This box camera is one of the funkiest I have ever encountered. I saw it at a camera fair, looking a little sad on a table of possible junk. I picked it up and the seller offered it at a discount price, one that was low enough that I could buy it and use it for a paperweight if I wanted. Of course that was not what I wanted to do, I wanted to use it.
The first thing I did was clean the outside camera parts, this included the viewfinder which could be removed via a couple of tabs. Next, I looked for a way to clean the inside parts, such as the inside of the lens. I couldn’t find an easy way, so I put the camera in bulb mode and used a cotton bud pushed through the aperture to clean what I could.
You can find some technical details at this website, plus a few sample photos. There aren’t many technical details as it is a simple box camera, but basically it has a 105mm lens with a choice of two apertures, either f11 or F5.6. There is also a choice of two speeds either 1/50th or 1/30th when in instant mode, plus a bulb mode. It takes 120 film and produces 6×9 images. Interestingly, there is a double exposure lock, you have to advance the film for the shutter to cock. Inside the lens is a red screen which appears if the shutter has not been cocked, this changes to green when it is ready to shoot.
I also found an amazing website with a very detailed history of the R.F.Hunter company. That states:
Geoffrey Gilbert designed a simple box style camera around this time, which was called the ‘Gilbert’ and was subsequently distributed by R.F.Hunter. It has its first appearance within the R.F.Hunter BJPA advertisements in 1954… estimated that a total of 8,000 (though perhaps up to 10,000) were manufactured over a 3-4 year period.
The previous link says the camera is wrapped in lizard skin, this site says it is snake. None of the sites I linked to says the skin is fake or synthetic. The staining on all the photographs of the camera I have seen make me think, it might actually be real. The patterning on the ‘skin’ also makes me think it might be real. Does anyone out there know the truth?
To load the camera is quite a feat. This site says you need three hands and a chisel to get the back off. I also had trouble and it took me a while to figure out which part actually came away from the other. Once the two sections are apart, the rest is simple. It is just sooooo stiff and awkward to get to that point. You have to push up the metal tab then pull each end…while still holding up the metal tab, hence three hands.
Once, I did manage it, I loaded a roll of expired Ilford FP4 and took it for a wander, here are the results.
As I only got 8 shots, I decided to use it again on a quick trip to Blackpool. This time I loaded it with Rollei Retro.
The results are interesting. I think I will keep this camera, but not use it much. If I go on a photowalk where they ask us to bring an interesting camera, this would certainly be a contender.
Other resources
https://www.dancuny.com/camera-collecting-blog/2020/11/16/gilbert-box-camera
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/R._F._Hunter
This is an amazing camera! And some lovely results. Thank you for sharing.
I know, I can’t believe it was on a junk table.
A classic deco/industrial/modernist piece, from an era when intriguingly attractive appearance and quality materials threatened to take priority over functionality. If you can find a clean example of the Hunter Gilbert, be prepared to drop over US$200 on the table to take it home.
Thank you for the links in this article; the one devoted to R.F. Hunter’s history is a gem.
Yeah, I was lucky with this price…but most I have seen online look like this. There was one for sale on the bay that looked clean, but the seller said it didn’t work. I could have bought it and swapped the insides?? I don’t need a clean one that much though.