Ansco Shur-Shot Jr.

Specification

Art Deco Credentials

Acceptable: Modest and restricted

• Produced after the main Art Deco period;
• Vertical stripes in silver and black on front plate;
• Chrome surrounds to viewfinders;
• Chrome rear door latch;
• Chrome handle rivets.

Description

Although the Ansco Shur-Shot Jr. is a simple camera made from cardboard, wood and metal, it is particularly well made. It is capable of capturing eight 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inch exposures on standard no. 120 roll film. This basic box construction hadn't changed much from when box cameras first appeared half a century earlier. The camera is made of a water resistant fiber body covered in black imitation leather, with a decorative metal faceplate. The back is also made of metal. The shutter assembly is supported with a wooded block. There is a diagonal handle on the top.

The camera was fitted with a fixed focus lens for taking photos from about 8 feet to infinity. There is only one aperture and one shutter speed available. The glass single meniscus lens is located behind the shutter and aperture to obtain the optimal performance from a simple lens design. The shutter provides a snapshot speed of about 1/40 of a second. Film advance is by the use of a ruby window on the back door. This ruby window is only half the size you would expect on such a camera. It has a Bakelite winding knob. The two brilliant viewfinders for landscape and portrait orientation give a nice preview of the image. They are much better than the earlier ground glass type found on early box cameras. There is no cable release socket and no tripod mount.

For maintenance, the metal faceplate of the camera can be taken off by lifting tabs away from two small pegs which gives access to the shutter and viewfinders. By carefully manipulating the shutter mechanism, access to the lens allows cleaning with cotton buds. As in many box cameras, highly polished steel plates were used for the interior reflective surfaces of the viewfinders instead of mirrors. These seem to stand the test of time better than mirrored glass surfaces.

How to Use

Find the User Manual for a similar camera here:- https://www.cameramanuals.org/agfa_ansco/ansco_shur-shot_20.pdf.

This camera takes 120 film which is easily available.