Kodak Duaflex Camera Series (1947-1960)

The Kodak Duaflex Camera is a simple 620 film camera with a large brilliant finder in a twin lens reflex configuration. Cameras were produced by Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, from 1947 to 1960.  The shutter is a single speed rotary shutter with a "bulb" setting.  The shutter speed is about 1/25 or 1/50 second. They came with two different lenses: a fixed focus Kodet lens (75 mm f/15) and a focusing Kodar lens (72 mm f/8).  The Kodet lens is a meniscus lens with an aperture stop behind the lens.  A Kodar lens is a three element anastigmat with front cell focusing from 3.5 ft. to infinity.  The Kodar lens has a lever to select an aperture of f/16, f/11 or f/8.  The stops are round holes in a metal plate, so you can't select intermediate f-stops.

The Duaflex (1947-1950) is black plastic and aluminum.  The ones with a focusing lens have a double exposure prevention device that locks the shutter button until you advance the film.  The ones with a fixed focus lens do not have double exposure prevention.  The flasholder is a dedicated model.

The Duaflex II (1950-1954) added a flip-up hood for the viewfinder.

The Duaflex III (1954-1957) added double exposure prevention to the fixed focus model.  The flash connection was changed to a pin-and-screw Kodalite connection.

The Duaflex IV (1955-1960) changed the color scheme from black to brown and tan, and added more exposure instructions to the focusing cameras.

Kodak Duaflex with Kodar lens.

Kodak Duaflex IV with Kodet lens.

A Duaflex makes the same size picture as the Brownie Hawkeye (https://fourelementsinthreegroups.blogspot.com/2018/11/front-back-this-brownie-hawkeye-was.html). It is a sunny day snapshot camera, similar to the Argus Seventy-five (https://fourelementsinthreegroups.blogspot.com/2019/09/argus-seventy-five-1949-1958-and-argus.html) or the Ansco Anscoflex (https://fourelementsinthreegroups.blogspot.com/2020/06/anscoflex-1953-1956.html). It was made for slow to moderate speed black and white (Verichrome, Plus-X) or color negative (Kodacolor) film. Current 120 films respooled onto 620 spools work fine.

Children's Memory Garden, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee

The Children's Memory Garden was dedicated October 18, 2022.  It contains names of children who died violently in Nashville.  I was visiting the park this January and noticed someone had left a rose.  Kodak Duaflex with Kodar lens.  Arista EDU Ultra 100 film developed in XTOL.  Cropped from the original square to a portrait orientation.

Lithagon Lenses for the Geiss Modified Argus C4

In 1954 Geiss-America, Inc. began selling a replacement lens mounting and a series of interchangeable lenses for the Argus C4. Geiss-America was an importer of West German photo equipment. The lenses were made by Enna-Werk, Munich.

Left - Right: f/4.5 35mm, f/1.9 45mm, f/4.5 100mm, f/3.5 135mm Lenses.

Center: Sandmar Zoom-Vue Viewfinder.

The initial set of lenses included an f/4.5 35mm and an f/4.5 100mm. An f/1.9 45mm and an f/3.5 135mm lens came out later. The unmodified Argus C4 camera had a fixed f/2.8 50mm Argus Cintar lens. The modified camera got a new, interchangeable lens mounting.  The existing standard, f/2.8 50mm lens was modified to fit the new lens mounting. Geiss would modify either new or used C4 cameras. Geiss sold a Sandmar Zoom-Vue auxiliary viewfinder for the Lithagon lenses.

The large lens hood for the 135mm telephoto lens would have blocked the rangefinder.  To avoid that, the rear of the lens hood was made of glass so the rangefinder could see through it.  The alternative is to remove the lens hood.  The lens hood, being partly glass, was fragile.  You do see 135mm Lithagons without lens hoods.  Presumably the lens hoods were broken.

The 35mm and 45mm lenses will take modern 49mm screw-in filters.  Alternatively, either lens will take a 2" diameter Series VII adapter and Series VII drop in filters.  The 100mm lens will take a Series V drop-in filter between the lens and lens hood.  The 135mm lens will take a 52mm screw-in filter.

The C4 was discontinued in 1958. The next model, the C44, has a different lens mount and its own set of interchangeable lenses..

This camera has the standard f/2.8 50mm Argus Cintar modified for the Geiss mounting.

Geiss modified Argus C-4

Catch closed.

Catch Open

Lever open.

Lens removed.

Index marks on the Cintar lens.

Camera focused at infinity.

Lens reinstalled.

To change the lens the photographer put the camera on its back, then turned the knurled knob at the end of the lever to release the catch and moved the lever up. The old lens would be lifted straight out. Before installing the new lens the camera had to be set to focus at infinity. The new lens was set to line up the index marks, then lowered straight in, making sure that the gear teeth meshed. The lever would then be moved down and the knob turned to latch the lever. In use the lens mounting is more complicated than the lens mountings on modern digital cameras. It is easier to change the lens on a Geiss C4 than it is on an Argus C3. The degree of difficulty is about the same as on an Argus C44 or C33.

The lens can wobble on a camera with bent flanges on the lens mount. When you look at the mount from the side the slots under the flanges will be spread apart. They should be straight as in this "after repair" picture. Unfortunately I did not make a "before" picture. You do the fix by pressing the flange to straighten the slot. You don't even have to take the mount off the camera.

The lens mount as seen from the side.

The long, thin slot should be straight. If it is spread apart the lens will wobble.

A Geiss modified C-4 with a Lithagon f/1.9 45mm lens and the Sandmar Zoom-Vue finder.

A wedding party crossing Legislative Plaza to the War Memorial Building on a sunny but cool Saturday afternoon. Picture taken on Ultrafine Xtreme 100 on a Geiss modified C-4 with an f/1.9 45mm lens. The state capitol building is in the background.

The War Memorial Building was built about 1925 as a memorial to Tennesseeans who were killed in action during the First World War. The doric order columns make a popular background for wedding photographs.

Kodak Retina Reflex S (1959-60)

The Kodak Retina Reflex S is the successor to the Retina Reflex. The main change was to have the complete lens interchangeable instead of just the front components. This allowed a wider range of focal lengths: 28 mm to 200 mm instead of only 35 mm to 80 mm. The original list price was $235. About 78,000 cameras were made in 1959-60 at the Kodak AG - Dr Nagel Werk factory in Stuttgart-Wangen, West Germany.

The Reflex S has a die cast metal body finished with black leatherette and chrome. The top of the camera has the rewind knob with a film reminder dial, an accessory shoe, the exposure remaining counter, the shutter release and the light meter. The front of the camera has the selenium cell for the light meter, a PC flash sync connector, and the lens mount. The shutter speed dial is around the lens mount and the aperture setting dial is at the bottom of the lens mount, next to the latch for the bayonet lens mount. The bottom of the camera has the film advance lever, the rewind clutch button, the tripod socket and the latch for the camera back.

The lens mount is the same Deckel bayonet used on the Retina IIIS range finder camera. Available lenses included a 28mm, a 35mm, two different 50mm, an 85mm, a 135mm and a 200mm. Setting the aperture is different from other 35mm SLRs. The aperture is controlled by a dial on the bottom of the camera instead of an aperture ring on the lens. The shutter speed is interconnected with the aperture so that the exposure value remains constant when the shutter speed is changed. For example, if the shutter speed is 1/500 and the aperture is f/2.8, changing the shutter speed to 1/250 changes the aperture to f/4 in order to keep the amount of light reaching the film a constant.

The exposure controls are coupled to the built-in light meter. Matching the yellow needle to the meter needle by turning the aperture setting dial matches the exposure value set on the camera to the light value read by the meter. The light meter can be set to film speeds from ASA 10 (DIN 12) to ASA 3200 (DIN 36).

The shutter on this example needs to be cleaned and re-lubricated.

120 Film

October, 2021, marked the 120th anniversary of size 120 roll film, introduced by Eastman Kodak Company in 1901 for the No. 2 Brownie camera.

Kodak Gold 200 Film. New in 2022

120 film consists of photosensitive film protected by opaque backing paper and rolled on a spool.  On a modern roll of film the film is roughly 32-1/2 inches (80 cm) long and 2-3/8 inches (6 cm) wide.  The backing paper is about 2 feet (60 cm) longer than the film and is slightly wider. A roll of film can be handled in ordinary room light as long as it is tightly rolled on the spool.  A strip of adhesive tape keeps the film from accidentally unrolling in the light before you load the camera.

Backing Paper

Depending on the camera, the film can hold eight 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" (6 x 9 cm), twelve 2-1/4" square (6 x 6 cm) or sixteen 2-1/4" x 1-5/8" (6 x 4.5 cm) pictures.  Picture numbers printed on the outer surface of the backing paper let the photographer space pictures on the film in cameras using the legendary little red window.  Many cameras automatically space and count pictures and do not require the red window, the more well-known probably being the Rolleiflex and Hasselblad.  Some cameras like the Pentax 6x7 automatically make 10 6x7 cm pictures on a roll without regard to the numbers on the backing paper.

The image on 120 film can be more than twice the height and width of the image on 35 mm film; therefore, less enlargement is needed to produce the final print.  This makes for less visible grain and smoother tones.  Kodak No. 2 Brownie cameras using 120 film produced negatives capable of making passable album-size, 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" contact prints.  A contact print is made by placing the negative in a printing frame, putting the emulsion side of the paper against the emulsion side of the negative and exposing the paper to light through the negative.  The paper is then developed and fixed.  The picture on the resulting print is exactly the same size as the negative.  The size of the contact print you wanted determined the size of the camera you used.  If you wanted a big picture you used a big camera.  Improvements in film and lenses now make it possible to get big pictures from small cameras.

120 film did not get the number 120 until 1908.  Kodak used to list the cameras that took a film on the film box and you specified the Kodak film you wanted by giving the name of the Kodak camera it fit: "I want a roll of film for a No. 2 Brownie."  As Kodak made more and more types of films and cameras, this system became cumbersome.  To solve the problem Kodak numbered all of the sizes of roll film it made, starting with size 101.  Some sizes were not strictly in numerical order, some numbers were reused and the last new size to be made was 240 (Advantix or Advanced Photographic System film in the 1990s).  120 film was also known as B2 or B II film in Germany.  The "B2" likely referenced the No. 2 Brownie. Kodak still makes roll film for still cameras in 120 ("medium format") and 135 ("35 mm film") sizes.  There are about a dozen brand names of 120 film, including Fujifilm, Ilford and Kodak, available at present. Because there is an international standard for the dimensions of 120 film all 120 film will fit all 120 cameras.

Prior to about 1930, Kodak 120 film was shorter and had room for only six 2-1/4" x 3-1/4" pictures; however, old cameras made for the original six-picture 120 film will take modern eight-picture 120 film.   The first spools for roll films had wooden spindles with metal flanges.  Later production spools had metal spindles and flanges. Current 120 spools are injection molded plastic.  Kodak called roll film with backing paper on a spool a "cartridge."

100 Years of Film

The Kodak Non-Curling Film in the box on the left was Kodak's standard snapshot roll film from 1903 to 1933.  The spools in the middle are empty 120 spools from different eras.  The first spools had wooden cores with metal flanges.  Beginning in the 1930s the spools were all metal.  In the modern, plastic age the spools are injection molded plastic.  The roll film on the right is a modern roll of Kodak Tri-X.

Argus A (1936-1942)

The insignificant looking Argus A is one of the most commercially significant 35mm cameras ever produced because it is the camera that popularized 35mm photography in the US.  In 1936 the Argus model A was the first camera to be built in the United States to use 35mm film in Kodak's 135 film magazines.  The magazine had been designed to fit Leica, Contax and Retina cameras.  The Argus is no Leica, but it does take a picture.

International Radio Corporation was a radio manufacturer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the 1930s. Company President Charles A. Verschoor wanted a new product to keep his factory busy during the summer, when radio sales tended to fall off. The result was the Argus Candid Camera. The Argus was intended from the beginning to be a mass market camera, originally selling for $12.50. Later the price was reduced to $10.00. 30,000 cameras were claimed to have been sold in the first week it was offered. About 210,000 were sold altogether. The Argus camera proved to be so popular that IRC got out of the radio business completely and changed its name to International Research Corporation. Eventually it became Argus Camera, Inc.

The camera body is molded from a phenolic resin. The back is stamped aluminum. The top of the camera has the film advance knob, the viewfinder, the film advance release button and the exposure counter. The bottom of the camera has the film rewind knob. For about the first year the camera came without a tripod socket. Later production had a tripod socket.

The camera has an f/4.5-f/11 50 mm anastigmat lens in a self-setting leaf shutter with speed settings from 1/25 to 1/200 second plus bulb and time. To make the camera a little more pocketable the lens is retractable. Three sets of fingers and flanges hold the lens in the retracted position. The lens has two focus settings: distant and close. The lens is set for the distant zone, 18 ft. to infinity, when the three flanges on the lens are between the three fingers on the camera body (fig. 7 and 8). It is set for the close zone, 8 ft. to 18 ft., when the flanges on the lens line up with the fingers on the body (fig. 5 and 6). The lens isn't marked to show which setting is for which zone. You just have to read the manual to know. Lenses and shutters originally were made by Ilex Optical of Rochester, NY. The lens takes a 23 mm Series V filter adapter.

When the camera first came out word got around that the lens was closer to f/6.3 instead of f/4.5. If you unscrew the front lens element and measure the iris diaphragm with the lens wide open you do get about an 8 mm diameter and 50 divided by 8 is 6.25. But that's not how it works because the strong positive front element causes the light rays to converge before they reach the iris. The focal ratio of a lens is the focal length divided by the diameter of the entrance pupil of the lens and the definition of the entrance pupil is the size of the aperture as seen from the front of the lens. Allowing for the strength of the positive front lens element you will get an f/4.5 focal ratio.

The camera takes currently available 35 mm film in standard cassettes. The film runs from right to left, which is the opposite direction from a Leica and most other 35 mm cameras. The exposure counter counts up. It needs to be manually set to zero after the film is loaded. To advance the film you press the film release, turn the wind knob a little, then let go of the film release and wind on until the film stops, just like an Argus C3. When the film is finished you rewind by turning the knob on the bottom. The camera doesn't have a film rewind catch. If you fiddle with the rewind knob between shots you could get overlapping pictures. You can check whether there is film in the camera by lightly turning the wind knob on the top of the camera. If there is film in the camera you can feel tension on the knob.

The viewfinder is a reverse galilean finder (negative lens in front, positive lens in back) without any frame lines or parallax correction. With a close focus of 8 ft., you don't need parallax correction.

The Argus Model A underwent some revisions during the seven years it was produced.  Here is an Argus Model A Timeline.

1936: The camera was introduced.

1936: A tripod socket was added.  The rewind knob assembly was changed.

1937: A second sprocket wheel was added.  The lens labeling was changed from “Argus Ilex Precise” to “Argus IRC Anastigmat.”

Early 1941: The aperture settings were changed from "f/11, 8, 5.6, 4.5" to "f/18, 12.7, 9, 6.3, 4.5."

Late 1941: The shutter speeds were changed from “25, 50, 100, 200, B, T” to “T, B, 150, 100, 50, 25.”  The labeling on the lens face was changed to drop the word “Anastigmat.”  The lens face was changed from brass to chrome.

1942: The camera was discontinued.

The Argus A is about as simple as an adjustable camera can be. It will produce good pictures if you keep within its limitations.   An Argus A today will make pictures that are as good as ever, modern films being so much better than films in the 1930s. With a fastest shutter speed of 1/200 second and a smallest aperture of f/11, this camera works best with 80-125 speed film for outdoor pictures on sunny days.  The later ones that stop down to f/18 will work well with 200 speed film.

Mid-train Motive Power

A CSX intermodal freight with distributed power at the Berry Road, Nashville, Tennessee grade crossing. The locomotive on the far track is in the middle of the train. A train is waiting on the near tack for the other to pass. From the parking lot of the Melrose branch post office. Argus A, f/11 at 1/200 second through an orange filter on Ultrafine eXtreme 400 film developed in Ultrafine powder developer. Ultrafine eXtreme 400 has been out of stock from the distributor for a while (Photo Warehouse - https://www.ultrafineonline.com/).  I don't know whether it will be available in the future.  Kentmere 400 would be the nearest equivalent.

Kodak No. 2 Tripod

This Kodak No, 2 tripod has a patent date of 1911, making the maximum age 111 years.  Because the tripod remained in the Kodak catalog through the 1930s it could be as little as 80 years old.  This one came from Goodwill with a ball head that did not have a manufacturer's name marked on it.  The ball head probably is not a Kodak product because I did not find a match in the old Kodak catalogs that were on line.  When I got it the legs were swinging loose, so I tightened the bolts holding the legs to the top of the tripod.  The legs are brass and the remaining parts are nickel plated steel.  The tripod fits cameras with a 1/4"-20 thread.  There is a leather case.  The ball head is chrome plated steel.  The legs have pointed feet.  Kodak did have rubber shoes for the feet to keep from scratching floors, but those are missing.  The legs extend to 49-1/2 inches.

Eastman Kodak Company used to make more than just film.  There was a wide range of cameras and photographic accessories ranging from commercial and industrial products to hobbyist products.  Their hobbyist handbook, "How to Make Good Pictures", even included formulas for darkroom chemicals.

Post-WWII Leica IIIc (1946-1951)

The Leica model IIIc was introduced by Leitz in 1940 and discontinued in 1951.  This model IIIc camera is a postwar version with a serial number in the low end of a range that was assigned in 1946-47.  The f/3.5 50 mm Elmar lens was bought separately and has a serial number from 1946.  The Leitz factory was located in the American zone of occupation and a great deal of the production at that time was for the Allied occupation forces.  The civilian export market really didn't get going again until currency reform and the creation of the Deutsche Mark in 1948.  The US list price of a Leica IIIc with a standard f/3.5 50 mm Elmar lens was $332.50 in 1948.  It was an expensive camera when it was new.  By 1950 the list price had dropped to $285.00  In 1951 the same combination was closed out at a still expensive list price of $259.00.

The wartime IIIc (1940-45) differs in a few details from the postwar IIIc (1946-51).  The most visible differences in the wartime version are a step in the top plate where the advance-rewind lever is positioned and a different shape of the range finder focusing lever.  The wartime cameras also have many variations in materials and finish.  Leitz made about 33,000 of the wartime version and about 100,000 of the postwar version.

Leica is a long running line of cameras.  The first Leica camera was designed by Oskar Barnack (1879-1936) about 1912.  It was further developed as a commercial product and introduced for sale in 1925.  Originally the Leica came with a non-interchangeable lens.  The first version with interchangeable screw-mount lenses came out in 1930,  and the bayonet lens mount came out in 1954.  Leica digital cameras are still in production today.  The screw-mount Leica is one of the most imitated of cameras.  Cameras inspired by the Leica were made in the USSR, Japan, China, the UK, France and the USA.  Some lenses and other parts were interchangeable among the various makes.  My camera happens to have a Canon (Japan) take-up spool.  Canon and Nikon lenses in Leica screw mount are well regarded.  Soviet lenses range from good to "won't even fit".

The top of the camera has the rewind knob, the focusing lever for the rangefinder eyepiece, the accessory shoe, the fast shutter speed dial, the film advance/rewind lever, the shutter button, the film advance knob and the exposure counter.  The front of the camera has the slow shutter speed dial, the lens mount and the windows for the range finder and viewfinder.  The back of the camera has the range finder and viewfinder eyepieces.  The bottom of the camera has the base latch and the tripod socket.  There are strap lugs on the left and right sides.  The metal parts are chromed and the black covering is textured vulcanite.  There is a little brassing on the knobs where the chrome has worn thin.

The f/3.5 50mm Elmar lens was designed by Dr. Max Berek (1886-1949) at Leitz about 1922.  The screw mount version of the lens was introduced in 1930 and discontinued in 1959.  It was the standard lens for Leica screw mount cameras.  It has four elements in three groups, resembling a tessar design but with the aperture diaphragm between the first and second groups  instead of between the second and third group.  My lens has anti-reflection coatings.  The lens mount has a 39 mm right-hand screw thread with a 26 threads-per-inch pitch.  Supposedly the thread pitch is from a British standard for microscope objectives.   Leitz made microscopes long before it made cameras, so this seems reasonable.  Inside the camera body is a roller that rides on a cam inside the lens and transmits the focus distance to the range finder.  The focusing lever on the lens locks at infinity.  To focus closer you press in the knob to unlock the lens and rotate the lens to focus.  The closest focus is 1 meter (3' 3-3/8").  A small tab on the front of the lens sets the aperture.  The aperture scale is marked from f/3.5 to f/16 (3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16).  No click stops are provided, which lets you select intermediate apertures.  There is a depth of field scale on the lens barrel.  The Elmar lens is collapsible to allow the camera to fit inside a generous pocket.  To collapse the lens you rotate the barrel counterclockwise until it unlocks and push it in.  To extend the lens you draw out the barrel and rotate it clockwise until it locks.   You need to make sure the lens is extended and locked for picture taking or else your pictures will be badly out of focus.  The lens will take 19mm diameter screw-in filters (E19) or 36mm diameter slip-on filters (A36).  A Kodak No. 18 Series V filter adapter will screw onto the lens, and a Kodak 1-13/32" Series VI filter adapter will slip on.  An A36 slip-on filter or a Series adapter covers the aperture dial so you have to take off the filter or adapter to set the aperture.

The shutter is a horizontally running rubberized cloth focal plane shutter.  Winding the film advance knob advances the film and cocks the shutter.  Shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/1000 second are set by lifting and turning the top shutter speed dial.   Slow speeds are set on the dial on the front of the camera.  The shutter needs to be cocked in order to line up the correct setting with the index mark because the shutter speed knob rotates when the shutter fires.  The top speed knob should be set to "1-30" to use the slow speeds.  The front speed dial should be set to "30" to use the fast speeds.  The front speed dial will lock at "30" to prevent an accidental bump from changing the shutter speed.  You press a small stud above the dial to unlock it.  The IIIc is not synchronized for flash.  Several different add-on flash synchronizers were available from Leitz and third party suppliers.  Some synchronizers took advantage of the fact that the shutter speed knob rotated to fire the flash at the correct time.  The shutter was synchronized for flash at 1/30 second with these attachments.  The succeeding model IIIf Leica (1950-57) had flash sync built in.

The Leica is a bottom loading camera. There is no hinged back (like most 35mm cameras) or removable back (like the Zeiss Ikon Contax) to make loading easier. The base plate comes off for loading film. The film should be trimmed to half width for about 4 inches to make a leader and hooked onto the take-up spool before the spool is placed inside the camera. You need to thread the film between the pressure plate and film gate and get the perforations onto the sprocket wheel by feel. The advance/rewind lever should be in the advance position to take pictures. When you advance the film you should see the rewind knob spin counterclockwise. The small black dot on the shutter button also spins around. You should advance the film twice, then set the exposure counter to zero. The exposure counter will count the number of pictures taken. There are templates available to help in trimming the film, but it is easy enough to cut freehand with scissors. The rationale for the solid back is that it makes the camera body more rigid.

To remove the film from the camera you switch the advance/.rewind lever to the rewind position and turn the rewind knob clockwise until all of the film is wound into the cassette.  Then you can take off the base and remove the cassette.

The viewfinder and range finder have separate eyepieces, with the viewfinder on the right.  The field of view of the viewfinder matches the field of view of the standard 50 mm lens.  An auxiliary viewfinder for a wide angle or a telephoto lens fits into the accessory shoe.  The rangefinder is a coincident type.  When the double image in the eyepiece merges into a single view the camera is in focus.  The range finder eyepiece magnifies about 1.5 times and has a focus adjustment for the clearest view of distant or near objects.

To use a standard cable release you need a "Leica Nipple" adapter that replaces the collar around the shutter button.  The same style adapter was used on some Yashica and Nikon cameras.  The tripod socket takes a 3/8" diameter thread.  You need a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter to use most modern tripods.

The peacetime Leica IIIc probably is the most affordable Leica as a user camera.  The wartime IIIc cameras tend to be expensive collectors' items.  Photographic technology has advanced quite a bit in the 70-80 years since the IIIc was new, and the camera is decidedly quaint.  It is definitely finely made and it still is a good picture taker.

 

Street signs near Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Kodak Portra 160, f/3.5 50 mm Elmar