Seeking any and all info on the Graflex Factograph that I own. It is called a message register camera,factograph T-5,manufactured by Graflex Inc.It is a very large type of camera with dimensions of,15" wide and 15" tall and 14" in length. It still has all the bulbs and original box container.

Any information would be appreciated.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: silverdust on 2004-04-10 13:41 ]</font>

these were data recording cameras, probably used photographic paper instead of film. Westinghouse bought the by the railroad car load to record numbers in the telephone switching centers.

Did this camera use a mirror or prism to reverse the image? Photostat cameras, which made their exposures on paper, did, so the "first print" would be right-reading.

Quote:

On 2004-04-10 14:59, Les wrote: these were data recording cameras, probably used photographic paper instead of film. Westinghouse bought the by the railroad car load to record numbers in the telephone switching centers.

Westinghouse? Did you perhaps mean Western Electric?

Cheers,

Dan

I know Western Electric makes more sense, but I'll swear TT Holden told me Westing house. Maybe he was confused. While he didn't say so outright, I got the impression that this camera carried the company a lot further than say the XL line.

Quote:

On 2004-04-11 08:42, Les wrote: I know Western Electric makes more sense, but I'll swear TT Holden told me Westing house. Maybe he was confused. While he didn't say so outright, I got the impression that this camera carried the company a lot further than say the XL line.

My father spent part of his career at Westinghouse Electric. As far as I know they never made anything for the telephone industry. And it wouldn't have been Air Brake, either. Remember that while Graflex was in business Western Electric was the only supplier to the Bell System.

I didn't suggest WE because I've been in an old Bell System switching center and seen cameras set up to record the counters' readings. Never had the opportunity, I joined AT&T after the big breakup. But when I was in Nicaragua on a consulting job with their phone company one of their engineers told me that they took pictures of the counters' readings for billing. The counters recorded "impulsos;" I think the best english equivalent is "message units." It sort of makes sense ...

I'm not sure I ever told you, but I got a Shackman Automatic Dial Recording Camera a while ago. Got it for the lens, a 47/5.6 Super Angulon. According to Shackman's current owner, the cameras were made for the Royal Navy and were used to record -- what else? -- dial settings during gunnery exercises. A similar idea, eh? Mine, if I were to use it as intended, would shoot roughly 50 mm x 50 mm negatives on 220 film. What a waste of a great lens.

Cheers,

Dan