Ilford Witness
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| 1952 Witness image by jonshort58 (Image rights) |
The Witnesss is an advanced 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera made by Ilford and sold between 1951 and 1953. Production difficulties led to less than 350 cameras being made, and the line was scrapped in favor of the Advocate.
The camera has a focal-plane shutter, with speeds 1-1/1000 second, plus 'B' and 'T'; slow speeds (1-1/25 second) are controlled with a separate dial. The shutter is synchronised for bulb and electronic flash, with separate sockets on the front of the body. The rangefinder and viewfinder are combined in a single eyepiece. The standard lens is either a 2-inch f/1.9 Dallmeyer Super Six, as shown here, or a 5 cm f/2.9 Daron.[1] The back and base are removed in one piece to load the film. The film is advanced with a winding knob, with a mechanical frame counter arranged around the knob, and also rewound with a knob.
Notes
- ↑ Witness serial no. 5062, with collapsible 5 cm f/2.9 Daron lens, sold (for €14 400) at the 23rd Westlicht Photographica Auction, on 25 May 2013.
Links
- Ilford Witness review at Mike Eckman Dot Com
- Witness serial no. 5010, with Dallmeyer Super Six, offered for sale at the auction Important and Rare Cameras by Bonhams, Hong Kong, on 3 December 2015.
Sources
- Dave Todd, 'Ilford Witness' in Photographica World no. 57, pp. 21-23.
- The British Camera 1840-1960 The Jim Barron Collection, Lot 3
