Box Ensign 2 1/2 - Brown

Specification

Art Deco Credentials

Limited: Minor and insubstantial

• Produced during the main Art Deco period;
• Camera name embossed on front panel;
• Embossed lines and circles on front panel;
• Decorative letherette to body;
• Bright metal winder, door catch and control plate;
• Decorative viewfinder escutcheons

Description

The Box Ensign 2½ camera uses Ensign rollfilm size 2½ which is the same size as kodak 116. It produces 4¼x2½" (10.8x6.3 cm) images. It is finished in black or decorative brown leatherette with it's name embossed on the front panel.

It is a wooden bodied box camera with access to the film compartment via a door to the rear. The shutter is a simple T & I shutter with a tab just above the shutter release to actuate the Time(T) function. The instantaneous(I) function is activated when the shutter release is pressed down, and again when the shutter release is moved up. The aperture can be changed by sliding a tab with 3 waterhouse stops drilled in it. It has two brilliant viewfinders for portrait and landscape mode. It also has a wire frame viewfinder. A red window is used to advance the film to the next frame using a T-bar winder. There is a tripod socket for both portrait and landscape mode.

The lens is fairly easy to clean by using a cotton bud through the front aperture when the camera is operated in T mode. However, cleaning of the viewfinders requires the front to be removed. The front is secured using 5 tiny screws.

How to Use

This camera takes uses 116 film which is not available anymore except as expired films. This means that the camera needs modification to take 120 film. Modification is fairly straight forward and will easily give 5 'panoramic' exposures producing 2¼ x 4¼ inch negatives. Check out my page on 'Conversion of a 116 camera to take 120 film'. Once the conversion has been done, you can take it out for a spin.