I happened to have two 620 spools and decided to respool 120 onto the 620 spool. Took under 10 minutes in a changing bag. Easy peasy and really fun camera!
I really liked this video. You were super informative and gave so much background on the camera itself. Also you had some nice sharp images there. Kodak Gold really came through!
Those are probably the best photos I have seen from a Brownie. I will try my own soon. Only problem is that I can see the lens is dusty, and I don't know how to get it cleaned (some videos I have seen show box cameras that open a bit easier, mine is a Target Brownie Six-20).
Thank you! I hope you're able to get the lens cleaned. These old box cameras usually come apart fairly easily. The front plate is usually just held on by two pins that you pull the front plate over, and then once the front plate is off there are usually only a few parts inside that need to be removed to access the lens. The other option is to simply hold the shutter open on the "time" setting and use a Q-tip from inside the camera to clean the back of the lens (these are simple single-element lenses).
I just finished a roll of Film Project "Frankenstein 200" on a 620 roll, in an near exact match to your camera. I'll be sending it off to The Darkroom early next month, and i'm looking forward to to the results!
Those old box cameras can be quite a lot of fun, and if you're lucky they can produce some very nice results. I understand that expired colour film should be rated about one stop less per decade, so that is just about perfect for your camera as your results show.
It's always fun to revert back to "simple" cameras every now and then, and just enjoy the experience of taking pictures. There is really nothing to set (other than choosing between two apertures) so you just point and shoot!
Nice additional features on that old box camera. I found on my '52 Argus 75 that, with persuasion, the 120 film and spool will wedge right in. The take-up spool does need to be the 620 size tho. Too much tension on the film with two oversized spools. Fortunately the camera had a 620 spool in it although I was able to sand down a 120 spool enough to make it a 620 spool in case I needed it to respool new film. Looking forward to seeing the next roll pulled thru it.
I have one of these cameras, love using it. It is fun and exciting where as the digital is instant and not exciting. I have shot a few rolls some not to good and some surprising very professional looking.
Is there an advantage to having one side of the slot be narrower in the spool? On the 620 spools that Film Photography Project makes themselves the slot is the same width on both sides.
The advantage to having one slot wider than the other is that it allows you to get a longer "tongue" of paper leader through the slot, since the leaders on 620 (or 120) film are usually cut in a widening taper. The more paper you can pull through the slot, the more secure it is as you wind. The FPP spools with equal width slots also work of course, but you just have to be a little more careful about getting enough leader through the slot to keep it secure.
I have a similar Kodak box camera that take 620 film. The main difference on mine is it has a close-up function. I shot Ilford pan f in it and pushed it one stop. I got some good results from that.
There is a simple hack to convert 620 to 120. Using nail clippers you can clip the edge of the spool a litter smaller and using sandpaper can make the spool a little shorter. You find this hack on youtube. Looking forward to part II of the Kodak folder.
Thanks for your comment! I have seen some folks have some success with this technique with certain cameras. That technique might work with this camera because of the amount of space inside the film area of this particular camera. There are a couple of differences between true 620 and this type of modification to 120 spools to be aware of. The center core of a 120 spool is quite a bit thicker than the center core of a 620 spool and so the wrapped film/paper on 120 spools is also quite a bit thicker than true 620 spools even if you trim down the flanges. Also, the slotted hole at the end of the spool that the film winding mechanism slots into is shaped differently between the two types of film. You'll have to experiment with this technique with specific cameras to see if it will work.
I have this camera, and while this trick works on some cameras, I think I remember the trimmed spools jamming in it. The ends of 120 spools are not only wider, but thicker.
That's great! You can find 620 film at the Film Photography Project online. Any lab that processes 120 film can also process 620 film as the film itself is exactly the same once it's off the spool.
Thank you! I was pleasantly surprised. I always try to go into these experiments with relatively low expectations, so any decent results are appreciated.
there are lots of those old cameras that can perform extremely well, my old Kodak brownie no.2 from the 30's is an excellent camera even for it's age, it's ironic how nowadays a camera similar to those is the Holga, and those old camera are way better than a Holga.
That's very true! We look at these cameras as old relics these days, but back when they were new these cameras served as the primary source of family photos for the average person. Even though they are very basic they're still very capable of producing good images.
I happened to have two 620 spools and decided to respool 120 onto the 620 spool. Took under 10 minutes in a changing bag. Easy peasy and really fun camera!
That's awesome! I still need to try that method myself one of these days.
I really liked this video. You were super informative and gave so much background on the camera itself. Also you had some nice sharp images there. Kodak Gold really came through!
Thank you! I'm looking forward to shooting more of the Kodak Gold 620. I've got a handful of other cheap 620 cameras to try out!
Those are probably the best photos I have seen from a Brownie. I will try my own soon. Only problem is that I can see the lens is dusty, and I don't know how to get it cleaned (some videos I have seen show box cameras that open a bit easier, mine is a Target Brownie Six-20).
Thank you! I hope you're able to get the lens cleaned. These old box cameras usually come apart fairly easily. The front plate is usually just held on by two pins that you pull the front plate over, and then once the front plate is off there are usually only a few parts inside that need to be removed to access the lens. The other option is to simply hold the shutter open on the "time" setting and use a Q-tip from inside the camera to clean the back of the lens (these are simple single-element lenses).
Those turned out well.
Thank you! I was happy to see that the film still had some life left in it.
I just finished a roll of Film Project "Frankenstein 200" on a 620 roll, in an near exact match to your camera. I'll be sending it off to The Darkroom early next month, and i'm looking forward to to the results!
Awesome! The Darkroom is a great provider as well.
Those old box cameras can be quite a lot of fun, and if you're lucky they can produce some very nice results. I understand that expired colour film should be rated about one stop less per decade, so that is just about perfect for your camera as your results show.
It's always fun to revert back to "simple" cameras every now and then, and just enjoy the experience of taking pictures. There is really nothing to set (other than choosing between two apertures) so you just point and shoot!
Nice additional features on that old box camera. I found on my '52 Argus 75 that, with persuasion, the 120 film and spool will wedge right in. The take-up spool does need to be the 620 size tho. Too much tension on the film with two oversized spools. Fortunately the camera had a 620 spool in it although I was able to sand down a 120 spool enough to make it a 620 spool in case I needed it to respool new film. Looking forward to seeing the next roll pulled thru it.
Nice! Will you be posting any videos about your Argus 75? I would love to see that camera in action!
I have one of these cameras, love using it. It is fun and exciting where as the digital is instant and not exciting. I have shot a few rolls some not to good and some surprising very professional looking.
Yes! I love to hear that you're shooting with yours as well.
Is there an advantage to having one side of the slot be narrower in the spool? On the 620 spools that Film Photography Project makes themselves the slot is the same width on both sides.
The advantage to having one slot wider than the other is that it allows you to get a longer "tongue" of paper leader through the slot, since the leaders on 620 (or 120) film are usually cut in a widening taper. The more paper you can pull through the slot, the more secure it is as you wind. The FPP spools with equal width slots also work of course, but you just have to be a little more careful about getting enough leader through the slot to keep it secure.
I have a similar Kodak box camera that take 620 film. The main difference on mine is it has a close-up function. I shot Ilford pan f in it and pushed it one stop. I got some good results from that.
Nice! Did you re-roll the Ilford Pan F onto a 620 spool, or did you cut down the 120 spool?
@@oddballcamera I bought it from film photography project already re-rolled.
There is a simple hack to convert 620 to 120. Using nail clippers you can clip the edge of the spool a litter smaller and using sandpaper can make the spool a little shorter. You find this hack on youtube. Looking forward to part II of the Kodak folder.
Thanks for your comment! I have seen some folks have some success with this technique with certain cameras. That technique might work with this camera because of the amount of space inside the film area of this particular camera. There are a couple of differences between true 620 and this type of modification to 120 spools to be aware of. The center core of a 120 spool is quite a bit thicker than the center core of a 620 spool and so the wrapped film/paper on 120 spools is also quite a bit thicker than true 620 spools even if you trim down the flanges. Also, the slotted hole at the end of the spool that the film winding mechanism slots into is shaped differently between the two types of film. You'll have to experiment with this technique with specific cameras to see if it will work.
I have this camera, and while this trick works on some cameras, I think I remember the trimmed spools jamming in it. The ends of 120 spools are not only wider, but thicker.
I still have my mother's Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, but not the flash. I need to find some film and a lab that will process it.
That's great! You can find 620 film at the Film Photography Project online. Any lab that processes 120 film can also process 620 film as the film itself is exactly the same once it's off the spool.
Great results!!! I expected the expired film to work well with a camera designed for slower film!!!
Thank you! I was pleasantly surprised. I always try to go into these experiments with relatively low expectations, so any decent results are appreciated.
Hey. I just bought this Camera on a flea market in Germany
Awesome! I hope you have fun with it!
What type of film works and where can I find some
These take 620 film, which can be purchased from the Film Photography Project, or you can re-roll 120 film onto 620 spools.
there are lots of those old cameras that can perform extremely well, my old Kodak brownie no.2 from the 30's is an excellent camera even for it's age, it's ironic how nowadays a camera similar to those is the Holga, and those old camera are way better than a Holga.
That's very true! We look at these cameras as old relics these days, but back when they were new these cameras served as the primary source of family photos for the average person. Even though they are very basic they're still very capable of producing good images.
Kodak made some interesting cameras, pity they messed around with different film formats.
Yes, agreed!