[LargeFormat] Seeking info: B&J No 3a Rexo

[Clive Warren]

At 08:47 01/03/01 -0800, Don Wilkes wrote:
>Does anyone out there know much about a B&J No 3a Rexo?  One of my buddies 
>(not seriously into photography) picked one up cheap, and is curious. 
>Although I know the B&J name, I'm not all that familiar with them, let 
>alone this model.   See below for what he wrote:
>
>========================================
>Thought you might be interested.
>In my junkshop noon ramble today I picked up an old  (patent says 1915), 
>and large, American-made "Burke and James Inc - No 3a Rexo" camera and 
>carrying case.  It's a folding, bellows-type beast with adjustable f 
>stops/shutter speed etc - really well made and bulletproof looking for the 
>the vintage.  I took a look on the net and ran into a some of their later 
>press cameras, folding field cameras and large format view cameras but 
>nothing on any model this old.
>Do you know anything about these beasts?
>========================================

Don,

B&J were based in Chicago and produced a wide range of cameras, including 
the Rexo 3A.  Rexo was used as a trade name for a number of their products. 
A manual for the camera is available at http://www.craigcamera.com/ib_b.htm 
for $15.

The Rexo 3A is a medium format folder afaik.  There are a couple of shots 
of a B&J Jumior which may be similar here: 
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/rexo.html

B&J made some excellent cameras and some not so excellent!  I have had both 
types :-)

The wooden field cameras are rather unstable, although I still use an 8x10 
for strobe work as total rigidity is not necessary as long as the standards 
stay in the right place and plane for focussing....  Some lenses just need 
the bellows draw of an 8x10 B&J with extension track fitted.

Using an 8x10 B&J in the field is challenging and requires a good deal of 
time and patience.  Life becomes a lot easier if the camera is stripped 
down and tightened up, however there are design-based limitations on how 
rigid the whole plot can be made.

The monorail B&Js again come in two flavours and several formats - I have 
the 4x5 and 5x7 and am very happy with both cameras.  The later cheaper 
versions of these cameras sometimes have the "Orbit" name.  The 5x7 has a 
strange sized lens board which can be a pain, however if you make up an 
adapter for your other boards the pain is less ;-)

Apart from the earlier 4x5 monorail, most of the standards are made from 
(usually maple) wood and painted in a rather unattractive battleship 
grey.  Some people strip of the paint to expose the beauty of the wood.

The great thing about B&J cameras is that they are inexpensive and can be 
used to produce great results with patience. The early monorails have a 
reputation tarnished by both the later versions and the wobbly wood field 
cameras, however I rate the early monorails highly.


All the best,
                 Clive   http://www.f32.net
                         Large Format Travel and Stock Photography