Photosphère
Revision as of 14:45, 8 July 2012 by Dustin McAmera (talk | contribs) (Various changes to the text. Replaced example with one at Westlicht (more and better pictures, and certainty that the site has rights to them), and added other examples.)
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| Photosphère. Scan by Uwe Kulick. (Image rights) |
The Photosphère is a plate camera designed for use in tropical regions, and therefore made of metal. The front of the body has an unusual hemispherical shape. Within this, the shutter has a hemispherical blind with a hole, which swings under spring tension to make the exposure. The shutter speed is variable by changing the spring tension. Napoléon Conti patented the camera in 1888. About 4000 pieces (all variants together) were made.
Different plate holders could be attached: double dark-slides made of mahagony[1] or steel, or a twelve-plate metal magazine.[2]
Photosphère n°1
- Type: plate camera
- Manufacturer: Compagnie Française de Photographie
- Year of patent: 1888
- Films: 8×9cm dry plates
- Lens: Cie. Francaise Aplanétique 92mm, or Zeiss Anastigmat 92mm
- Shutter: hemispherical guillotine shutter
- Viewfinder: removable reflex finder (3)
- Type: plate camera
- Films: 9×12cm dry plates
- Lens: Cie. Francaise double symétrique 125mm, or Zeiss Anastigmat 125mm
- Shutter: hemispherical guillotine shutter, 5 speeds
- Viewfinder: removable Watson finder
Photosphère n°3
- Type: roll film camera
- Films: 13×18cm plates[2] or roll film (48 exposures)
- Lens: Cie. Francaise double symétrique 165mm, or Zeiss Anastigmat 165mm
- Shutter: bowl-like guillotine shutter
- Viewfinder: 2 reflex finders inside the camera body
- Extra: water-level
Photosphère n°4 stéréoscopique[4]
- Type: plate camera
- Films: 9x18 cm plates
- Lens: 2× Cie. Francaise Aplanétique 92mm, or Zeiss Anastigmat 92mm
- Shutter: 2 simultaneous hemispherical guillotine shutters
- Viewfinder: removable Watson finder
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 9x12 cm Photosphère serial no. 723, with wooden stand and two wooden double dark-slides, sold at the November 2008 Westlicht auction.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 13x18 cm plate magazine for Photosphère, sold at the June 2008 Westlicht auction.
- ↑ 9x12 cm Photosphère, serial no. 1998 in original polished silver finish, with Krauss lens, sold at the May 2006 Westlicht auction.
- ↑ 9x18 cm stereo Photosphère, serial no. 182, with Extra-Rapid Rectilinear lenses, three wooden double dark-slides and focusing screen, sold at the May 2005 Westlicht auction.
Links
- Photosphère No. 2 at Early Photography
- Photosphère n°1, n°2, n°3, and n°4 at declic87.free.fr (French, main source of this page)
- Other Photosphère variants description at Tigin's Classic Cameras (German/English)
- Page about historically important cameras at RolleiOnly, with pictures of two different Photosphère variants
- Photosphere Price Guide at collectiblend
