FOLDING

The foldings cameras allow to reduce the weight of wooden rooms and to reduce the size by the use of bellows and finer metal parts.

Various hinge systems, compasses and other linkages allow to fold the rail on which slides the optical unit attached to the bellows.

Other systems such as the "klapp" for example are returning the gaiter and the optical plate in the body of the apparatus by a scissors system.

The glass plates are still heavy, sometimes with 12 stores joined plates at the rear of the unit .....

The "press cameras" are an evolution of foldings to plates and either use glass plates but of sheet film.

The principle of the bellows chamber combined with the roll Photo etched developed by Kodak already in 1887, it was enough to gradually see developing the type of "folding" machine most widely distributed worldwide and more known under the name of "folding".

At the beginning of their appearance on the market, some of these aircraft allowed to use the plates or films.

Their most common features: an elongate housing with rounded ends for receiving a supply film roll on one side and receiving the other. The front of this housing opens and closes by folding and allowing the gusset to unfold its optical...

The Kodak-US firm was a pioneer in the development and wide distribution of this type of camera, still in the noble idea of ​​the photography within reach of all.

The other countries manufacturers have followed suit and have also participated in developing the technical nature of these cameras to sometimes make beautiful tools for advanced amateurs and professionals.

The foldings have experienced their heyday of +/- 1890 to 1940, then they gradually give way to SLRs (LRT) using the film 120 and housings using the 35mm film cartridge not without directly abandon the bellows ..