Kodak No. 5 Cartridge Kodak (1898–1900)
The No. 5 Cartridge Kodak is the largest daylight-loading rollfilm camera Kodak ever made. Collectors tend to repeat that with some awe, and one put it this way: "This camera is HUGE!" It arrived in 1898, a year after the smaller No. 4 Cartridge Kodak, and was built for 5×7 inch pictures (the 1907 Kodak trade catalog describes it as producing "rectangular pictures 7x5 inches"). It used 115 rollfilm, a 7-inch-wide roll, and could also take glass plates. The rolls sit horizontally inside the body. Production ran only until 1900, so it was short-lived and is relatively uncommon.
The camera was part of Kodak's shift away from the older satchel-style designs toward more compact folding bodies that could be used with daylight-loading rollfilm. The "Wood Front" in one period listing name refers to the front standard, though little else about the construction is documented. The shutter on surviving examples is described as a Kodak triple-action pneumatic type. One European listing notes the shutter works but the pneumatic release was untested. Collector notes also mention a Bausch & Lomb Automatic shutter (T, B, 1-1/100), though no authoritative source confirms which shutter was standard. Lens specifications are essentially unrecorded. One eBay listing for a "Model F" example mentions a Goerz Double-Anastigmat (Dagor), but it's unclear whether that was original equipment.
The historical record is thin in places. No dimensions or weight appear in any source, and the original price is muddled. A Kodak list gives $35.00, while another source states "85.5" with no currency. A Belgian classifieds listing for a working example was offered at €220, with the seller noting the shutter functions. Surviving examples turn up periodically, usually described in collector shorthand as big, heavy, and impressive.
Known specs:
- Format: 5×7 inch pictures (115 rollfilm, 7-inch-wide roll; also glass plates)
- Shutter: Kodak triple-action pneumatic (per period listings)
- Production: 1898–1900
- Listed in the 1907 Kodak trade catalog
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