The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye - Box Cameras with Style!

Guest Blog by Brian Moore

The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye was one of a long list of cameras called Brownie that Kodak manufactured beginning in 1900 and lasting throughout most of the 20th Century. The Hawkeye model debuted in 1949 and production lasted through 1951.

Read more: http://filmphotographyproject.com/content/reviews/2011/08/kodak-brownie-hawkeye-box-cameras-style

Kodak Brownie Bull's-Eye 620 camera

Blog by Michael Raso



A few weeks ago I acquired a 1954 Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye camera from a local seller. It’s actually the second Bull’s-Eye camera that I own. The first in black Bakelite plastic (pictured above), the second is featured in my You Tube video below.



The camera takes 620 roll film, has a fixed 1/50th Sec Shutter at f11 and was “designed by Arthur H Crapsey (who also designed the highly successful Kodak Brownie Star series). The body featured an eye-level viewfinder and a large shutter-release button on the front vertical edge, in front of the winding knob. It was available in black (with light-gray winding knob, focus & shutter-release)- from 1954-1958, or a beige color (called "gold", with black controls) from 1958-1960”
-http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Kodak_Brownie_Bull%27s-Eye

I took a bit of a gamble by loading and shooting with a roll of Tower black & white film that expired in October 1963. Tower was Sears and Roebucks “house brand” film. Al Kaplan on Photo.net said (of Tower film) – “I think that the (Tower) B&W film is most likely made by Gavaert, a Belgian company. They merged with Agfa towards the late 1960's. They made a film of about that that was widely available under private labels.”
-http://photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00KCYv


above: John Fedele shooting our Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye video on his iPhone. Tower 620 film (image shot 11/17/2010 – film expired 10/1963)


above: Staples in Wayne, NJ. Shot the same day on the same roll of Tower 620 film

Please don’t think that the images captured on the extremely expired Tower film represents the image capability of the Brownie Bull’s-Eye. Experimentation with other film stocked yielded brilliant 6x9 photos as seen below.


above: Film Photography Podcast video editor Joe Kolbek. Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye camera / Kodak Ektachrome 100 plus


above: Grace Chapel First Reformed Church / Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye camera / Fujicolor HR100

Images © 2010 Michael Raso

My Flickr Photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelraso/

Buy a 620 film camera…they’re fun!

Looking for 620 film? Write to me via e-mail:
FilmPhotographyPodcast (at) gmail.com


About The Film Photography Podcast
Launched in October of 2009, the Film Photography Podcast is a 90 minute, bi-weekly Internet radio program, exploring a wide range of topics relevant to the experienced and aspiring photographer using film as a medium. Hosts Michael Raso and Duane Polcou enthusiastically dissect and debate the pros-and-cons of film formats, do-it-yourself techniques, digital technologies, and vintage and contemporary cameras and accessories in a thorough, informative and casual manner. Regular features include Camera tests and reviews, “book of the month”, interviews, a listener-generated Q&A, and film-related giveaways.

Produced in the United States, the Film Photography Podcast is broadcast around the globe via iTunes and direct stream from http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com

QUISP to the Rescue

That's filmmaker Joe Kolbek (above) enjoying a bowl of QUISP cereal at my studio in New Jersey USA. Shot using my recently acquired 1954 Kodak Brownie Bull’s Eye with Kodak Ektachrome 100 plus(120 film rolled to 620 spool)



The cereal was introduced in 1965 by Quaker Oats Company. "In the late-1970s, Quisp was removed from grocery stores due to low sales. It re-emerged in the mid-1980s, and finally was re-introduced in the 1990s as the "first Internet cereal" and is still in limited distribution" More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisp

Here's a cartoon John K (Ren & Stimpy) recently did for Quaker Oats:




That's me Then (1971) and Now (after enjoying some QUISP!)

Still Images © 2010 Michael L. Raso

I host the Film Photography Internet Radio Show
With pals Duane Polcou and John Fedele. Check it out:
www.filmphotographypodcast.com

Cross-Processing and other Photo Experiments

If nothing else, shooting film has made me a more patient person. Shooting, processing and scan time alone can be a minimum ten-day process. While waiting for my 35mm film negs from the lab I usually will use that down time to experiment with another camera or film format. This is exactly what I did while waiting for a roll of elite chrome to be cross-processed.


KODAK BROWNIE



I’ve been keeping a close eye on e-bay for inexpensive (but functional) vintage cameras. For $14.00us I was able to purchase a 1946 Kodak Brownie Target Six-20. According to a Brownie camera website (http://www.brownie-camera.com/47.shtml ) the original price was $3.50us.

After further research on the web, I was able to determine that the camera has a shutter speed of 1/50th of a second with two f-stop choices – f11 and f16. The camera uses 620 roll film, which was introduced by Kodak in 1932 and discontinued in 1995. After even more snooping, I found that B&H Photo in New York City (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ ) sells 620 film (which in fact is just 120 film rolled onto a 620 reel). With a roll of Kodak Portra 120 film selling for about $3.50us and the B&H 620 (respooled) film selling for $12.50us(!) it was an easy decision to “roll my own” in the future. Both 620 film spools and film changing bags are available on e-bay.

Although a bit of a project, it’s experiments like this that make film photography so much fun. Plus, the look on peoples faces when you walk in with your 1946 Brownie camera ready to shoot.

The results from my first roll were pleasing enough to warrant trying a second roll soon.





More on 620 film here:
http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/620_film

(thanks to Justin Wingenfeld and Brian McNulty for letting me photograph them with my Kodak Brownie!)


KODACHROME 200



In the past few months I have shot many rolls of expired Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome 64 and have achieved excellent results as far as performance of the expired film. After all, shooting on old film stock is a bit of a “crap shoot.” You just never know what you’re gonna get! So far, I’ve been very lucky - no doubt due to the stability of the Kodachrome low asa stock.

This in my first shot using 200asa Kodachrome. Scanned using the Epson v700. The developed image was a bit muddy so I imported it into Adobe Photoshop in order to increase the contrast. I'm going to test a few more rolls in the coming weeks.



I suspect that the 200 Kodachrome has a much shorter shelf life than its 25asa and 64 asa siblings. Based on my experiences, when shooting expired film, storage seems to be the absolute key.As of today (10/29/09) almost every seller of Kodachrome on e-bay is claiming that their film was cold stored (as the cold stored film fetches the highest bids). I'd like to...but can not believe that every person is really keeping their Kodachrome "on ice."

Woodland Lake in New Jersey USA continues to be a favorite test spot for all things Kodachrome.





(thanks to William Hellfire and Vlad Suslov for allowing me to "snap" them using Kodachrome 200. Dig that Kodachrome skin tone!)


CROSS-PROCESS TEST

According to the Wikipedia:

Cross processing (sometimes abbreviated to Xpro) is the procedure of deliberately processing photographic film in a chemical solution intended for a different type of film. The effect was discovered independently by many different photographers often by mistake in the days of C-22 and E-4. The process is seen most often in fashion advertising and band photography, and in more recent years has become more synonymous with the Lomography movement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_processing

I decided to shoot a test roll using Kodak Elite Chrome 100 Cross-Processed in C-41 Chemistry. As someone who strives to shoot crisp, focused photography, the cross-process effect is a bit jarring. My brain keeps telling me to “fix those green skin tones!”

Thanks to William and Erin, who let me snap them at Burger Deluxe in Wayne, NJ USA. Cross-processed image below.



More Xpro stuff on the web:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/crossprocessing/pool/

http://www.lomography.com/

See everyone in a few weeks! Don’t forget to listen to my new Internet Radio Show – FILM PHOTOGRAPHY PODCAST

http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com/

Flickr Group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/filmphotographypodcast/

You can e-mail me at MichaelRaso@ymail.com