# cursed camera



## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

I thought long and hard about writing this, then about where to put it if I did. I decided that this is the most spirtual place in a secular forum so here goes.

I know we are all too worldly to believe in curses, but sometime during the late 1920s it is my belief that Kodak had a witch working in their New York facilities. I have a cursed camera. There is no doubt that this camera is cursed, the only question is how deadly is the curse of the 3a. So you don't believe in curses let me document this one.

I bought a Kodak 3a camera on ebay. It was sold as a broken camera so I wasn't surprised to find the lens standard broken beyond hope. It didn't matter to me since I had no intention of using the camera I just hoped the lens wouldn't be in too bad shape.

The lens was just like the day it left the Kodak factory. I had no idea how a vintage lens actually felt new until that lens. It was absolute perfect the sutter that is. The glass had been in storage for amost a hundred years so needed some help.

What I think happened is someone with a buck or two bought the 3a state of the art camera that shot a roll film almost 4x5 actually bigger than 4x5. The 3a was used by a lot of newspapers so it might have been that or even a cop camera. Whatever it was it got ruined very, very early most likely on day one. The owner tossed it in the closet an there it stayed until I bought it on ebay. Most likely after his death caused by tripping over it and falling down the stairs at 99.

So I had this late model plastic polaroid folder that I was looking to do something with. I built a back and then converted the lens board for it. I have since managed to distroy it almost completely. It's ugly as original sin which isnt unusual but it continuously leaks light which is unusual for one of my builds. I cant find all the places it leaks. Im going to check the bellows and if there are no leaks there then its rebuild the front standard. 

I figure that with this cursed project I should wind up cutting off both hands and most of one leg while redoing what I already did.

Anyway here is what the cursed thing looks like. I will add the picture I shot with it in a few more minutes.

This is converted 4x5 3a


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## terri (Jul 19, 2006)

Better cursed than possessed, I'm thinking. You COULD wake up in the middle of the night and find that thing perched on your footboard, staring at you like an Evil Eye straight out of Poe. :shock:


:runs screaming at the very thought:


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

good point

here is the shot made with the beast from rodchester


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

Now im going down to search for that cursed light leak and to try to whore up the looks of the beast.


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## terri (Jul 19, 2006)

Good luck!


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

Too bad this is a family site terri.  lol


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## JamesD (Jul 19, 2006)

mysteryscribe said:
			
		

>



:stun: ale:  -shrieks shrilly-


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

Please note how aptly the background fits this camera... also the bird doo around the camera.  Have I got an eye or what


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## terri (Jul 19, 2006)

mysteryscribe said:
			
		

> Please note how aptly the background fits this camera... also the bird doo around the camera. Have I got an eye or what


I was thinking the light leak looked like a ghost. :mrgreen: 

You should shoot that camera all the time in cemeteries and scare a bunch of people with your "sightings".


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

what do they call those pictures that have ghosts in them...  They have a special names.


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## PNA (Jul 19, 2006)

Awwww,  you&#8217;re whining again, fix the d*** thing and take some of your brilliant photos the we all look forward to.......please.


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## terri (Jul 19, 2006)

acsonpg said:
			
		

> Awwww, youre whining again, fix the d*** thing and take some of your brilliant photos the we all look forward to.......please.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

I completely rebuild the front lens board and I checked the bellows if the sob isnt tight now it's going to junk heap.


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## PNA (Jul 19, 2006)

I&#8217;m getting a kick out of your frustration&#8230;&#8230; :mrgreen:

Been there, done that!


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## PNA (Jul 19, 2006)

Years ago I was attempted to build a waterproof housing for my fathers 8mm movie camera. Needless to say after many, many frustrating hours/days of putting/cementing together several pieces of Plexiglas, it leaked..No, I didnt put the camera inside while I tested it. The housing eventually wound up in the 86 file cabinet. :er: 

My heart is with you.........


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 19, 2006)

I remember how much I enjoyed the day books of edward weston.  So when I began writing on first another forum, I wrote a little about the day to day life of a photographer who wasn't trying to pay the bills, and wasn't worried about whether his shots came out perfect the first time, just one guy who still did things himself.

I was surprised on the other forum how many people read the posts and enjoyed the small victories and the defeats.  Most never made a comment but the reader number kept growing as people returned over and over to see what I was up to next.

I first I felt a little like it was egotistical of me to think anyone cared, but then I realized that it was me they gave rats rear about it was the struggle.  Then I stopped worrying about it and just kept a kind of loose forum journal.  

At this point someone should probably stop me, but alas I keep right on going.  Tomorrow I test the fix I did on the 3a 4x5 as i have come to think of it.  So we will see how I did.  It looks some different now than it did this morning so I'll send along a new pic.  

It is my plan to shoot a picture of my other homemade 4x5 with the 3a tomorrow.  We shall see what we see then.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 20, 2006)

*the curse of the 3a continues  *

I shot the 4x5 image of the baush 4x5 this morning with the 3a 4x5 and it was an outdoor studio setup.  I misread the funky light so it is under exposed but I am going to blame it on the curse anyway.

What I do have is a picture of the new improved not light leaking 3a... It looks a little better too.







there will be a shot of and by the baush 4x5 in about an hour under a new thread that is it for this one.

Im thinking i might ought to grind down the porjections on the black part and veneer it wood as well but for now it is what it is.  Cobbled Camera 3a 4x5

Oh and the silver thingie on the lens is a close up lens #1 that worked well except i underexposed the picture.


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