L'obturador més preciós / The most beautiful shutter
La Premo B fou una camera produida per diverses empreses de Rochester (Nova York), amb una confusió considerable en els noms molt poc imaginatius de les primeres. Aquesta càmera concretament sembla que data del 1901 o 1902 clarament està marcada com a fabricada per la "Rochester Optical and Camera Co.", que existí entre 1899 i 1903. La confusió ve perque originariament les càmeres Premo eren fabricades per la Rochester Optical Co., fundada el 1883 i cofundadora posterior de la fusió d'empreses citades el 1899. Finalment, tot plegat ho comprà Eastmann Kodak el 1903 i durant un temps continuà fabricant Premos. Hi ha alguna empresa que no comprà, Kodak?
La Premo B era el segón model més car de la serie Premo, produit en mida 4x5 i 5x7; aquesta és una 4x5. La gracia en el seu moment era que tota la càmera era prou compacte com per transformar-se en una caixa més o menys quadrada, a on amés hi cabien uns quants portaplaques o porta-pel·licules.
Un detall curiós d'aquesta càmera és l'obturador, i he de dir que fou el principal interès per a fer-me amb ella. No és el que venia de serie, això segur. Les Premo B generalment portaven un obturador Bausch & Lomb Victor. He comentat que aquesta càmera (per diverses característiques com el visor o els nivells) sembla ser de les darreres produides per Rochester Optical, oi? Això la fa del 1901 o 1902. Doncs en algun moment cap al 1908-1910, el propietari la modernitzà amb un nou obturador, el preciós Bausch & Lomb Volute. De fet els Volute sembla que iniciaren la producció cap al 1903, just quan es deixaven de fabricar les Premo B.
La data de producció aproximada del obturador la he calculat no pel nº de serie del mateix, sino pel de la lent, una Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar II b.
Per cert, aquest Volute, tot i que magnific, funciona de moment bastant malament, anant moooolt lent en totes les velocitats. M'he atrevit a obrir-lo i netejar-lo i ha millorat parcialment, però encara no prou. Amb tot, m'ha ajudat a comprendre el meravellós funcionament d'aquestes joies de la enginyeria de fa cent anys.
============================================
The "Premo B" was a camera produced by several Rochester (NY) companies, with considerable confusion in the very unimaginative names of the first ones. This camera specifically seems to date from 1901 or 1902 and is clearly marked as made by the "Rochester Optical and Camera Co.," a merger which existed between 1899 and 1903. The confusion comes because originally, Premo cameras were manufactured by the "Rochester Optical Co." , founded in 1883 and later co-founder of said merger of companies in 1899. Finally, all this was bought by Eastmann Kodak in 1903 and for a while continued manufacturing Premos. Is there any company that Kodak did not buy in his heyday?
The Premo B was the second most expensive model of the Premo series, produced in size 4x5 and 5x7; this is a 4x5. The whole camera was compact enough in that era, to be transformed into a more or less square box, where there was space in the back for plate holders.
A curious detail of this camera is the shutter, and I must say that it was the main interest to be to adquire it. It's not what came from the factory, that's for sure. The Premo B generally had a Bausch & Lomb Victor shutter. I have commented that this camera (for various features such as the viewfinder or the spirit levels) seems to be one the latest produced by Rochester Optical, right? This was in 1901 or 1902. Well, sometime around 1908-1910, the owner modernized it with a new shutter, the precious Bausch & Lomb Volute. In fact, the Volute seems to have started production in 1903, just when the Premo B.
I have calculated the approximate production window for this shutter, not by it's serial number, but by the one in the lens, a Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar II b.
By the way, this Volute shutter, although magnificent, works at the moment quite slugishly at all speeds. I ventured to open and clean it and partially improved it's pace, but still not enough. Maybe a third time I will found the real problem, that could be oily diaphragm blades (they seem made of metal). All in all, it has helped me to understand the wonderful operation of these jewels of the engineering of one hundred years ago.
www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=a...
L'obturador més preciós / The most beautiful shutter
La Premo B fou una camera produida per diverses empreses de Rochester (Nova York), amb una confusió considerable en els noms molt poc imaginatius de les primeres. Aquesta càmera concretament sembla que data del 1901 o 1902 clarament està marcada com a fabricada per la "Rochester Optical and Camera Co.", que existí entre 1899 i 1903. La confusió ve perque originariament les càmeres Premo eren fabricades per la Rochester Optical Co., fundada el 1883 i cofundadora posterior de la fusió d'empreses citades el 1899. Finalment, tot plegat ho comprà Eastmann Kodak el 1903 i durant un temps continuà fabricant Premos. Hi ha alguna empresa que no comprà, Kodak?
La Premo B era el segón model més car de la serie Premo, produit en mida 4x5 i 5x7; aquesta és una 4x5. La gracia en el seu moment era que tota la càmera era prou compacte com per transformar-se en una caixa més o menys quadrada, a on amés hi cabien uns quants portaplaques o porta-pel·licules.
Un detall curiós d'aquesta càmera és l'obturador, i he de dir que fou el principal interès per a fer-me amb ella. No és el que venia de serie, això segur. Les Premo B generalment portaven un obturador Bausch & Lomb Victor. He comentat que aquesta càmera (per diverses característiques com el visor o els nivells) sembla ser de les darreres produides per Rochester Optical, oi? Això la fa del 1901 o 1902. Doncs en algun moment cap al 1908-1910, el propietari la modernitzà amb un nou obturador, el preciós Bausch & Lomb Volute. De fet els Volute sembla que iniciaren la producció cap al 1903, just quan es deixaven de fabricar les Premo B.
La data de producció aproximada del obturador la he calculat no pel nº de serie del mateix, sino pel de la lent, una Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar II b.
Per cert, aquest Volute, tot i que magnific, funciona de moment bastant malament, anant moooolt lent en totes les velocitats. M'he atrevit a obrir-lo i netejar-lo i ha millorat parcialment, però encara no prou. Amb tot, m'ha ajudat a comprendre el meravellós funcionament d'aquestes joies de la enginyeria de fa cent anys.
============================================
The "Premo B" was a camera produced by several Rochester (NY) companies, with considerable confusion in the very unimaginative names of the first ones. This camera specifically seems to date from 1901 or 1902 and is clearly marked as made by the "Rochester Optical and Camera Co.," a merger which existed between 1899 and 1903. The confusion comes because originally, Premo cameras were manufactured by the "Rochester Optical Co." , founded in 1883 and later co-founder of said merger of companies in 1899. Finally, all this was bought by Eastmann Kodak in 1903 and for a while continued manufacturing Premos. Is there any company that Kodak did not buy in his heyday?
The Premo B was the second most expensive model of the Premo series, produced in size 4x5 and 5x7; this is a 4x5. The whole camera was compact enough in that era, to be transformed into a more or less square box, where there was space in the back for plate holders.
A curious detail of this camera is the shutter, and I must say that it was the main interest to be to adquire it. It's not what came from the factory, that's for sure. The Premo B generally had a Bausch & Lomb Victor shutter. I have commented that this camera (for various features such as the viewfinder or the spirit levels) seems to be one the latest produced by Rochester Optical, right? This was in 1901 or 1902. Well, sometime around 1908-1910, the owner modernized it with a new shutter, the precious Bausch & Lomb Volute. In fact, the Volute seems to have started production in 1903, just when the Premo B.
I have calculated the approximate production window for this shutter, not by it's serial number, but by the one in the lens, a Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar II b.
By the way, this Volute shutter, although magnificent, works at the moment quite slugishly at all speeds. I ventured to open and clean it and partially improved it's pace, but still not enough. Maybe a third time I will found the real problem, that could be oily diaphragm blades (they seem made of metal). All in all, it has helped me to understand the wonderful operation of these jewels of the engineering of one hundred years ago.
www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=a...