Does anyone have information about Busch Precision Camera Corp. Company was locatd in Chicago but has been defunct for decades. Company made press cameras and, I believe, some stereo camera equipment. I have a Model D pressman. I'd be happy with any information, but specifically things like who owned it, their product line at the time, when founded, when/why did it go out of business, were they acquired, and resources (either electronic or print) that might be able to elaborate or direct me to a source that can. I've searched Usenet and the WEB pretty exhaustively (for days) with HotBot, a comprehensive search engine, and the only info I have found are ads for used equipment and opinions about how their press cameras compare with Graflex. Thanks for your help.

-- jon wells (jwells1@slip.net), May 27, 1998

Answers

I don't have any info, although I own a 4x5 Model D and a 2x3. I have seen this question come up regularly, and I have never seen an answer. You can get info on all sorts of obscure cameras, but there apparently is no info out there about this manufacturer of fairly common cameras. There are regular comments about how good they are, but nothing more. It is baffling.

Mystified,

Gerald

-- Gerald Pierce (GerWP@aol.com), June 12, 1998.

I was told many years ago that the Busch Precision Camera Corporation in the mid-50's sold its 4x5 camera designs and a large part of their inventory to the Graflex Corporation. The old 4x5 Busch Pressman had an all metal body with a rotating back, many years ahead of its time. I have noted that the Graflex Corporation also produced an all metal body camera called the Super Graphic and the Super Speed Graphic. Both camera designs included a rotating back very similar to that used on the Busch Pressman 4x5. The 4x5 Busch Pressman was a slightly smaller overall body size than the Super Graphic and with many fine features. However, the Busch Pressman 4x5 was no match for the far-sighted design approach that the Graflex Corporation used to design all the features into the Super Graphic.

-- Alfred Dodds (adodds@nbpd.org), June 16, 1998.

I have a model D also and would like to sell it. But not sure if it is in working arder.

-- r mac (macfire@mindspring.com), March 16, 2001.

R mac, if your camera isnt working I might buy it cheaply for parts, espcially the rangefinder. I stupidly took mine off and lost it

Jon, ask your question on usenet in rec.photo.equipment.large-format and Richard Knoppow will probably tell you as much about Busch as any one person can. or email him at dickburk@ix.netcom.com and let us know what he says

-- Wayne (wsteffen@skypoint.com), March 18, 2001.

Does anyone have information on the 2x3 Busch Pressman? I just bought one and would like to make pictures with it. I have several cut film holders (I understand I'll have to cut my own film from 4x5) but can I get a roll film holder for it? Though old, my camera is in great shape and is very usable.

-- Richard Floyd (studio35@webtv.net), November 02, 2001.

I too had always wondered if the Super Graphic was based on the Busch Pressman. I have both now, and it definitely ISN'T. Not the same castings, in fact I'm sure that no parts are interchangable between them. I'd say the Busch is by far the better built, but the Super is more usable.

-- Wilhelm (bmitch@home.com), November 03, 2001.