Put your hand up if you want the Ensign 820

[chippy]

WOW did anyone notice the Ensign Autorange 820 on ebay...
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=150304826101

I had no intention of bidding, i think i am satisfied with what i have but watched it out of curiousity. It looks a fantasic camera although not much detail was given in the ad. but WOW those things just get more expensive all the time, the last one i saw went for about $2000AU (before that $1500) and this one went for near $3500 (admitably our $ is at the wrong end of the yoyo string at the moment). Crikey!!

anyone actually got one? Lovely camera. I think i would go for a apo lantha bessa II instead but each to their own.

 

[rogue_designer]

Lovely camera, but nowhere near worth those prices I don't think.

Someone obviously did think so though. So more power to them.

 

[Muggins]

Yes, I came across that one by accident. They seem to have tripled in value in the last three or four years - when I was looking at them first they'd make £500 or so.

I'd love to know where the seller came by it - because he certainly doesn't sell that sort of thing regularly. You'll note he gives the shutter name when asked about the lens, and someone's paid that much presumably in the hope that it has a Ross Xpres lens!

Very heavy, apparently, but if you pay that sort of money you can afford postage!

Adrian

 

[oftheherd]

Whew! Nice camera, but I wouldn't pay that much for it. Nice for the seller that someone did. I think all Ensigns are a little on the expensive side. I don't think you see any model that much any more.

 

[Windscale]

Ensigns are good cameras but not worth that much, even a very good condition 820. But all sorts of things can happen in EBay. One can in fact find many going at reasonable prices in many shops in England. Below is an example:

http://www.mwclassic.com/acatalog/MW_Classic_Cameras_120__127__LARGE_FORMAT__ADDED__49.html

 

[chippy]

Adrian i think he did mention the XPRES 3.8 though, however arkwardly. not in the main text of the ad though. I am pretty sure for that year Autorange the Xpres was the only lens you get. Its said to be a good lens but for that sort of money it would have to something special eh!!

I find it hard to believe it weighs 1.5kg?? thats one hefty camera

 

[chippy]

Whew! Nice camera, but I wouldn't pay that much for it. Nice for the seller that someone did. I think all Ensigns are a little on the expensive side. I don't think you see any model that much any more.

they dont come up often oftheherd...but they do seem to appear every now and again with regularity if your patient. (but the prices for some reason are getting crazy) I know a few people in England but i am not sure they would scour the country for me looking for one...that would be nice though hehe

 

[Pherdinand]

i am afraid of a Fuji or Cosina guy looking at this sale and adjusting the price of the new Fuji/Cosina folder... 🙂

it's a crazy crazy price. The owner had a great day.

 

[Muggins]

Ensigns are good cameras but not worth that much, even a very good condition 820. But all sorts of things can happen in EBay. One can in fact find many going at reasonable prices in many shops in England. Below is an example:

http://www.mwclassic.com/acatalog/MW_Classic_Cameras_120__127__LARGE_FORMAT__ADDED__49.html

The major difference is that the one on ebay is the Autorange, only about 500 of which were built. Ordinary 820s are fairly common (though that's still a good price). And, after all, it only takes two people who reallywant one to drive the price sky-high. But the post-war Autorange 16-20 and 820 with the Xpres lens (as chippy says, supposedly the dog's doo-dahs of British lenses) just make silly money. I guess you need to think of it as a Britsh Bessa, and allow for rarity?

Adrian

 

[shadowfox]

Man, about two-thousand-and-some bucks for an old folder. Does that Ensign has a better lens than an Apo-Lanthar or something?

 

[Borghesia]

I don´t know if this is a good price, but this seller keeps relisting his Ensign Autorange here in Holland, seems that no one wants it :

http://link.marktplaats.nl/204307819

 

[Muggins]

Hmmm. I have no idea what they make in Europe, but that one looks in nice external condition. It's a pre-war one, with the Ensar Anastigmat lens - I believe it's a triplet rather than the four-element Xpres - in a good shutter. Looking at completed items on Ebay UK, I'm really surprised to see that one went for £20 (which makes the Dutch one quite overpriced). But a post-war autornge 16-20 made £94 - it's that Xpres lens...

By the way, take a look at this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ENSIGN-AUTORA...39:1|66:2|65:13|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

It's a VERY early autorange - the only one I've ever seen in the flesh, some b*****d had removed the rangefinder!

Adrian

I don´t know if this is a good price, but this seller keeps relisting his Ensign Autorange here in Holland, seems that no one wants it :

http://link.marktplaats.nl/204307819

 

[D.O'K.]

I've got an ordinary 820 but have always been somewhat disappointed by the performance of the Xpres lens (despite mine being in excellent order). It's rather low-contrast, is notably soft at the edges except at between about f11-f16 (where its very sharp) and is apt to flare easily. And I doubt it's merely an isolated bad example: some years ago I had two others which were just the same...

Regards,
D.

 

[Windscale]

Mine was a 105/3.8 Xpres and it was a good performer. I ended up selling it to a friend as I found it too heavy.

 

[chippy]

Man, about two-thousand-and-some bucks for an old folder. Does that Ensign has a better lens than an Apo-Lanthar or something?

hehe ..nah definitely not in the same ball park or league compared to the apo-lantha.

its said to be a very nice lens (more compareable to a tessar though) and one could argue that in an era when german cameras and lenses dominated for quality the Xpres lens (and the Autorange 820) was every bit as good. From memory the English developed the lens based on the Tessar due to unavailabitlity of german lenses during one of the wars.

One thing the last Autorange 820 is noted for is its big veiwfinder, which is an advantage it has. On the downside its Epsilon shutter 1-250 is often reported as being a bit dicky

This last model was said to play a part in the downfall of the company because they poured all their effort and money into designing/developing this format/model camera, that by the mid 50's was not as popular as TLR's and 35mm which the company didnt invest in. so they didnt sell that many and eventually closed shop.

a shame.. as the company had a great history and at one time were probably Englands' bigest company and comparable to any in the world. I have a few early cameras (wooden veiw cameras) from a time when that company and the British in particular made some of the best cameras in the world

 

[chippy]

I've got an ordinary 820 but have always been somewhat disappointed by the performance of the Xpres lens (despite mine being in excellent order). It's rather low-contrast, is notably soft at the edges except at between about f11-f16 (where its very sharp) and is apt to flare easily. And I doubt it's merely an isolated bad example: some years ago I had two others which were just the same...

Regards,
D.

wow...hmm...one would expect better than that...at least sharp down to f8, wishfull for f5.6....... f11 an f16 is nothing special.

were they front cell or unit focus lens?

 

[chippy]

I guess you need to think of it as a Britsh Bessa, and allow for rarity?

Adrian

yeah thats how i would put it too Adrian. comparably though, better viewfinder but not so good shutter, the heliar is hard to beat as well on the Bessa. but yes it is scarce camera which sends the price up...sometimes i think people need to relax on ebay though, whilst they are scarce they do come up from time to time, but people seem to bid like its the last one they are going to see

And when you think how paitrioctic the English are it makes it a nice camera to collect as there arnt many cameras from these later years that can be compared to best German cameras.

I have some close friends that are poms and they know my cameras and often scowl because they are 'German' cameras haha...so to make them feel better i show em my Thornton Pickard Royal Ruby and tell them that its the undisputed 'King of Cameras' and was the best available for a long time. A comparable camera now is the 8x10 Ebony which cost something like $8-$10 000 US now ..hmm i could probably buy a small car with that in Oz LOL

 

[D.O'K.]

"...were they front cell or unit focus lens?"

Unit focus.

D.