I want this camera. It's on sale at eBay: Burke & James large format camera 6' track. If I had the $195 (it probably won't go for much more) and if I still had my van and had the time to pick it up in Salt Lake City and if I had the room for it I would get it. Fortunately I have none of those so I'm safe.

In 1972 (I was 28) I needed a job and a friend got me a job at a photo-finishing shop in Seattle. This was my first photography related job. I worked the night shift running a copy camera just like this one. It was one of the best jobs I ever had. It didn't pay much but I was by myself all night in a darkened room making copies of other people's pictures. I loved it. It was the dance of the voyeur. I would stand at the counter on the left side of the camera with my back to the camera. I would open an order, take the photograph out, turn around, step towards the camera and place it on the the board with magnetic strips, step back, move the lights into position, focus the camera with the two handles under each standard, move the sliding 70mm back into position, press the electric shutter release which fired the shutter and advanced the film, move the lights out of the way, step forward and remove the photograph, turn around and step back to the orders and replace the photograph and pick up the next order. I would do this for hours. Most of the photographs were pictures taken with cheap cameras. But they were pictures of moments that were important to the picture taker. It was an evening of found photographs. As I took each photograph out I would wonder about the occasion that prompted the taking of the picture. They were sacred items worthy of great care.

I have vague notions of using a camera like this for 8x10 or 11x14 (it will take an 11x14 back) still lifes. Probably not the best idea. Or I could just set it up, turn on the camera lights, turn off the room lights, and put a snapshot on the board and spend the evening turning those handles and focusing the camera.