Focussing Weno Hawk-Eye No 3

Blair Camera Company

Name / Model:	Focussing Weno Hawk-Eye No 3
Manufacturer:	Blair Camera Co
Country of Origin:	USA
Construction:	Leather covered wooden body with drop baseboard and track for the lens. Leather bellows. The design allows the rollfilm section to be raised, which causes the ground glass screen to be pushed forward into the focal plane. The image can then be focussed on the screen.
Production Period:	1902 - 03

 

Plate / Film Size:	118 film (3¼" x 4¼")
Lens:	B & L Rapid Rectilinear
Shutter:	Blair / B & L pneumatic shutter
Movements:
Dimensions (w x h x l):
Date of this Example:
Serial Number:	Serial #765 stamped into leather on underside of the camera. Sellers badge inside rear panel for E.B. Meyrowitz, 804 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis.
Availability:	Common  Uncommon  Hard to Find  Scarce
Inventory Number:	445

Description

This was sold as a No 4 model, which is a true combination camera for 103 film or 4 x 5 plates. However, there is no obvious fitting here for a plate holder; the ground glass screen (intact) is 3¼" x 4¼"and the film bay is not large enough to hold a 4" width 103 film spool. I therefore believe this to be a No 3 model for 118 film; this model did not have a plate adapter and is not therefore a combination camera (that is, one that can swap between film and plates without unloading the film).

The design allows the rollfilm section to be raised, which causes the ground glass screen to be pushed forward into the focal plane. The image can then be focussed on the screen before returning the film to the chamber to take the shot.

The leather body shows wear on the front and side faces and is quite dry.  As a result, it is prone to fragment with handling and needs to be treated with care. This problem is not uncommon with cameras of this age.

The square section bellows are a wonderful red wine colour but are breaking up on the edges, especially on the front folds. They are fragile and need to be handled carefully, particularly as the folds tend to stay firmly pushed together as the standard is pulled out.

An interesting feature is the built-in film counter, which is a mechanism that is built into the removable back.

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Notes

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