I finally got a hold of a Kodak Reflex II!
I’ve been wanting to buy one of these for a while but couldn’t find any at a good price or in the condition I wanted. This one is in great condition and it was a reasonable price.
I can’t wait to get some 620 film and start shooting with this beautiful camera! I have completely cleaned this camera and tested for functionality. So far so good!
A few post back I talked about the Kodak Duaflex II and the exposed film left in the camera. Well I finished up the roll and am ready to develop it. I can’t wait to see what will be on it!
The Falcon Model GE is now for the most part fixed and once again functional. I finally freed the aluminum focus tube from the copper jacket.
It now clicks into each focus mark as it was intended to. This is a really cool camera for what it is and very well put together. The next step in this cameras life is to be tested with film.
If you notice it also has a extinction meter on the top which works like this in a quick sum: If you look in the right viewfinder there is numbers, listed clockwise in different shades from lightest to darkest, starting at 1 and ending in 8. You point the meter at the subject and the last number that you can just make out is your light value number that you turn the dial to on top of the meter and the rest of the information will be listed such as the aperture you should use and the shutter speed based on which film speed you are using. Of course this meter is using Weston Film speeds which cannot be directly used to give you the modern ASA or ISO ratings. Here is a good read on Weston speeds:
These meters are supposed to be some of the most accurate!
Of the falcon cameras the model GE was the first of the viewfinder cameras to have the extinction meter. This seems to be more of a rare camera compared to the rest of my collection.
Another neat fact about this falcon camera is the body is made out of Neilite which is similar to Bakelite.
Here is a little more about the Utility MFG CO. On camerapedia
They don’t build them like this anymore!
Looky looky! It’s a Kodak Tourist folding camera!
The bellows are good with no pinholing or tears. The body is in good shape as well. So far, what I have learned about this camera is the back can come completely off and you can get option attachments on it such as the optional 828 film attachment. This camera needs a good cleaning but here are some quick iPhone shots of it. It just came in today.
Ok this just came in the mail today
It is a Falcon made by the Utility MFG CO New York .
It was in mint condition minus a few blemishes until I figured out the focus is jammed. I have taken it completely apart and worked the lens up and down in the tube which took me about an hour of tapping and tapping. The focusing ring will still not turn. It moves but only with slow tapping up it down and then side to side in a sequence. It is a copper pipe or “jacket” with an aluminum lens body inside. I have cleaned, polished and lubricated it in hopes that it would free up and I can focus by hand, but no such luck. I already nicked the focus ring slightly which irritated me but I really want this camera to work. I do not believe in “show” only. Any help would be greatly appreciated for conning up with any ideas. More to come on the progress of the falcon.
So in the mail today I received this Kodak Duaflex II with the Kodar lens. It came with a case that started falling apart when I pulled it out of the box and the camera needs a good cleaning and restoring so I wasn’t ecstatic or anything about this purchase but when I turned the camera around to the back I saw the number 5 in the little red window letting me know there was 5 exposed frames in the camera! Super cool and these photos must be old. I am finishing the roll off as a test and then developing the film. I also received a Brownie portrait star made in Great Britain today.
Keep watching for an update to these cameras. I also have a bunch more coming in.
Just in! Introducing the Kodak Flash Bantam! This is my favorite out of all of my cameras right now. I didn’t realize how small it was until I received it. It is in near mint condition.
This little camera takes Kodak 828 film which is still available through B&H Photo also Film for Classics
I highly recommend this camera for purchase. There are quite a few on eBay now. It has an F-stop range of 4.5-16 and speeds in this order:
T, B, 25, 50, 100, 200
It also has a focusing range of 2.5′ to Infinity, although I believe you focus even closer than 2.5′ because the ring does move slightly past the 2.5′ mark. I will know more on this camera when I test it.
This particular Bantam was produced between 1947 and 1953 and the word “Flash” given to the Bantam name meant it was synced to attach a flash. The Bantam came in other models but make sure you get the one with the manual settings and not a fixed point and shoot.
More history, photos, and links to come…
Notice anything odd about this Nikon D50?
It has a Argus -Cosina lens from my Argus-Cosina STL 35mmSLR!
I wanted to play around with a slew of lenses I had bought so I chose a manufacturer who sold a M42 to Nikon mount lens adapter so I could use all of my M42 Screw on lenses with the D50. What a deal that was! I will elaborate more on that story later.
You have to shoot in full Manual mode and change the flash over to full manual as well if you want to use the flash. The Nikon light meter will not work but the ISO/ASA function, shutter speed and flash sync all work perfect. Who needs a light meter with a little bit of skill and a digital SLR right? This would be one of those instances where I would say digital has the advantage but the digital lenses are outrageously priced and cheaply made if you ask me! Plus you can pick 35mm SLR lenses on eBay for cheap these days. It is good practice as well because it forces you to shoot in full manual. With the M42 lenses they also have a stop down selection so I can view the actual aperture change. The D50 unfortunately did not offer the stop down feature like my N80 which was a disappointment but other than that I have loved the D50 for the past 6 years. Can’t believe it’s that old of a camera all ready.
I told you all I was not anti digital 
I love it all, period!
Just in! Two Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20s .
I just received these two vintage medium format cameras in the mail today and so far, upon inspection, they both work properly and are in excellent condition. Soon I will purchase 620 film, which is still available from several suppliers, and test these two cameras. I will then post the results as well as photos. I will most likely sell one of the two in the Vintage Camera for sale section on my site when I get it up and running. This is just the start of what will be posted in my blog. I have a lot of vintage cameras that I will be testing, reviewing, and posting. I will also be purchasing flash bulbs for the flash on one of the six-20s.
For more information on Brownie cameras and the six-20 specifically, you can follow this link:
I hope you enjoy the read!
So you love photography? How about the Romance of those old Cameras? Have you thought about expanding your creative ability with a vintage Camera or process? Ever thought about combining the old with the new?
I catargorize photographers into two catagories:
- Photographers ~ Those who know the history behind photography and have used traditional (Non Digital) processes at some point in their lifetime to create images.
- Fans of photography ~ Those who know nothing of the history and have only known the likes of Digital imagery. Most are point and shoot only and with the advances of digital photography, the camera does the work, not the user/photographer.
Ok! before you read this and become offended, please take into consideration the labor of photography and the creativity that is involved with created imagery. Most of us “oldschool” photographers have labored many hours behind the big heavy cameras and in the chemical filled dark rooms. Then comes along the digital age eliminating the romance and skill behind photography. So you just bought the new Nikon, top of the line, digital SLR? Well then we have established you certainly have money. Most likely you shoot in Automatic mode and the camera automatically focuses for you. None of this I am writing is meant to insult those of you who fall into the fans of photography catagory or consider yourself an amateur, but meant to spark your interest and creativity into learning about the cameras and processes that are used and have been used by those of us who have honor of calling ourselves photographers. There is nothing wrong with using digital cameras and computers but there is something wrong with not knowing the background of the digital process. Unfortunately the digital process is phasing out true photography and if we do not continue to educate young and new photographers about the history and process of photography it will continue to be phased out until it is no longer available. Believe it or not, before computers, photographers could photograph an image, process the film or light sensitive media, print, manipulate and so on. Yes that is correct, photographers could do all the same things that you computer geeks can do today with a photo and more. Digital photography is only a little sensor/mini computer that reproduces an image on the bases of how film would chemically react to being exposed to light. It is not a “real” impression of an image but a randition of what information the little sensor receives. I will go into this more as the blog continues. Throughout this blog I will discuss photographic processes both modern digital and traditional film as well as other light sensitive medias. In addition to photography discussions I will be reviewing and discussing vintage and modern cameras. I have a vast collection of vintage and modern cameras and continue to purchase and test vintage cameras. I believe in every camera I own being functional. I restore and shoot with every camera I own. I also have a dark room set up for traditional photography and have been shooting and printing for years. I studied photography in highschool and college and have continued my education in such since then. You wont be disappointed in the content to come and I hope you will learn from what I post and for those of you who already call yourselves photographers I hope you put your input in as well because you are never too old or experienced to learn somthing new. I look forward to sharing these photographic experiences with all fellow photographers and those who appreciate the romance and art of photography.
Sincerely,
Joshua J. Vereen
