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Re: [OM] Re: Film Sizes for Vintage Kodak Folding Cameras

Subject: Re: [OM] Re: Film Sizes for Vintage Kodak Folding Cameras
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 21:22:50 -0500
At 19:09 4/7/02, Dave Dougherty wrote:
Thanks, John.  I think it would be cool to do some B&W with one of those old
cameras.  For that matter, I wonder what color negative film would look
like.  Might be alot of fun. Shoot the same scene with an OM camera and the
old Kodak folding camera.

I will let you all know what the outcome is.

Dave Dougherty

Yes, it would be. The first camera I used was a 620 Kodak folding "pocket" camera. Shot Verichrome Pan in it. It was called a "pocket" camera because it would fit into a coat pocket. Not the breast pocket mind you, but one of the side pockets, and just barely! It fit, but the marketdroids never mentiond the bulge it made or how the coat would sag on one side. Supposedly being a 620 helped make it thinner and less bulky than a 120 when folded up.

If you've never used one, you will find nearly all of them a bit crude. They were the "Instamatic" of their era; pros used view cameras and sheet film, including portrait studios. Most do not much in the way of shutter speeds or lens apertures to choose from. The leaf shutters are anything but sophisticated; mechanically very simple. It is amazing anyone got any photographs out of them considering nearly all film was _much_slower_ than ISO 100 when they were made, especially the color films. They required outdoor "Sunny-16" conditions. Anything else with B/W film called for Press 25 *clear* flash bulbs (GN ~230, ASA 100, feet) or the Press 25B's (GN ~180, ASA 100, feet). The Press 25's make most current flash units pale! A full dump from a Metz 60 CT approximates the light output of the *blue* ones.

Ensure you check the bellows *thoroughly* for light leaks, along with all the other usual suspects. There are sources of material and techniques for patching them (and replacing them if necessary). Also ensure the cover over the frame number works, and *don't* leave it uncovered any longer than necessary to get to the next frame!

-- John


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