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Ansco Vest Pocket N° 2 |
 Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in USA from (Circa) 1917 to (Circa) 1928.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 268
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Ansco
The Ansco Vest Pocket (VP) is a series of folding cameras, where the flat front part is connected to the camera body by four tensioned arms. Even when the camera is in motion, this front part remains parallel to the film plane. The picture can only be taken when the arms are fully extended and locked. Once folded, the front part protects the bellows. Sometimes, the lens is protected by a cap attached to the front part with a hinge (Model No. 2), giving Ansco Vest Pocket cameras a distinctive silhouette. In this case, the cap is metallic, like the rest of the camera. Occasionally, there is an exposure table on its inner surface.
Another recurring feature of Ansco Vest Pocket cameras is their curved stand. They typically have two viewfinders to enable both vertical and horizontal shooting. The covering can be made of leather or imitation leather.
There are numerous lens combinations available, especially since models sold in France sometimes featured a locally-mounted lens. The shutter is a Wollensak. The early Bionic shutter was gradually replaced by an Actus shutter.
Number 0 is a 4.5 x 6 cm camera with fixed focus. Number 0 bis has the same format but with adjustable focus. Number 1 is a 6 x 9 cm camera using 120 film, and it has fixed focus. Number 2 is a 6 x 9 cm camera using 120 film, and it features a micrometric focusing adjustment. An Omnium Photo catalog from 1923 mentions a Vest Pocket Junior No. 1, but it's actually referring to the Vest Pocket No. 1.
Combinations available in France, based on the catalogs (non-exhaustive):
| N° 0 | N° 0 bis | N° 1 | N° 2 | |
| Rectiligne | 1919-24 | 1919-21 | 1920-21 | |
| Achromatique | 1919-22 | 1919-21 | 1920-21 | |
| Ansco Anastigmat 7.5 | 1921 | |||
| Modico 7.5 | 1917-19 | |||
| Photo-Plait 6.8 | 1920 | 1919 | 1917-19 | |
| Berthiot Olor 6.8 | 1919-24 | 1922-23 | 1923 | 1917-23 |
| Ansco Anastigmat 6.3 | 1919 | 1920-22 | ||
| Photo-Plait 6.3 | 1919-24 | 1919-21 | 1921-28 | |
| Roussel Stylor 6.3 | 1919-24 | 1922-23 | 1919-23 | 1920-27 |
| Novac 6.3 | 1923 | 1921-23 | 1921-23 | |
| Dallmeyer Perfac 6.3 | 1915 | |||
| Duplouich Verax 6.3 | 1921 | |||
| Krauss Tessar 6.3 | 1921-23 | |||
| Hermagis 6.3 | 1924 | |||
| Splendor 6.2 | 1922-24 | 1922-27 | ||
| Berthiot Olor 6 | 1920-28 | |||
| Krauss Tessar 5 | 1921-24 | |||
| Boyer Saphir 5 | 1922 | 1922 | ||
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The Ansco Vest Pocket No. 2 is a bit too large to fit into a pocket despite its name.
Its built-in lens cap isn't its only feature. The "Bionic" shutter it employs allows for speeds ranging from 1/10 to 1/200, including bulb (B) and time (T) modes, and apertures ranging from f/7.5 to f/32. The focusing distance is adjustable via a large wheel located behind the front face that completely surrounds the lens at the bellows junction (the lens moves forward or backward, not the bellows extending). On the side of the front part of the camera, there's a square window to read the distance. Adjacent to this window is the shutter release. The film used is 4A (120 format).
The positioning of the controls suggests that this camera is more suited for horizontal rather than vertical use.
Interesting links or bibliography :
 La Science et la Vie de 1921 N° 58 Septembre 1921 p.374 |
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