📦 Folding Design: The lens and bellows fold neatly into the body, making it super compact and easy to carry.
🎞️ Film: Uses 620 roll film, creating large 6×9 cm pictures. (Modern 120 film can be modified to work with it!)
📸 Lens: A simple lens perfect for everyday photography.
⏱️ Shutter: Offers basic speed options and a “B” setting for long exposures, great for creative shots.
🔍 Viewfinder: A small window to help you frame your pictures with ease.
🛡️ Build: Sturdy metal body with a leather-like covering, giving it durability and vintage charm.
The Kodak Folding Brownie Six-20 is a vintage camera that was first introduced in 1937 and was part of Kodak’s line of Folding Brownies. This medium-format camera was designed for use with 620 roll film, which produces images of a larger size compared to 35mm film. It is a classic example of Kodak’s efforts to make photography accessible to the masses with simple yet effective designs
The Kodak Folding Brownie Six-20 was a popular choice for amateur photographers due to its affordability and ease of use. It was designed to cater to the growing demand for portable and reliable cameras. The use of the 620 film, though now discontinued, provided excellent resolution for its time.
Design and Build
The Kodak Folding Brownie Six-20 features a durable metal body covered with leatherette, giving it a sturdy yet elegant look. Its standout feature is the folding mechanism, which allows the lens and bellows to collapse into the camera body. This design not only protects the delicate bellows but also makes the camera compact and portable, a significant advantage in the 1930s when most cameras were bulky. The bellows, typically made from leather or synthetic materials, connect the lens board to the camera body and contribute to its vintage charm.
The camera’s construction is robust, designed to endure years of use. Despite being lightweight and portable, it feels solid in hand, making it an excellent travel companion during its time. The camera’s dimensions, when folded, are small enough to fit comfortably in a coat pocket or bag.
Features
The Kodak Folding Brownie Six-20 is a medium-format camera, designed to use 620 roll film, which produces large 6×9 cm negatives. These negatives deliver a level of detail and sharpness that was ideal for enlargements and prints. While 620 film is now discontinued, modern photographers can adapt 120 film to work with this camera, keeping it functional even today.
- Lens and Shutter:
The lens is a simple, single-element meniscus type, which provides good image quality for its time. While not designed for professional use, it excels at casual and portrait photography.
The shutter is basic but reliable, offering a single speed (approximately 1/50th of a second) and a “B” (bulb) setting for long exposures. This simplicity ensures that even novice photographers can achieve satisfactory results.
- Focusing:
The camera features a fixed-focus system, optimized for sharpness from approximately 10 feet to infinity. This eliminates the need for manual focusing, making it easier for beginners to operate.
Some models may offer a rudimentary zone focus system for closer subjects.
- Viewfinder:
A small optical finder located near the lens helps users frame their shots. While not highly accurate, it serves its purpose for casual photography.
- Film and Frame:
The 620 film used by this camera was a proprietary Kodak format. With its large negative size, it produced images with excellent resolution and tonality. Modern users can respool 120 film onto 620 spools or purchase pre-modified film from specialty suppliers.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Kodak Folding Brownie Six-20 is dependable and straightforward. It excels in bright outdoor conditions, where its fixed aperture and simple lens can capture well-exposed images. The “B” setting allows for creative long exposures, ideal for night photography or capturing movement.
The camera is not designed for precision photography but shines in its ability to produce charming, nostalgic images. The large negatives provide a beautiful depth and richness, especially when compared to smaller formats like 35mm. However, users should be aware that the fixed aperture limits control over depth of field, and the camera may struggle in low-light scenarios without additional support like a tripod.
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