Plate camera
Title
Plate camera
Subject
Astronomy
Photography
Camera
Optical instrument
Photography
Camera
Optical instrument
Description
Wood, brass
Wooden box (9 ½ x 9 ½ x 9) with hinge lid, two film holders, several 3-inch x 3-inch glass filters. The plate camera is an original piece of equipment made by Warner and Swasey. It takes 2 ¼-inch by 3 ¼-inch glass plates or sheets of film. There is an off axis guider that accepts 0.69” eyepieces and the plate carrier can be rotated by 180 degrees. There are two lateral screws (90 degrees apart) that can be used for tracking by moving the film instead of the telescope. The instrument is still located in the Observatory and is usable.
In the 1950s and 1960s it was used for instruction. There are approximately 270 plates from this time period in the Astronomy Department.
Images include the envelope, calibration plate, and image of the Moon taken on February 21, 1975 by Jim Wehmer. The glass plates were Kodak 103a-E film. The original plates are in the possession of Jim Wehmer and are shared here with his permission.
Wooden box (9 ½ x 9 ½ x 9) with hinge lid, two film holders, several 3-inch x 3-inch glass filters. The plate camera is an original piece of equipment made by Warner and Swasey. It takes 2 ¼-inch by 3 ¼-inch glass plates or sheets of film. There is an off axis guider that accepts 0.69” eyepieces and the plate carrier can be rotated by 180 degrees. There are two lateral screws (90 degrees apart) that can be used for tracking by moving the film instead of the telescope. The instrument is still located in the Observatory and is usable.
In the 1950s and 1960s it was used for instruction. There are approximately 270 plates from this time period in the Astronomy Department.
Images include the envelope, calibration plate, and image of the Moon taken on February 21, 1975 by Jim Wehmer. The glass plates were Kodak 103a-E film. The original plates are in the possession of Jim Wehmer and are shared here with his permission.
Creator
Warner & Swasey Company
Publisher
Astronomy Department, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Date
1896
Contributor
Michael Svec
Rights
Copyright by Michael Svec
Format
image/jpg
Language
English
Type
physical object
Identifier
University of Illinois Observatory Collection A106
Coverage
University of Illinois Observatory, Urbana, Illinois
Files
Collection
Citation
Warner & Swasey Company, “Plate camera,” University of Illinois Observatory Collection, accessed April 26, 2024, https://uiobservatory.omeka.net/items/show/6.