Eye from the Lens

Long Focus Premo Camera

April 5, 2018

When many ladies have cabin fever, they turn to quilting and scrapbooking. This keeps them busy all month long. However, I am not like most women, instead I turn to cameras when I get cabin fever.

This year I have a project of restoring the old Kodak Long Focus Premo. I bought it originally off of ebay to use as parts for the camera that I am building. After receiving the camera and doing research on it, I decided to keep the camera and restore it

I have polished up the black leather on the outside, and I am currently fixing the bellows. When fixing the bellows, the only way to do this is to either use book binding glue, or patch the holes. Right now I am trying a bond glue made specifically for bellows to see if that will work. One thing you always want to check when doing film photography with a bellow camera is to check and make sure there are no light leaks in your bellows. To do this take your camera into a complete black room, no light, and shine a flashlight inside the bellows. The light will show where the holes are or where the material is weak allowing light through. You want to do this so there is no light exposing to your film when taking a photo.

History of the Long Focus Premo

It was manufactured by the Rochester Optical Company in Rochester, N.Y. from 1895 to 1904. This specific style of camera possesses an extra long bellow for use when using long focus lenses. The camera was adaptable to glass plates, cut and roll films. This camera was used with a tripod and also used by hand. It has an additional folding back which with a simple touch on the spring at top will allow the back of the camera to drop forming a bed. This will allow the camera to slide back giving extra bellow length.

The original camera was fitted with a victor symmetrical Rapid Rectilinear lens. The start shutter was fitted to this camera, having both finger and pneumatic release.

This camera includes a double swing back, double sliding front, and a fine rack and pinion movement for focusing. The horizontal and vertical swings are from the center of the plate, and can be quickly adjusted by a slight pressure on a brass lever. This specific camera allows you to use vertical or horizontal pictures. To use this feature you open the door on the side of the camera to insert your horizontal film. If you want to use the vertical aspect you open the top door on the box and slide in from the top the vertical film. Back in the day this camera for a 4×5 cost $35.oo, a 5×7 cost $45.oo, and an 8×10 costs $70.00

This model camera was used by the famous American western photographer Edward Curtis.