Introduction
Two interesting cameras I've used this year were a a No 2. Brownie Camera (1901-1933) that I found while thrifting at the Cambridge Antique Market and a No. 1 Pocket Kodak (1926-1932) which I found on eBay. According to The Brownie Camera Page, the No. 2 Brownie Model D that I bought was introduced in 1914 and sold for $2, which in 2024 is roughly $63.10. The No. 1 Pocket Kodak is harder to date, but sold for $17 in 1926 which is $303.02 in 2024. From advertisements these cameras seem like consumer grade cameras, much like how smartphones have become the default cameras for most people.
What drew me to both these cameras is their simplicity and that they are still useable today. Over the past century many different film formats have fallen out of production causing many vintage cameras from the turn of the last century to become decorative or require adapters to make them somewhat useable. When purchasing the No. 2 Brownie, I also bought the No 2A. Brownie which utilizes 116 film which is no longer produced but there are adapters so 120 film can be used in 116 cameras. Luckily both of these camers use 120 film which is still widely available.
Testing
I loaded Kodak Gold 200, a film stock released roughly 100 years after each camera was made, into each camera. Unlike my Canon A1 or Nikkormat Ftn, there is no light meter built into these old cameras. Kodak released guides in the manual for each camera with information about which combination of aperature, shutter speeds, lighting conditions, and film stock to use. Luckily for me film stocks have gotten faster and there are handy light meter apps available on iOS and Android.
One issue I ran into while shooting was camera shake. Since I needed to use slower shutter speeds of 1/50 s to 4 seconds depending on the light, a tripod or steady stance were required for sharp photos. The cable release on the Pocket Kodak helped me keep the camera steady while opening the shutter. Shooting with these cameras forced me to slow down even more than my 35mm SLRs. I plan to keep using them in the future for landscape photography.
Examples
No 1. Pocket Kodak on Kodak Gold 200
No 2. Brownie on Kodak Gold 200
