Ansco Speedex N° 3A

Photos by - text by -. From the collection of -. Last update 2023-10-30 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in USA from (Before) 1919 to (After) 1924.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 20048

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Ansco

Like many Ansco cameras, the brand’s folding models include in their name a code indicating the negative format. The rest of the name is more arbitrary and generally unreliable, especially when reused by distributors.

Because of this, compiling a complete list of folding models is quite a challenge. Below is a preliminary attempt at such a list:

	Format	Film	Shutter		Ansco Name

No. 0	4 × 6.5	127

Juniorette No. 1	6 × 9	120	Deltax No. 0 1/25 to 1/100, B, T
No. 1 Junior	6 × 9	120	Actus or Bionic 1/25 to 1/100, B, T
No. 1A Folding	6.5 × 11	116	1/10 to 1/100, B, T		No. 1A
No. 1A Junior	6.5 × 11	116	Actus or Bionic 1/25 to 1/100, B, T
No. 1A Automatic	6.5 × 11	116	1/25 to 1/100, B, T
No. 1A Royal	6.5 × 11	116	1/10 to 1/100, B, T

No. 2	6 × 9	120
No. 2A	6.5 × 11	116
No. 2C Junior	7.25 × 12.5	130	Actus or Bionic 1/25 to 1/100, B, T

No. 3 Folding	8 × 10.5	118 or plate	Bionic or Capax or Ilex 1/25 to 1/100, B, T	Graduated distance scale	No. 3
No. 3 Junior	8 × 10.5	118
No. 3 Vest Pocket Junior	6 × 9	120	Actus or Bionic 1/25 to 1/100, B, T
No. 3A Folding	8.5 × 14	122 or plate	Bionic or Capax or Ilex	Graduated distance scale	No. 3A
No. 3A Junior	8.5 × 14	122	Actus or Bionic 1/25 to 1/100, B, T
Cameras fitted with a faster shutter (Speed = high speed)
Speedex Vest Pocket	6 × 9	120	Speedex or Ilex Acme 1/300
Speedex No. 1A	6.5 × 11	116
Speedex No. 3	8 × 10.5	118
Speedex No. 3A	8.5 × 14	122

Models labeled "Junior" are a budget alternative to a more elaborate version. The most obvious difference is the lens support, which on the Junior models does not allow for lens shift. The lenses and shutters may also differ, but this is not a reliable identification feature.
French distributors sometimes referred to these models as "Pliant", in reference to the English word “Folding”. However, this term does not appear in the original model names.

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The Ansco Speedex No. 3A features a beautiful finish with leather covering and notably, a shutter speed that goes up to 1/300. The vertical shift is facilitated by a rack-and-pinion mechanism.

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