Brownies

Avenellphotos · Dec 31, 2003

Found in my loft. anyone know anything about this type of camera?

voodoocat · Dec 31, 2003

That's different from the one I saw at the thrift store. It was plastic and they wanted $45 for it!! On ebay the same exact camera in perfect condition goes for about $15

Tyjax · Jan 1, 2004

Uses 620 or 120 roll film. Fairly simple box camera. One of the first. Takes fairish photos with soft focus usually and a good deal of vingetteing. All that said. I love em.

After acctually looking at the picture. That one uses 620. Ergo, you will have to pay 10 bucks a roll, or do as I do. Roll 120 onto a 620 reel. Not as hard as it sounds.

SleepyLizard · Jan 1, 2004

Made from 1953-57. It has a 100mm f/11 Meniscus lens

ksmattfish · Jan 1, 2004

Tyjax said:
Roll 120 onto a 620 reel. Not as hard as it sounds.

I've been just using regular spooled 120 in my 620. In almost all of them the film wind is controlled by the take-up spool, and the unexposed side of the roll just sits there and turns. It doesn't matter if the flanges don't line up with the spool slots. So all you need is a 620 spool to wind the film on to. You'd need an extra 620 spool for every roll, until you recovered them after development. The only issues that I've run into are smaller bodied cameras sometimes don't have any extra clearance for the 120 spool (the discs on the end are just a smidge bigger than 620), but most of my 620 cams work fine this way. The other thing is sometimes film tension suffers, but I just correct it the same way I do in the Holga. Just stuff a little cardboard from the film box in on the unexposed side of the roll.

Avenellphotos · Jan 2, 2004

Thank you for the info people. Since getting into photography I have come to respect and love really old cameras. I will have to try and get them working just out of intrest.

Cheers again

Mark

ksmattfish · Jan 2, 2004

Old cameras are a blast, and sometimes the quality of the results will astound you. I'm not sure what you'll get out of these Brownies, but I've used some equipment that is two or three times older than I am and gotten quality that is equal to or better than the modern equipment I'm using.

Back in the old days film quality was horrible, so lens quality had to be really good to compensate. Using today's high quality films in the old cameras is a beautiful thing.

Mitica100 · Jan 12, 2004

SleepyLizard said:
Made from 1953-57. It has a 100mm f/11 Meniscus lens

Also, made by Kodak in England. Models C,D and E were made from 1950 to 1959.

wheeliebug · Jan 29, 2004

The Eastman Kodak Six-20 'Brownie' Model E was made between 1946 to 1957. It was made with 2 different face plates which changed in 1953.
I don't know if the face plate on your camera is the early or the late one.

The value is between $12 and $20 according to McKeown's price guide.

PrimaryCanary · Sep 22, 2004

My grandmom gave me a brownie. It's a Kodak Brownie Holiday Camera with a Dakon Lens. The text around the lens reads, MADE IN ROCHESTER, N.Y. U.S.A. BY EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY. on the inside it reads USE KODAK 127 FILM

khairi · Oct 28, 2004

hi all...I'm thinking of buying a friend's Kodak Brownie Reflex Synchro but i still have a few questions about it which he could not answer.

Whats the shutter speed for it? What's the f number for the meniscus lens?

can anyone here tell me more about the specs of the brownie that i wanted to buy. Thks

Mitica100 · Oct 29, 2004

khairi said:
hi all...I'm thinking of buying a friend's Kodak Brownie Reflex Synchro but i still have a few questions about it which he could not answer.

Whats the shutter speed for it? What's the f number for the meniscus lens?

can anyone here tell me more about the specs of the brownie that i wanted to buy. Thks

The Brownie Synchro was made between 1940 and 1941, takes 1 5/8 inch by 1 5/8 inch (square) exposure on 127 film.

I don't know precisely the f number and the shutter speeds might be only three, one B (for Bulb), and two others (I have a very bad picture of it in a book) which could be 1/30 and 1/100.

Hope this helps.

hobbes28 · Oct 29, 2004

This website is pretty informative on the brownie models and specs

khairi · Nov 1, 2004

Mitica100 said:
The Brownie Synchro was made between 1940 and 1941, takes 1 5/8 inch by 1 5/8 inch (square) exposure on 127 film.

I don't know precisely the f number and the shutter speeds might be only three, one B (for Bulb), and two others (I have a very bad picture of it in a book) which could be 1/30 and 1/100.

Hope this helps.

thks...btw...what's so special abt the rotary shutter of the brownie? why rotary?

Mitica100 · Nov 1, 2004

khairi said:
thks...btw...what's so special abt the rotary shutter of the brownie? why rotary?

You're welcome. Rotary shutters were the simplest to produce and were quite accurate for that time. Just a spring loaded disc with a hole in it that traveled across the lens opening at a certain speed.