# Vilhelm Pacht, and the First 35mm still camera



## star camera company (Jul 11, 2020)

way back around 1900 Danish Artist and Inventor Vilhelm Pacht designed and built a prototype 35mm still Camera using perforated Cine film.  He was unable to carry the prototype fully to working condition,  but sometime prior to his passing in 1912 showed it to the Nellerod Carpenter and Camera Maker Jens Poal Andersen.  While JP studied and learned from the model, he found it overly complicated in some manner.  He did however borrow the general layout for his four 35mm cameras built between 1916 to 1924.  •••• The Pacht Camera still exists in a Danish Museum, but I’ve been unable so far to get and info other than thus photo.   I DO have the goal to replicate the camera and shoot with it.  I’m speculating the shutter is a borrowed unit (look familiar to anyone?) and that it uses a fixed simple lens.  Format “may” be 24x50mm.  It appears a wire pull may trigger the shutter.  The records do say it used sprocketed film, so some advance must be present.


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## Space Face (Jul 12, 2020)

Sounds a complicated venture,  good luck tho it'll be interesting to see the results.


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## webestang64 (Jul 12, 2020)

Interesting bit of history and camera.
Found Pacht's patent dated June 12th 1900 for a feeding mechanism for films in kinematograph (synonym from cinematograph-a camera that could develop its own film and served as its own projector).

Considering your work on the Jans 35mm camera I'm sure this build will be just as nice.


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## Mike Drone (Jul 12, 2020)

Awesome project to undertake.  Sad  that Vilhelm Pacht did not get to finish his camera.  It seems no one else could finish it either.  Keep us updated with your progress =]


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## star camera company (Jul 13, 2020)

I done some “to scale” drawings using the only “known” which is 36mm tall film cans.   This results is a camera roughly 6.5” x 2 1/4” x 3”. That’s really compact, even today.  Unsure what Pacht used for a shutter open possibilities.  It does look like I can adapt in a Kodak Brownie 2A shutter.  The thing should be heavy for its size.  Given that Walnut is a Native Wood in Denmark, that’s my wood choice.  ••••• Vilhelm Pacht today is an unknown and unrecognized innovator.  He almost single handed brought cinema to Denmark.  He Knew 35mm would be perfect for a small camera, and tried to make it a reality.


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## Soocom1 (Jul 14, 2020)

Here's the really cool part....


3D printing!


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## star camera company (Jul 14, 2020)

Cutting wood.  Let’s see  what happens.


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## Soocom1 (Jul 14, 2020)

Mahogany? 


Nice dovetails!


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## star camera company (Jul 14, 2020)

Walnut.  A Native wood to Denmark.  Not knowing anything about the shutter he had planned, I’ve adapted a Kodak 2B Brownie shutter.  This will sit atop the inner light (dark) box, which will have the aperature plate behind.  This will sit “a thick film width” in front of the film gate.  This will have a simple knob advance.    •••• It was a non working prototype which I’m shy on details.  So, I’d say if I can figure out a simple way to make it work, likely that’s the way he may have done it.  I’m planning on a positive meniscus 60mm fl


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## star camera company (Jul 20, 2020)

Well I’ve finished it up!  Very pleased overall and especially impressed with the cameras potential.  Film goes in tomorrow.   •••• I had little info except for the photo in the first post, and reading it was 24x50 format.  It’s logical the drive was a crank on the main spool, and that a wire shutter release was used.  Scale came from the height of the film “cans” at 36mm.   It appeared the metal cans may be connected, indeed when I formed the cans in the strip steel a kidney shape appeared, forming a seamless film path.  Looked Good to Me!   The shutter:  Who Knows.  I found a snappy KodaknBroanie shutter which worked well into the available area and I was able to “link up”,  only drawback is it fires up, and down.  No big deal, but a steady 1./30 second at F11.  The lens arrived from Surplusshed, a 20mm 62mmfl positive meniscus.  This nests in behind the shutter and throws a surprisingly good image at F11 on a ground glass.    I’m planning on a folding wire finder, and a “manual counter”.  Size is 6 1/4x 2 1/4x3 1/4. Weight 400 grams.••••• This was 1900 Folks, Vilhelm Pacht was Years, Decades....ahead of the pack of cameras in use at that time.  IF he had developed his idea to the point I’ve continued it, we may be praising Him, instead of Barnack.  Oh Well, now I’m gonna prove his design with images!


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## Mike Drone (Jul 20, 2020)

Very nice, I can't wait to see the images it produces. =]


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## star camera company (Jul 21, 2020)

Mike Drone said:


> Very nice, I can't wait to see the images it produces. =]


Yup.  Shouldn’t leak light, shutter works, focus looks good, film advances.  All systems look go.


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## pocketcamera (Jul 21, 2020)

Alot of early camera designs were sound and only need modern gasket material to make a go of them. 

Have wanted to figure out how to make the shutters but never found books or useful drawings


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## star camera company (Jul 24, 2020)

Put the wire finder on and shot film yesterday.  What a Sweetie!


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## star camera company (Jul 24, 2020)

a

 Vilhelm, Your Camera Works!   Had the pleasure of seeing a strip of nice negatives emerge from the fixer!  No light leaks (WOW), Nice even spacing of the images, and a great start.  Booboo made not filling new (to me) Ansco tank with enough developer (duh),  So, Pachts design works.  It’s a one thumb operation.  At f11 the
Single meniscus shows too much flare.  I’m reducing the stop to f16.  The bulk roll I have is ISO 100 and all negs were somewhat overexposed, the lower light ones were the best, so a smaller hole behind the Brownie shutter  will take care of that.    All in all, first film out of the first prototype 35 built, I’m Happy!


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## star camera company (Jul 27, 2020)

I was able to make contact with the Museum in Denmark where the original resides.  Here’s the link they provided Google Translate  There are obviously some aspects of the design I did not know of.  JP Andersen did not like this prototype, complaining it was too complicated.  I can see now the film advance seems to be a sliding “grabbing” pressure plate which looks to be controlled by a little ball on a sting which comes out the top!  The shutter must be an early air bulb unit, it is noted the lens is missing.  The Museum agreed to supply better photos to me shortly.  Awaiting their reply, I’m trying to determine if  extant Pacht negatives exist.  You know, this little thing may totally upset the apple cart as far as WHO and WHEN the First 35mm still Camera appeared.  We know it wasn’t Oskar....but I’ve  Never seem Pacht even mentioned.  Strange as this artifact has existed and been recognized for decades.••••• Meanwhilr I reduced the aperature fo f16 on mine, have it reloaded and would like to get out and shoot today but the “feels like” temp here in south jersey is going to be 105.   Sealed up in my RV with the Air blowing, planning of watching bad old Japanese Atomic monster movies today.  I cannot believe I worked the last two summers in golf course maintenance.  Holy Chit that would Kill me now ;-(


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## zulu42 (Jul 27, 2020)

Great work. Really interesting, too!


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## star camera company (Jul 27, 2020)

Thanks.  2nd version I build will be more to Pachts original.   I absolutely love these challenges!  The thought of pulling a little ball on a string is really charming   This is Sooo much more fun than spending $8295 for a New Leica M10.......and I’ll bet that somehow this little replica I built will still be around in 100 years and working.


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## star camera company (Jul 27, 2020)

So on the museum it states Pacht was assisted by Ellehammer.  Wellllll.  Wikipedia gives the link, take a look and then realize this very skilled inventive engineer has a hand in the design!  Jacob Ellehammer - Wikipedia


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## star camera company (Jul 27, 2020)

So any ideas how these Geniuses rigged tgefilm advance?  They weren’t afraid of linkages etc., Pacht himself had a good inventive mind tilted toward Kino equipment.


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## star camera company (Jul 31, 2020)

I’ve gotten a series of new photos from the Museum in Denmark.   It IS a complicated device, mostly the film advance.  Here’s a good picture. A sliding assembly must grab the film, move it out, then move it along, retract and repeat.  Going to be a case of make the parts and then figure it out.  Jacob Earlhammer who assisted Pacht with the build made airplanes and helicopters so complicated linkages weee his forte.  •••••• looking to me that the film travel is (from the rear), right to left.  This being contrary to modern concept makes this difficult to envision.  The thing that looks like a claw next to the shutter housing is pushed sideways to fire the shutter by tha air bulb.  The tube is fixed inside the top cover and a sealed unit.  It pushes forward an “end”, which hits the “claw”.


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## star camera company (Aug 4, 2020)

Found out a few more details regarding Pachts “photomachine”.    Quite the advanced design in many many ways.   First, the lens used was a state of the art Carl Zeiss f 3.6 Planar!  The film advance is automatic, by a string pull from the side.   There is an interlock to prevent double exposures.  Also, a (spring powered?) film rewind is incorporated.    The incorporated air bulb release is essential considering the top must come free from the internals to load.    I’ve gotten scans of a 1944 Danish publication with solid info, bit challenging on the ‘scan to type’ program I use but getting there.     I’m sensing a bit of resentment in what I’ve read that Barnack got all the credit!    ••• This picture from that article shows the camera with lens in place.  The lens is now missing. It seems the front is unscrewed to allow the top to be removed for loading film.  I’ve YET to confirm photos were actually taken, or survive.  JP Andersen, who knew a thing or two about cameras, said it was not working.   I don’t know.  From what I see, it certainly has all the right things doing the right stuff...•••••• The important thing is I’ve got “eyes” on the artifact through a Museum staff member!


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## star camera company (Aug 6, 2020)

Ok so the lens/shutter is going to be a Zeiss Tessar f 3.5 6cm in a ring set Compur from 1931. Pacht used a Planar, a 1896 design, the Tessar is a 1902 design....while the current Planar is superb, the early version suffers from flare and coma, plus six uncoated glass/air surfaces.  The Tessar was seen as an improvement.  I’m not sure what Pacht used for a shutter, certainly not a ring set Compur But, this is all hidden inside the outer box, and the Compur controls all are in the right spots.  Funny thing...it’s obvious Pacht had to unscrew the front lens cell before lifting off the camera top.  No problem, I can unscrew the Tessar front too.  But, it was short and I wanted it a little bigger around.  So, I unscrew the front cell from a Wollensak 1911 Bionic shutter, remove the glass, and the brass cell slipped onto the outside of the front Tessar cell and screwed right on.  Perfect thread match. How odd!.  So now questioning Niels an the Museum to get word if the back track base slides on the track, or if the pressure plate itself advances,   Just can’t determine this from the pics he sent,  the right to left film advance screws with my head.....••• Anyway began today,  I want to end up with a Leica Killer. ;-)


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## star camera company (Aug 8, 2020)

Headway!   Niels from the Museum said the back plate was fixed position, so film advance to strictly a bottom slider, spring loaded, with a “tooth” that engages and pulls Nine perfs of film. It’s very understandable now how it operated.   With luck, will have it operation in a day or two.


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## star camera company (Aug 8, 2020)

Rear taking shape.  The pin advance seems to function, now, making the track rail and  linkage which sets the pin to advance film by pulling a sting, then releases  against spring to let linkage retract.


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## star camera company (Aug 11, 2020)

So all That, goes inside what was described as a “cigar box” like outer covering.  This lifts off to load the camera, it’s held on by four small brass hooks.  A word on those hooks, I hand make them from a curled piece of 1/8” brass rod, hammered and hammered till it’s about 1/32 thick,  out of this now incredibly hard and rigid forged metal, file, shape and polish.   Very Strong!  .....yes you see a shutter button there.  I’m all for historic accuracy but imagine “in these challenging times, a stranger comes up, holds s wooden box up and squeezes a red bulb.  Holy Chit they’d run like a scared rabbit!  All that bulb done was push a bar which triggers the shutter.  Special thing was it allows independence from the top, no direct connections.  So, I made a linkage within the top which does the same thing, bears against a bar to trigger the shutter.  The shutter cocks easily through the rounded opening, and the speed is fingernail adjusted in the dial set Compur.  Underneath, there’s a similar cutout for the slightly recessed aperature control.    More work on the body, then I tackle the film advance mechanism.  As an aside, I emailed Todd Gustavson ( technology curator GEH) and asked if They knew of Pachts Camera.  Will report his reply. BTW it said in the 1944 article of this camera that it was begun in 1898!


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## star camera company (Aug 21, 2020)

P

 

 All Finished!   I’m really pleased how it came out, loaded with film now!  Operation of the film advance is working good and the optics look ready.  Amber shellac over Mahogany really sets it off.   The finder is borrowed from my UR Leica.  Weight 574 grams.   BTW the GEH was unaware of the existsnce of this 1898 Camera.  Todd Gustavson told me the film itself was only available to the public after 1895.


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## star camera company (Aug 23, 2020)

Oh Yes!  It Works!    First Roll.  Arista 100. F11 1/100. Zeiss Tessar f3.5 6cm


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## star camera company (Aug 30, 2020)

Something obvious popped into my head.  Extending the pull string to attach to the shutter cocking lever works.   This gives the “double exposure prevention” feature mentioned.  So, very efficient now, taking a picture means pull the string, press the shutter button and repeat.  Fully automatic!  1898!!  Still unsure of what to do for a finder.  Part of me wants to install a 3/8” convex lens in the front panel, a first surface 45 degree mirror behind and a larger convex lens set into the camera top, with a rectangular opening.  This would give a fantastic finder, but I’m not sure about taking it so far out of its historic appearance,   A post and concave rectangular lens mounted on top would be period...but these things are lousy in use.  A wire finder,  I dunno......no finder?  Accurate to history, but then again there’s no pictorial record of this camera in use.


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## and again (Sep 15, 2020)

I enjoyed this very impressive thread.
A superb effort!


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 16, 2020)

WOW... I am in a Collector's Group on Facebook, and this camera looks very similar to the one you are discussing here. The big difference that I see is the doors to the film open in the center portion of the back, but have wide doors that swing out similarly in design to these. I will see if I can get permission to post that image here for comparison.


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## star camera company (Sep 16, 2020)

Ahhh!  Readers!   This little camera has been a joy to use!    And pretty much unknown, so very advanced!


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 16, 2020)

star camera company said:


> Ahhh!  Readers!   This little camera has been a joy to use!    And pretty much unknown, so very advanced!



Very cool. If you start making these, I would order one. Let me know.

Mark


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## star camera company (Sep 17, 2020)

I understand it a lot better now having completed this one.  It was ten days on the workbench.


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