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2026-09- 29 - Houghton-Butcher Box Ensign 2¼ B Camera

 

The Houghton-Butcher Box Ensign 2¼ B Camera is a box camera produced in the United Kingdom in 1923. Originally introduced in 1912 under the name Box-Form, this camera was extensively revised in 1923, which added features like a fold-out wire viewfinder and rear-loading capabilities, and renamed the Box Ensign 2¼ B. The 2¼ B name actually refers to the Ensign film size designation, which is fully compatible with 120 roll film.

Key Features:

  • Film Format: Takes eight 2¼ “ x 3¼ “ exposures on 120 roll film.
  • Lens: Fixed-focus meniscus achromat lens.
  • Apertures: Three aperture settings roughly equivalent to f/11, f/16, and f/22.
  • Shutter: Simple mechanical rotary shutter running at a fixed instantaneous speed of roughly 1/30s to 1/50s and Time (T) settings.
  • Viewfinders: Two waist-level reflex viewfinders, with a folding wire-frame sports finder.
  • Body: Wood or fiberboard frame covered in textured black leatherette.

 

 


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