Ibso

Ibso shutter on a Romain Talbot folding camera image by John de Grooth (Image rights)

Eight speed Ibso shutter with 1/150th image by Nicholas Middleton (Image rights)

The Ibso shutter with a 3 blade diaphragm was made by Gauthier from 1908-1926. It was the first everset shutter (i.e. an 'automatic' shutter, not needing to be cocked) on the market. The cylinder at the top of the shutter is a pneumatic air-brake which regulates the speed. The shutter is found on many folding cameras of the period and has the usual limitation of everset shutters that it cannot offer very fast speeds; the original Ibso shutter gives seven speeds from 1 to 1/100 second, plus 'B' and 'T' and was provided with a cable release socket. There are also Ibso shutter variants that offer an extra speed of 1/150 sec, and there was also an Ibso Stereo shutter,an example is seen on a Lizars Challenge Stereo Camera.

Gauthier introduced the Ibsor shutter in 1913, essentially replacing the pneumatic slow speed controller with a clockwork mechanism, production of the Ibso ceased around 1926.

Links

• Ibso shutters at Early Photography.