Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Apr 29, 2015 13:29:26 GMT -5
An Ensign Selfix 16-20 roll film camera, made in the UK about 1950, by Houghton Butcher, a compact 120 sized folding camera, with 16 shots on 120 at 6x4.5 format. This is an early Mk1 with the Ensar Anstigmat F4.5 75mm lens, later changed to a Ross Xpres, after the merger with Ross to replace Butchers bombed out factory. Basic viewfinder camera, and very well made, the only issue was the reliability of the Epsilon Shutter, which did not like speeds altered after cocking. This model has 25th to 300th, with B and T positions. The Ensar lens has front cell focusing and is a three element anastigmat design. No rangefinders were fitted to the 16-20 Selfix models. The lenses have a good reputation, even the basic Ensar. The interior is very nicely constructed, with sound bellows etc. No interlock is fitted to the film transport or shutter, purely spacing by the red window. The Ensign camera came in today from Ebay, in excellent almost unused condition for a 65 year old camera. No fungus, bright clean lens, and good paintwork all round, with perfect chrome plating. It was only £8.50 (about $13.00), not bad for a camera that can rival Zeiss equivalent models. I have the Ross Xpres version as well as another with the same Ensar lens, but a different shutter, a Prontor. The cameras were made till the mid 1950,s when Ross went out of business. I will ty it out over the Mayday Holiday period, when there is a Folk Festival in Rochester. Stephen.
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Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Apr 30, 2015 12:01:08 GMT -5
The Ensign 16-20 Selfix camera tests out well, the shutter is quite accurate and the focus scale is correct. Test peice of photographic paper inside shows the bellows and body completly light tight, bar the red window, which has to be closed with black tape for such tests, as there is often slight leak, which is stopped by the black backing paper when loaded with film. Photograph taken with the Ensign 16-20 camera in the Old Cinque Port of Rye, Sussex, of the famous cobbled Mermaid Street. Ilford FP4 100th at F8, processed to negative only, then scanned and made positive and corrected in the Gimp. There is a very slight drop off at the edges in brightness, but pretty normal for this type of lens. The scanner was not at highest resolution, further test shots to come. Stephen.
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der84
Senior Member
Posts: 66
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Post by der84 on May 10, 2015 7:17:47 GMT -5
Very nice Stephen.
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