old 1910/20s kodak camera

citizen_p

offical name: no.2a folding authographic brownie
wasnt sure to post in here or collectibles (move if necessary)
found it today and just wondering what yas think.
its made by kodak.
has a kodak ball bearing shutter.
patent in USA jan 18 1910 and jan 7 1913
(yes that is bert looking at you....too lazy to crop him out)

shutter works, and dials to each side.

says use authographic film no.a-118 that bit opens to put in the film. brass handle (top right) is used to move reel (not sure if it works)

pictures of lens extended

front (extended)

looking through the viewer (on left in above picture) at a lamp.

side view open. viewer is up to the right (square bit of glass)


my camera i took these with is only 5 or 6 megapixel so is crap for detail.

melekalikimaka

Mousey- wrote: »

my camera i took these with is only 5 or 6 megapixel so is crap for detail.

5 or 6 mp is over kill for web dude, great shots, wonderful camera...now some shots with it...NOW

citizen_p

checked online.... they dont make film for it anymore..... might just clean it up and display it

humberklog

You should just run 35mm through it. Should be easy to do. I've a Nettar/Zeiss that's not unlike it and it takes 35mm.

Simplicius

I agree with Humberklog .... try this camera don't let it sit on the shelf ...... I have a similar voigtlander 1920's folder that takes 116 film... It took me a long time to find a solution.... The best was the plastic wall plug solution.

116 film spools are actually higher than 120... but if you respool 120 onto 116 you get light leak issues as the end of the spool doesn't stop light spill in the top.

this is where I found my answer:
http://www.geocities.com/brandonshahan/milenko.html

now there is another problem with this technique the negative size of a 116 film is huge. bigger than 6x9 which is the largest labs cater for in spooled film.

develop yourself and there isn't a problem, hand it in for developing and if they are automated you are going to confuse them. I learnt this with colour film. I only use mine for B&W which suits it better anyways.

To print these negs you'll need an enlarger that can do 4x5 negs and centre the neg and happy days.

If the lens is in good condition , it is probably a cooke triplet variation, make sure you stop down to f/11 for most shots. its glass might have fungus clean it with ethanol and cotton buds ..... Gently ...let the liquid lift the dirt don't press the bud down hard. Leave the camera open a few days in a sunny window too.. UV helps.

Test the bellows by putting a small light source inside it with bellows extended and go into a dark room ... look for light leaks.

there should be a tripod screw hole on the base ? probably a 3 eights screw. but these generally are proud of the surface and you'll need to make a shim to get a flat base on the camera with modern tripods. I use 5mm hardboard with holes in them to allow the proud bit fit through.

these cameras generally work best with a shutter release cord .. any standard one should do ,take the camera into Gunns ( if you are in Dublin ) and try a few out for size. as the male part of cords have varied over the years.

It will possibly surprise and delight you with the results. If you try to use it, then it is promised it will augment what you think you knew about photography..being dragged back to first principles.

one thing to stress. when using it or any older folder you need to sing a song under your breath......... crazy but true. I use the tune of the Cardigans song "erase and Rewind " to remind myself to wind on. So if you spot some guy looking through an old folding camera singing

" Click and Rewind ...ahuh .... " vaguely in tune to the cardigans original, C'est moi.

it is so important to remember to click and then wind on... or else you lose track easily and end up with interesting double exposures. When taking a new camera like this out for a run. note every shot, sounds painful but when you develop it will give you a feel for its optimal settings.

these lens are 'flare city' ..... sun on your back is best of or anywhere behind you. and make your shadow protect the lens as there are no hoods available these days except for stupid prices. I am xperimenting with home made ones but it is early days. Hoods really help old lens improve contrast as they sponge up reflected light.



ok hope this helps.......

DaireQuinlan

Simplicius wrote: »

116 film spools are actually higher than 120... but if you respool 120 onto 116 you get light leak issues as the end of the spool doesn't stop light spill in the top.

this is where I found my answer:
http://www.geocities.com/brandonshahan/milenko.html

It's actually 118, not 116. I googled around for 118, there doesn't seem to be anything near the same amount of information on it as there is for all the other divorced film formats. It seems to be EVEN BIGGER than 116, its 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" which is about 8.25cm x 11cm or so. :D:D

I'd second everything else though. I got given my grandfathers camera a few years back, a kodak 1a autographic. Luckily it takes 120 so I was able to use it without difficulty. It's quite a capable machine. At the time my technical picture taking skills weren't up to the task really though. Never gone back and revisited it which I probably should do at some point.

Good point about the winding also :-)


Abbey street ...


The lens has actually had more use with an improvised homemade bellows stuck on the front of my nikon:

Simplicius

The Abbey Street shot and half of the double exposed shot , just shows how good some of these lenses are......... another great fact, evn though they are kinda impractical for Street Photography they sure draw a lot of attention and comment......... I find people are far less imtimidated by them and more curious.

Dan Jaman

just shows how good some of these lenses are.........

I've been blown away by the quality of some fairly ordinary 1920s lenses in the right circumstances. One I saw a week back, a Eurynar, was made a century ago and the quality of the output was fantastic.
Have a look here, especially the landscape shot near the bottom... http://forum.mflenses.com/doppel-anastigmat-eurynar-t16864.html

another great fact, evn though they are kinda impractical for Street Photography they sure draw a lot of attention and comment......... I find people are far less imtimidated by them and more curious.

That's true - they remember their Dad or Grandad using something like it.