Kodak Signet 35 (1951-1958)

The Kodak Signet 35 was made from 1951 to 1958 by Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. It replaced the Kodak 35 Rangefinder Model. The civilian version was a popular camera (more than 200,000 were made judging from the serial numbers I've seen) and is not hard to find today. The list price was $95 in 1951, and was reduced to $75 toward the end of production. Similar versions were made for the Army and the Air Force. The milspec versions (KE-7) are uncommon collector's items.

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Film Chamber

 

Data Sheet for f/3.5 44mm Kodak Ektar Lens

Signet 35 Advertisement, Popular Photography, August, 1951.

Franklin, Tennessee, public square and Civil War monument

The body of the camera is made from an aluminum alloy. The base plate is molded from "Tenite" acetate plastic. The black surface is a synthetic, "Kodadur" material. The back comes off for loading film. It is held in place by a sliding latch similar to the one on many Kodak roll film cameras of the time.

The Signet 35 has a coated ("lumenized") f/3.5-f/22 44 mm Kodak Ektar lens in a Kodak Synchro 300 shutter. The design resembles a Carl Zeiss Tessar with four elements in three groups and the aperture stop between the second and third groups. The lens takes a screw-in Kodak No. 22 adapter or a 1-1/8" (28.6 mm) push-on adapter for Series V drop-in filters.

Shutter speeds are 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/300 second plus bulb. The shutter has two leaves. Unlike the preceding Kodak 35, the shutter is not cocked by advancing the film. The cocking lever is on the side of the shutter near the photographer's left forefinger when holding the camera with both hands. The shutter release is a paddle on the front of the camera near the photographer's right forefinger. The paddle is interlocked with the film advance mechanism for double exposure prevention. For a deliberate double exposure or to try again if the flashbulb failed to fire, there is a release lever on the bottom or a cable release could be used. The shutter has an ASA bayonet flash connector with an often lost aluminum protective cap. The shutter was "M" synchronized for No. 5 or No. 25 flash bulbs on earlier versions, or "MFX" synchronized for class "M" or "F" flash bulbs or electronic flash on later versions. Older shutters could be converted to "X" sync for electronic flash (Kodak Service Bulletin 768357, November, 1962). The socket for a cable release is on the shutter body. A cable release screwed into the cable release socket will block the shutter paddle from moving. To advance the film after using the cable release to trip the shutter, push and hold the rewind lever while turning the film advance knob about a quarter turn, then let go of the rewind lever and continue turning the film advance knob until it stops.

Film advance is by a thumb wheel. The film advance is interlocked with the shutter release to avoid accidental double exposures or skipped frames. Film rewind is by holding the rewind lever on the rear of the camera and rotating the rewind wheel.

The lens has a focusing knob (earlier cameras) or paddle (later cameras) and the lens helicoid rotates on 50 ball bearings for smooth action. The minimum focus distance is 2 ft. Rangefinder focusing is with a coupled co-incident range finder. The rangefinder has a bright, triangular focusing spot. For zone focusing the lens has a distance scale. The depth of field scale is based on a maximum circle of confusion of 1/500 inch (0.05 mm). The viewfinder is small, which is characteristic of viewfinders on 35mm cameras of the time, but seems reasonably accurate.

The camera back has an exposure calculator for Kodak films. The films shown on the calculator changed over the production life of the camera as new Kodak films were introduced and old films discontinued. Tri-X (introduced 1954 in 35mm) did not make it onto the calculator on the cameras I've seen, I think because film selector slide couldn't shift right far enough for Tri-X. Tri-X shooters could have used the calculator in the pocket Kodaguide or just followed the instructions packed with the film.

The camera is small and cute, and the lens is sharp. An article in the August, 1953, edition of Fortune magazine described the lens as "just about the finest f/3.5 lens anyone could wish for." Taking a picture is a process. You need to set the shutter speed, set the aperture, cock the shutter, focus, aim the camera, release the shutter and advance the film. To simplify things a little, the camera has settings for ordinary, sunny days highlighted in red: 1/50 shutter, 15 ft. distance, and f/11 for Kodak Plus-X film or f/6.3 for Kodachrome. The Signet 35 was marketed between the Kodak Retina IIa on the high end and the Kodak Pony 135 on the low end. The closest US rivals were the Argus C-4 and the Bolsey B-2.

The old Ransom Mill Dam, Stones River, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.