Challenge Dayspool Tropical Camera

J. Lizars

Name:	Challenge Dayspool Tropical
Manufacturer:	J. Lizars
Country of Origin:	United Kingdom
Construction:	Spanish mahogany body, but otherwise similar in construction to other rollfilm Dayspool cameras.
Production Period:	TBD

 

Model / Variant:	Model B
Plate / Film Size:	3¼ x 4¼ rollfilm or ¼ plate
Lens:	Unknown f/8 lens
Shutter:	Bausch & Lomb Opt. Co. (Pat Appl'd) T, B, I (twin cylinder)
Movements:	Rising & cross front
Dimensions (w x h x l):
Date of this Example:	c1910?
Serial Number:	Number '12' stamped inside right hand rollfilm bay (looking from the back), although this is probably an assembly number.
Availability:	Common  Uncommon  Hard to Find  Scarce
Inventory Number:	371

<Photographs to be added>

Description

The Lizars Challenge Dayspool Tropical camera is a horizontal format folding bed rollfilm camera of Spanish mahogany (without leather covering) and brass fittings. The camera is in fact unnamed but carries all the hallmarks of being Lizars, including the lens support, viewfinder, mountings for the leather handle, the handle itself, the rising & cross front etc.

The wooden body has several cracks, the most serious of which is on the underside. The brasswork is quite grubby and tarnished. There is some verdigri on the brass fittings. It would benefit from being dismantled and cleaned carefully. The support foot for vertical use is missing. The plate back is loose and needs to be handled with some care.

To fit the rollfilm, the plate carrier section has to be removed. The outer wings on the back can then swing out to reveal the rollflim holders. The camera came with one DDS, which looks original but is unmarked apart from numbering (3 & 4).

Notes

Compare this camera with the Junior version and the Dayspool No 1 model.