Camera Talk

Yeah, Lee Valley is the shiznitz...

Yeah. Now that I think about it, I would love to see a company do for analog photography what LV/Veritas is doing for hand tool woodworking. Traditional forms using more modern materials and design. There's a lot of embedded experience/value in the design of a Bailey plane, for example, but they've examined what can be done with materials and manufacturing methods that Leonard Bailey and his successors and assigns did not have available to them. They're not all successes, but a lot of them are both highly usable and fairly affordable for their type. Imagine if someone with their design and manufacturing expertise did that for view cameras, for example. Fun to dream about.

An argument could be made that Chamonix is doing that with view cameras, or some of the niche people like Richard Ritter. I just think the market for large format photography gear is so small compared to hand tool woodworking that the money wouldn't be there.

That said, Veritas has revamped and reintroduced a lot of extremely obscure items, such as the chairmaker's tools. So you never know. There was a guy a few years ago who was putting together a DIY bellows kit that eventually went nowhere. Would have been a good first step...

Well, exactly. When I got into handtool woodworking in the mid-90s, there was a lot less of it around. Folks like Pete Taran and Pat Leach got the ball rolling with the Independence Tool saw (I have #16, which I am stupidly proud of) among a few others. But it had to start somewhere. What LV brings to the table is some design chops and manufacturing expertise. Richard Ritter is awesome, but he's having to do it all as a one-man band, I guess.

Robert

Kodak Retina IIIC with Flash by P F McFarland, on Flickr

Sometimes I only want to shoot8 and not think.


Agfa Clack Yellow sun filter in place by Larry D, on Flickr

The Bronnie...

Bronica SQ-A by Scott, on Flickr

Missed Friday again...

Ansco Super Speedex. The ultimate in folders. Was a really fun camera, probably should have kept it...
Ansco Super Speedex... by Scott, on Flickr

Canon A-1 with MA Winder


Canon A-1 by P F McFarland, on Flickr

PF

I missed Friday but here's my Canon A-1