Plavic 9x12

A Plavic 9x12 folding bed plate camera (c.1930) image by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)

Plavic 9x12 is a 9x12cm folding bed plate film camera, manufactured by Héard & Mallinjod, Lyon, France for Plavic in Lyon. The camera is identical with the Hemax folding bed plate 9x12 camera produced by Hémax from 1923 to the early 1930s.

Specifications

Model: serie 00, (without identification).

Production: 1923 to early 1930s

Lens: Plavic-Anastigmat 135mm f/6.3, Aperture range f/6.3-f/32, filter slip-on

Focusing: Bellows focusing, index and scale on the left-inside of the front cover, Focus range: 1-10m +inf

Shutter: "Plavicos" , a Gitzo leaf shutter type B1, with speeds: 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 +T & B

Cocking and Shutter release: by the same lever, on front of the lens-shutter barrel,

Manual shutter cocking and release at the same time, diaphragm opens and closes on single press

View finders: 1) Waist-level Brilliant finder on top of the lens standard, turning 90 degrees left on its own axis for landscape pictures 2) Sports finder: A big wire sports finder, hinged on the lens standard and used with a folding rear peep sight part, on the left side of the camera

Bellows: single-extension, vertical shift of the lens standard possible

Body: metalic, weight 850g

Plavic 9x12 folding bed plate camera, c.1930
images by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)