called a Zone VI Field Camera and made by a fellow named Wisner who also sold them under his own name. These were 4" X 5" versions and I owned one for about seven years. The lens will give you no clue as to the maker as these units generally did not come with lenses b ut you bought with it one or more "lens boards" that were pre drilled to accept certain lens diameters. I had two lenses a 121mm Schneider Superangulon wide angle and a 210mm Schneider Simmer S which was close to a 65mm on 35mm. These lenses had a very wide image circle to allow one to offset/move either or both the film back and the lens board to correct for perspective (e.g.: convergence on tall buildings) etc. Nowadays all that is done in post processing if desired. They were a lot of fun especially if one had access to a darkroom which I did. As Meatloaf quipped "It was long ago and it was far away and it was so much better than it is today". I don't know if I necessarily essaqrily agree that it was that much "better" b ut it was certainly different and I learned film exposure and processing to a much more detailed degree than I might have otherwise.

Pat