AUTOMATIC FERROTYPE CAMERA The so-called automatic camera for dry ferrotype plates consists practically of a magazine camera sliding upon rails, under hers, the former containing the magazine it for holding the plates ; i and a are doors. Insert the magazine a through the door i, and bolt the lid or bottom to the sides at K. Open the door J and push the screen c into place, focus with lens, pull back the screen, close the door, and then turn the thumbscrew, revolving the pinion L, which, moving the magazine forward, brings the first plate over the opening in the floor of the chamber. Now pull out the catch Zr, and the plate will fall into position between the rails E E in the chamber below, for in winding the magazine forward the lid will have been left bolted behind, and nothing remains to stop the free passage of 1 he plate. Return the catch, and the camera for the camel a. There are various des iptions of stands, each adapted for use with some particular kind of camera. For
the ordinary field camera the kind shown by Fig. 9S is generally employed. It may be either two-fold, three-fold, or four-fold ; the two-fold form is probably the strongest and most rigid, while the others are more compact and portable. A tripod-top of wood or metal is also required, unless the camera is fitted with a turntable (see Fig. 96), in which case the legs would be at tached to that. The stand should be free is ready for exposure. The exposed plate falls into the developing box below by means of two similar catches, one in the camera and another over the tank. This developing-box can be used with ordinary as well as ferrotype plates ; by taking it off, the camera may be used as a hand camera There are many more elaborate arrangements on this principle.