Vesta

1910

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

f6.5, 112 mm Ross-Zeiss Tessar, iris diaphragm to f32. Serial no. 15504 .

Shutter:

Compound, speeds 1 - 1/250, B, T.

Construction:

Leather covered metal body, leather bellows.

Format:

2 ½" x 3 ½" plates held in slides.

Focusing:

Bellows to 1 yard, scale to 2 yards.

Attributes:

Eye-level direct-vision (lens/post) view-finder with rear mirror for waist level use.

Movements:

Rising front.

Serial Number:

182 .

Notes:

Adams address: 24 Charing Cross Road. (1908 - 1932). Stamped 'pat applied for'.

With:

Film pack adapter. Case.

Vesta

1910

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

f4.5, 4 ½" Ross-Zeiss Tessar, iris diaphragm to f32. Serial no. 15565 .

Shutter:

Compound, speeds 1 - 1/200, B, T.

Construction:

Leather covered metal body, leather bellows.

Format:

2 ½" x 3 ½" plates held in slides.

Focusing:

Bellows to 1 yard, scale to 2 yards.

Attributes:

Eye-level direct-vision (lens/post) view-finder.

Movements:

Rising front.

Serial Number:

233 .

Notes:

Adams address: 24 Charing Cross Road. (1908 - 1932). Stamped 'pat applied for'.

With:

Film pack adapter.

Vesta

1911

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

f4.5, 12 cm Zeiss Tessar, iris diaphragm to f32. Serial no. 132119 (1910).

Shutter:

Compound, speeds 1 - 1/200, B, T.

Construction:

Leather covered metal body, leather bellows.

Format:

2 ½" x 3 ½" plates held in slides.

Focusing:

Bellows to 1 yard, scale to 2 yards.

Attributes:

Identoscope brilliant view-finder with automatic adjustment for rising front. Spirit level.

Movements:

Rising front.

Serial Number:

346 .

Notes:

Adams address: 24 Charing Cross Road. London. W. C. (1908 - 1932). Stamped 'Patent'.

With:

Hooded focusing screen. 6 single metal slides (1 - 6) in pouch stamped Vesta.

Vesta

1911

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

f4.5, 15 cm Zeiss Tessar, iris diaphragm to f45. Serial no. 780236 (c.1927).

Shutter:

Dial-set Compur, speeds 1 - 1/200, B, T. Serial no. 82759.

Construction:

Leather covered metal body, leather bellows.

Format:

3 ¼" x 4 ¼" plates held in slides.

Focusing:

Bellows to 2 yards.

Attributes:

Identoscope brilliant view-finder with automatic adjustment for rising front. Spirit level.

Movements:

Rising front.

Serial Number:

626 .

Notes:

Adams address: 24 Charing Cross Road. (1908 - 1932). Retailer's stamp: Ross. 31 Cockspur Street. (Ross moved from this address in 1913).
From the retailer's stamp and the serial number of the camera it is a pre-war model that has had a new shutter and lens fitted in the late 1920s. Thiele lists this lens (though listed as 780256) being supplied to Adams & Co. for Vesta no. 626 i.e. this camera, around 1927.

With:

Hooded focusing screen. 5 single metal slides (1 - 5) in pouch marked Vesta. Film pack adapter marked Adams. Cable release by Deckel.

Vesta

The first Adams camera to have this name was a strut type similar to the N&G Nydia. In late 1908 the name was reused for an all metal folding hand camera with lazy-tong struts. The camera was shown at the RPS exhibition of 1908 ready for the 1909 season. This second Vesta was made in several sizes and went through a number of modifications. The bulk of production must have been before the First World War, the camera was advertised up to the second war though with less emphasis from the late 1920s.

During the First World War production probably ceased, post-war cameras being fitted with the remaining Compound or other shutters. Only in late advertisements is the Compur shutter mentioned though from the mid 1920s the shutter used is said to be geared.

The 1910 models have a large horizontal focusing pinion at the front of the baseboard - this differs from the 1909 model. In 1911 the focusing was again changed to a small vertical wheel attached to a worm screw. The De Luxe models have faster lenses than the model A and, except for the VP size, have Identoscope finders. The position of the focusing scale and the method of releasing the front standard differs between models.

The direct-vision view-finder fitted to some models gives a very distorted image with a lot of curvature. The mirror behind the finder gave an upside down image. The Vesta was normally sold with a focusing screen and single metal slides, the film pack adapter was an alternative.

Models

1909 Model

Introduced in 1908/09. Eye-level finder. Compound shutter.

3 ½" x 2 ½" with f4.5 4 ½" or f6.3 4 ⅜" Tessar lens.
3 ¼" x 4 ¼" with f4.5 6" or f6.3 5 ¼" Tessar lens.

1910 Model

Introduced in 1910. Same as 1909 model but with different focusing mechanism.

De Luxe

Introduced in 1911. Identoscope finder. Compound shutter. From c.1919 Ross Xpres or Cooke lenses were fitted except for the stereo model where an f6.8 Homocentric was recommended. Cooke lenses were dropped from the mid 1920s.

3 ½" x 2 ½" with f4.5 4 ½" Tessar lens.
3 ¼" x 4 ¼" with f4.5 6" or 5 ¼" (advertised from 1913) Tessar lens.
5 ½" x 3 ½" introduced in 1912/13 f4.5 7 1/10" Tessar.
5 ½" x 3 ½" Stereo with f6.3 4 ⅜" or 4 ½" Tessar lens.

Model A

Introduced in 1911. Eye-level finder. From c.1919 the shutter was probably an Acme.

3 ½" x 2 ½" with f6.8 4" Ross Homocentric lens.
3 ¼" x 4 ¼" with f6.8 5" Ross Homocentric lens.
5 ½" x 3 ½" introduced c.1919.
5 ½" x 3 ½" Stereo. Listed from 1924.

Focal Plane

Introduced in 1911. Identoscope finder. 1/8 - 1/1000. Not produced after World War I.

3 ½" x 2 ½" with f4.5 4 ½" Tessar lens.
3 ¼" x 4 ¼" with f4.5 5 ¼" or 6" Tessar lens.

Vest Pocket

Introduced in 1912. Eye-level finder. From c. 1919 listed with an f4.5 Ross Xpres and shortly afterwards with, optionally, an f6.8 Homocentric; from this point it was listed as a De-Luxe or A model. Discontinued after a few years.

2 5/16" x 1 ¾" with f4.5 3" Tessar.

References & Notes:

BP 11670/1905 (finder). BP 3630/1908. BJA 1909, pp. 274, 712. BJA 1910, p. 274. BJA 1911, pp. 270, 637, 700. BJA 1912, pp. 290, 701. BJA 1913, p. 728. BJA 1920, p. 150. BJA 1921, p. 146. BJA 1922, p. 154. BJA 1923, p. 142. BJA 1925, p. 114. BJA 1926, p. 110. BJA 1927, p. 105. BJA 1928, p. 105. BJA 1929, pp. 109, 353. BJA 1930, p. 112. BJA 1932, p. 75. BJA 1933, p. 70. AP 28/7/37. Phot. Journal 1908, p. xx. Adams Instruction Books. Thiele, Photooptik 1.

Company Details:

Adams & Co.

Early Photography

Vesta

1910

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

Shutter:

Construction:

Format:

Focusing:

Attributes:

Movements:

Serial Number:

Notes:

With:

Vesta

1910

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

Shutter:

Construction:

Format:

Focusing:

Attributes:

Movements:

Serial Number:

Notes:

With:

Vesta

1911

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

Shutter:

Construction:

Format:

Focusing:

Attributes:

Movements:

Serial Number:

Notes:

With:

Vesta

1911

Adams & Co.

London

England

Lens:

Shutter:

Construction:

Format:

Focusing:

Attributes:

Movements:

Serial Number:

Notes:

With:

Vesta

Models

1909 Model

1910 Model

De Luxe

Model A

Focal Plane

Vest Pocket

References & Notes: