Focal Plane Roll-film Camera - Antique and Vintage Cameras

Focal Plane Roll-film Camera

1928

Houghton-Butcher (Great Britain) Ltd

London

England

Image of Focal Plane Roll-film Camera

Lens:
f3.4, 4" Aldis-Butcher Anastigmat, iris diaphragm to f32. Serial no. 153323 .

Shutter:
Vertically running focal-plane, speeds 1/25 - 1/500, B. Speed varied by changing the slit width. Self-capping.

Construction:
Leather covered wood body.

Format:
8, 2 ¼" x 3 ¼" exposures on 2 ¼B roll-film (120).

Focusing:
To 4 feet.

Attributes:
Reflex viewing through taking lens. Full-size ground glass screen.
Mirror raised by hand against a spring. Mirror returns when pressure is removed.
Film advance indicated by red window, not coupled to shutter. A plate covering the red window is raised by hand when advancing the film, this retracts the pressure plate.

With:
Neck strap. Case.

In general shape the camera is similar to the 'Ensign Roll-film Reflex' which had a front shutter rather than a focal-plane. That model was a development of an earlier design from Butcher. This model with focal-plane shutter was mostly known as the 'Ensign Speed Film Reflex' the name of 'Focal Plane Roll-film Camera' was probably used when introduced but found to be too similar to the front shutter model.

The camera was introduced in 1928 with a choice of lenses. A tropical model, having a waxed finish rather than being lacquered, was introduced about a year later. A variant was introduced, probably the following year, with a lens interchangeable with a Dallmeyer telephoto. That model was also available in a tropical finish. Production ceased sometime around 1936.

Patent 271145 is in the names of Houghton-Butcher Mfg. Co., A.J. Dennis, W. Dockree, V.W. Edwards. Patent 280352 has the same list of names except for W. Dockree.

References & Notes:
BP 271145/1926 (covers the general form of the camera). BP 280352/1926 (covers retraction of pressure plate). BJA 1925, p. 124. BJA 1926, p. 121. BJA 1929, pp. 128, 289. BJA 1930, p. 128. Ensign Cat. 1931, p. 22. Ensign Cat. 1932, p. 22. Ensign Cat. 1934, p. 28. Ensign Cat. 1936, p. 35. Butcher's British Cameras, 1924, p. 8. Phot. Journal May 1930, p. 240.


Company Details:

Houghton-Butcher

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