The Kodak Baby Brownie

smithdan

Been spending a lot of time on here!
Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
1,086
Reaction score
2,463
Location
Southwest Alberta Canada.
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Promised myself a year ago not to drag home any more cameras until I had shot at least one roll in the dust gatherers that I already have. This tiny film waster was hiding so well among the usual abandoned Instamatics that I almost missed it.

It's small, not much larger than a spool of 127
IMGP9479es.jpg


Unlatching gives two bakelite castings. Metal bits are the shutter assembly, a winder knob and spring thingys to help the film stay tight, the body latch, the lens enclosure and a folding viewfinder held on with a tiny rivet that had pulled out of it's home.
IMGP9482es.jpg


...Just too cute not to take home..
IMGP9480es.jpg



127 rollfilm can be had from suppliers at a price too steep for this old guy so an expired roll of 120 was cut and fiddled to fit. The camera takes 8 exposures, 4x6 cm. just large enough for contact prints so avoiding the cost of enlarging which was extra when this camera was young. Dusty bits on the inside of the lens were hard to remove. Gently prying the ring holding the lens looked somewhat dangerous and there is no B setting to allow a Q-tip to do it's thing.

So here's what this sylish lump of art deco bakelite came up with. FP4 D76 1:1

BB1-001es.jpg


BB1-003es.jpg

Lots of that "Brownie softness", rapidly turning to fuzzy corners

BB1-002es.jpg

Probably designed to favour distances of 8 -10 feet.

BB1-004es.jpg

..or not

BB1-006es.jpg

with a handheld yellow filter to bring out the clouds

BB1-008es.jpg

didn't appreciate the sun in it's eye

BB1-007ecs.jpg

so the other side of the portch with a close-up attachment from my Starflash days, and a crop.
 
Very nice small piece of bakelite.
Two versions of this camera were marketed at the time.
The standard version presented here by Smithdan
And a version dedicated to export with a small button above the lens used to switch between Instant and time exposure.
The standard version was produced between 1934 and 1941
The export version made in America was produced between 1936 and 1939
The camera has been manufactured also in Great Britain between 1948 and 1952. The button appeared on this variant in 1951.
Eastman Kodak - Baby Brownie export.jpg
 

Most reactions

Back
Top