Burke & James' 4x5 Speed Press Camera was a sophisticated folding bed camera offering ground glass focusing or snapshot focusing by means of a focusing scale and a telescopic viewfinder. A Kalart Synchronized Range Finder was often attached to it.
It lacked the big sports finder which was the third finder device of many other press cameras. However, the camera had a number of features lacking on some of those cameras, including a rotating back and full front swings, tilts, shifts, and rise/fall movements. In a way the Burke and James Press 4x5 was a cross between a press camera and a technical camera like the Meridian 45A, Meridian 45B, or Linhof Technika.
The camera was solidly constructed of aluminum and other metals. As the focusing bed did not extend into the body, the use of extreme wide angle lenses (<85mm) requires the use of a recessed lens board.
Links[]
- Burke & James Press Cameras at Jo Lommen's [1]
- PDF of the Burke & James Press User Manual at kprasloiwcz.com [2]
Press cameras made in the United States of America |
Beseler 4x5 Press Camera | Burke & James 4x5 Speed Press | Busch 4x5 Pressman | Busch 6x9 Pressman | Busch Pressman Model C | Busch Pressman Model D | Graflex Speed Graphic | Meridian 45A | Meridian 45B | Omega 120 | Printex Press | Rilex |