Thomas Sutton was granted a patent for a water-filled wide-angle lens on 28 September 1859 (no. 2193) and curved plates. His first cameras using the lens were made by Frederick Cox and took plates 6 x 15 inches. A second model, in two versions, by Cox appeared in April 1860 taking plates 3 x 7 inches or paper negatives 10 x 25 inches. According to Sutton by November 1860 no more than five or six examples had been made because of problems in obtaining suitable optical glass.

In January 1860 Sutton announced that Thomas Ross would take over the manufacture of the camera and lens. Smith suggests that the Ross cameras were actually made by Ottewill. The Ross cameras do not seem to have been advertised after 1862.