No.1 Pocket Kodak

The totem was shot on TMAX 100, while the bed and breakfast was captured on TMAX 400.  Both gave good results, but I usually prefer the faster film as it gives me a little leeway in estimating focal distances, and most of the old Kodak lenses seem to perform best at near to their smallest f-stop.

I was able to plug the pinhole that showed up in my first shots with this camera.  I see now, however, that there is a small problem with the "B" and "T" shutter settings which only work intermittently.  The problem may have appeared as a result of using a cable release that was not a good fit with the shutter.  The simple shutters in these old cameras are often made with soft pressed metal parts which are easily bent out of shape.  It is worth looking for an early cable release with a flat rather than tapered tip, and which also doesn't have excessive throw which projects too far into the shutter.  Seems like a lot of trouble at times to get good images from these old folders, but it is nice when it happens.

Shooting the No.1 Pocket Kodak

Kodak's folders like this No.1 Pocket Kodak used 120 rollfilm prior to the 1932 introduction of the 620 format.



Kodak marketed the Kodar lens as a mid-level product, situated between the older standard Rapid Rectilinear and the later three-element Anastigmat design. The Kodar does a very credible job of making images, though I would be hard-pressed to distinguish them from those from the Rapid Rectilinear. What really appeals to me about this camera, however, is the fact that the aperture can be stopped down to f45. That means 400-speed film can be used at the top 1/50 shutter speed in direct sunlight, and in low light one can still use small apertures with good depth of focus.



I usually make some minor modifications to my old Kodak folders to make their use more practical. A flap of black tape covers the ruby window except when I am advancing the film. A lensless eye-level finder taken from another old camera is held in place with duct tape, and it makes composition considerably easier than using the squinty little reflex finders. A depth-of-field table for the particular lens shows the hyperfocal distance and assists in establishing the range of sharp focus at different f-stops.



I tend to employ cable releases with my old folders at it is easy to jiggle the camera using the lever release out near the lens. A lens hood would also be a good idea with the uncoated lens, but it still produces nice contrast and sharpness as long as you don't angle it too close to the sun. As may be seen in the last photo, I haven't yet stamped out all the light leaks.