Ensign Auto-Range 20 up-date

more thoughts and pictures on the origins of the Ensign Autorange 20 of 1934.

In a recent post we touched on the origins of Houghtons Ensign Autorange 20 from the mid 1930's and how dated it looked. We mentioned the camera was almost like the Number 7 Butchers Carbine of the late 1920's, well in the interests that the Kamera-Ostalgie team has, in keeping its millions of subscribers informed and up to date with the great photographic mysteries of the past, we now give you the missing link, no not that cave man dude down the road, but this.....

...............the No 7 Ensign Carbine ! After weeks of searching and at vast expense, we, the extensive team at Kamera-Ostalgie, have finally found one to compare with the Auto-Range 20, which brings us that little bit closer to solving the mystery.

Yes, there we have it. Twins! On the left the No7 Ensign Carbine, on the right, the Ensign Auto-Range 20!

Seriously though this is one and the same basic camera body, okay we obviously have the rangefinder attached to the Auto-Range and a better quality lens/ shutter combination, but virtually everything else is the same.

The camera backs are virtually identical, the leatherette covering, the lines, the slide out frame finder, the red window cover.

The handles are the same, the catch for opening the camera back, same catch, same patents.

Like peas in a pod !

I give you the Ensign twins.

Even the lever for the rising and falling front, and the cross shift or sideways swing wheel is the same. As is the focussing lever.

They are both nice looking cameras, both a bit 'well used', but the No7 Ensign Carbine must be pushing a hundred years old and the Auto-Range Ninety so I think they have survived reasonably well in this strange throw away society we now find ourselves living in today.

Number 7 Ensign Carbine, the base camera for the Ensign Auto-Range 20. All I need now is to find a ICA camera from the 20's that is the same as Ensign Carbine and our link is missing no more!

Well, I hope you liked our quick little ramble into the origins of Houghtons Auto-Range. What I need now is a few Houghtons and Butchers Catalogues from the late 1920's and early 1930's to help piece the tale together a little more, unfortunately these seem to cost more than the actual cameras themselves......!! Oh we do live in a strange world!

Take care,

Phil

Further up-date 27.8.2025

I have found out that the Ensign Auto-Range 20 was still available in the 1939 Ensign Catalogue. It was not discontinued in 1938 as one would have suspected when the new Autorange 220 came out, but continued in production and was sold along side the new camera. It looked very dated sat alongside the new 220 Autorange in 1939.

What is also very interesting, is that price wise the old Autorange 20 still took top spot, the most expensive version with a Zeiss Tessar f3.8 in a Compur Rapid shutter would have cost the keen photographer in 1939 the sum of £19 5/- whilst the new all sing all dancing Autorange 220 was £18 10/- with the same lens/ shutter combination.

The vast choice of lens and shutter combination is also of interest. The Auto-Range 20 came in the following options:-

Ensar Anastigmat f4.5 Prontor shutter £8 15 0

Ensar Anastigmat f4.5 Prontor 11 shutter £9 15 0

Ensar Anastigmat f4.5 Compur shutter £11 0 0

Zeiss Tessar f4.5 Compur shutter £14 2 6

Ross Xpres f4.5 Compur shutter £16 5 0

Zeiss Tessar f3.8 Compur Rapid £19 5 0

What a camera it would have made with the Ross Xpres or either of the Zeiss Tessar options. Style still a decade behind, but as a photographic tool a very high specification camera. But at what cost? £19 in 1939 would be a great deal of money.

Also another version of the Auto-Range 20 popped up recently with a much shorter range finder with only two windows instead of the usual three! This was body number G 23141. G 23410 also has this shorter rangefinder.

My three window long base version is Body number H 23244 so most likely quite a bit later.

H 23896 below also has the longer rangefinder. But with a Zeiss Tessar in a Compur shutter.

So it is looking like the G body numbers are earlier with the short two window rangefinders, and the H body numbers later with the long three windowed rangefinder.

Another observation is that the Mulchro and the Trichro shutters both have died a death by 1939.

The Aldis Uno lens option has also disappeared!

So still lots more questions than answers but we are getting a little more understanding of the Ensign Autorange 20 as we piece together new information when it comes our way! I hope you found this up-date of interest.

Phil