pedaes Posted October 3 Share #1  Posted October 3 Advertisement (gone after registration) Not Leica, but might of interest to some  5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 3 Posted October 3 Hi pedaes, Take a look here Gandolfi. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
willeica Posted October 3 Share #2  Posted October 3 4 hours ago, pedaes said: Not Leica, but might of interest to some  I love these videos of dear old Fred Gandolfi. My friend Tony Hurst (a pro photographer since 1959) dealt with him over the years and always felt he was treading on eggshells going in to see Fred. Fred could be quite irascible at times. There is a lovely filmed piece where he told Patrick Lichfield that he could not have one of his cameras, even though he told Fred that the Queen was his cousin. Fred ended the piece with the retort " I would only make one for the Queen herself!". They don't make 'em (people like Fred and the cameras) anymore. There are some members on this forum who have more than one Gandolfi camera. I won't name them here. William 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrogallol Posted October 3 Share #3 Â Posted October 3 I have, and use, a Gandolfi tripod. Â 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted October 3 Share #4  Posted October 3 (edited) I have just one - as in my avatar, together with new green bellows (from Custom Bellows). Also plus a Gandolfi tripod - lovely indeed but too heavy & bulky for use out of the house. Note the provenance, gouged into the body. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited October 3 by LocalHero1953 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/424583-gandolfi/?do=findComment&comment=5871077'>More sharing options...
pgk Posted October 3 Share #5 Â Posted October 3 I have a couple still plus a matching tripod. I used one at a she recently to show how photography was carried out in the past (inverted and reversed image and all). One is stamped L Gandolfi as in an 180 Patet Tailboard although dating it is, as wth all Gandolfis, difficult. I'd guess its pre WW1 but can't really be certain. They made many cameras to customer's requirements so there's a lot of variation. My other Gandolfi has a back designed for use with a roll film holder (probably 1930s) but I've never managed to find the one which fits! The documentary "Gandolfi Family Business" is well worth watching. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrogallol Posted October 3 Share #6  Posted October 3 (edited) 2 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said: I have just one - as in my avatar, together with new green bellows (from Custom Bellows). Also plus a Gandolfi tripod - lovely indeed but too heavy & bulky for use out of the house. Note the provenance, gouged into the body. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! There were two Gandolfi 5x4 cameras in our local Art School, which closed down in the 1980’s. What happened to them we do not know, but I think that is where my tripod came from.  Edited October 3 by Pyrogallol 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie Posted October 12 Share #7  Posted October 12 Advertisement (gone after registration) Paul, There are a couple of photos of the Ealing Gandolfi cameras in Matthews' book 'Photography in Archaeology and Art'. He was Head of Photography at Ealing Technical College. One of their cameras came up for auction a couple of years ago - it was very well worn! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted October 12 Share #8  Posted October 12 15 minutes ago, Susie said: Paul, There are a couple of photos of the Ealing Gandolfi cameras in Matthews' book 'Photography in Archaeology and Art'. He was Head of Photography at Ealing Technical College. One of their cameras came up for auction a couple of years ago - it was very well worn! Mine is fairly worn as well, but lock down all the brasswork and it is fully functional! I keep it for home studio use rather than carried in a backpack for landscapes and cityscapes where it could get stressed, or wet. Do you know the auction price? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted October 23 Share #9  Posted October 23 I went to the Polytechnic of Central London in the early 70s to study Photographic Science. We were set an assignment to do some architectural photographs and our lecturer pointed out that when we booked a 5 x 4 camera out of the stores to consider the weight of the outfit we would have to lug around London. The Gandolfis were a fraction of the weight of metal bodied Sinars/MPP etc. A year or so later I went to a talk under the auspices of the Royal Photographic Society Historical Group who had persuaded Fred Gandolfi,I think, to talk about the firm and manufacturing process. He brought along his apprentice piece, a quarter plate camera in a fine wooden carrying case. He explained that he fashioned not only all the beautiful polished wooden elements but also the various brass components including turning the brass screws. In Glasgow there is a Cafe Gandolfi whose centrepiece at one time was of course a camera on a tripod. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie Posted Sunday at 05:51 PM Share #10  Posted Sunday at 05:51 PM (edited) On 10/12/2025 at 7:05 PM, LocalHero1953 said: Mine is fairly worn as well, but lock down all the brasswork and it is fully functional! I keep it for home studio use rather than carried in a backpack for landscapes and cityscapes where it could get stressed, or wet. Do you know the auction price? Hi Paul, It was sold on 16th May 2019 at Chiswick Auctions, lot 127, for £500, including the buyer's premium. Edited Sunday at 05:52 PM by Susie 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted Sunday at 07:21 PM Share #11  Posted Sunday at 07:21 PM 1 hour ago, Susie said: Hi Paul, It was sold on 16th May 2019 at Chiswick Auctions, lot 127, for £500, including the buyer's premium. I think I paid a couple of hundred pounds for mine, but probably in the same ballpark after allowing for inflation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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