This is the third version of this camera I have tried and I think the last unless someone gives me the second Barnet version. I have tried the original, the miners lamp version, and now the super.

This version was released in 1954 and has a collapsible hood around the viewfinder. It uses 620 film and it really needs to be respooled as the film is really tight inside the body. I did try a 120 spool and it got stuck. The front of the lens has distance markers, making you think you can change the focus point. You can’t and the numbers are just guides, 2 meters or yards to infinity to be in focus. The single shutter speed is about 1/50s and the aperture is fixed at f/11.

My example has a super clean viewfinder and could be used for TTV photography. The metal body has a bit of weight to it which seemed to make holding it feel steady. The manual film advance means you can take multiple exposures if you so wished, I didn’t. The first roll I took had a slight mishap during processing…I forgot I was processing a 120 film and only put in enough chemicals for 35mm film, oops. I have done that once before, but hopefully not again. Here are some of the slightly smaller shots I got.

I did enjoy using the camera so I put in another roll and tried again. Then when it came time to developing it, I said 120 over and over again. It worked. Here are some fully square shots.

It did very well, just like the first version. So if you are going to buy one, get one with the squarer body. I was walking around with a friend and she wondered why I took photos of “ordinary” buildings. I answered that a lot of my friends and readers are not from the Uk and to them these are not ordinary. I personally don’t think they are ordinary either, I love the old stone buildings around Yorkshire.

So, what happened to the one in the middle? Have you tried the Ful-Vue II and got a good shot?

You can read a detailed history of this line of cameras here.