How old is this camera?

Question

It is a grey box camera (w/ a wood tripod) 6" x 8." The maker is Andrew Loyd (I'm not sure if this is supposed to be Lloyd). Were box cameras in wide use during the Civil War? or was it just cameras with bellows.
When you have a box camera I know that you probably will need a cloth to act as the shutter, but do you need a cloth cover the back of the camera?
Do cameras with bellows produce the best images, or is it possible to get a decent photo with a box camera?

Answer 1

for sure it will not be usable for color as lenses that old were not coated. the main issue would be finding carriers you can load film into, that should cover the back of the camera when shooting.

to focus you need a ground glass and the hood on the back keeps light off so you can see the focussed image. the hood is not needed for the actual photo, and can be a light weight material. the bellows can deteriorate with time and if that is the case they will leak light, and probably makes the camera not worthy of restoration. there should be a shutter mechanism as part of the lens, operated by a bulb most likely. The cameras that had cloth focal plane shutters generally had a mirror which reflected an image to a ground glass on the top for focus, similar to a SLR. Cameras like this were sold through the 1930s although they normally used smaller film carriers. 8" sounds more like a studio camera and could be possibly more modern.

Answer 2

There is a one line entry in McKeowns price guide to antique and classic cameras for a "box camera for 4"x5" glass plates" from Andrew J. Lloyd & co. Boston Ma. Its worth is $65-$100
I didn't think Box cameras came into wide use until about 1880 or 1900.
Most box cameras were much simpler devices than bellows style cameras. Most had a fixed focal length lens, some were even pinhole style cameras, Shutters were mostly single speed spring loaded flaps that opened and closed across the lens.
Bellows cameras have the ability to change perspective by changing the relative position and angle of the lens board. image quality is of course subjective, but Bellows cameras at least were more versatile

Answer 3

Some of the older 6 and 8 mp SLRs can be a bargain now. The shutter life on a canon Rebel is well over 10,000 cycles, I'm sure Nikon is at least that long. Consider: How do you intend to display your photos, on-line ( a 1meg file would be huge) or do you want to make wall-paper size posters (a full frame of 8mp makes a nice 20X 30 or slightly larger). Cameras are often received as a gift and not used in damaging conditions. On-line, look at the return policy. Have a friend or shop look it over when it arrives and/or test all functions ASAP.