What's going on? (again)

Today I received a mail with a photo of my No. 4 Folding Kodet Junior. The inner parts are restored now and work on the outside can start. What I see is very promissing.

I also came across a instruction booklet from 1897 on eBay for the original Folding Pocket Kodak. The 'buy it now' price was very reasonable, so I clicked the button as fast as I could. The illustration on the front page shows the 4 holes in the lens board and the cone shaped lens opening! It will make a fine addition to my very first model of the FPK. I already have a set of mounted photos and the rare tripod adapter to go with it.



The Vest Pocket Kodak enlarging camera I mentioned earlier was sold for AU$ 20 to the one bidder that did bid. Lucky (wo)man!

At the moment there are a few interesting items for sale. First is a No. 5 Folding Kodak Improved in original condition, meaning that the reddish brown leather was not colored black. It is a later variation in nice condition. See for yourself. US$ 100 at the moment, 1 bid, still 5 days to go.

Second item is a red Pocket Kodak. 4 bids already, price now at AU$ 33, still 8 days to go.

A nice No. 1 Kodak stringset camera is for sale at a US auction. See catalog item #8. Auction closes at March 5th.

That's it for now. Coffee is waiting and after that I must try to pick up writing on my new detective novel.

What's going on

Several things are going on. First: my No. 4 Folding Kodet Junior arrived down under for a beauty treatment. The doctor already took it apart. I trust he knows how to put it all together again. Here's a pic.

Then there is the Folding Pocket Kodak, transitional model. It was sold for US$ 137,50 after 15 bids. Not really much, but it was for sale only in the US. Maybe the price would have been higher if the rest of the world could have joined the bidding.

I found a new interesting item on eBay: a Vest Pocket Kodak enlarging cone. I've seen them before and I don't know how rare they are, but it is a nice addition to a collection of VPK's. Six days to go and starting at AU$ 20.

Photos made with old Kodaks

The FPK that is on eBay now reminded me that I used such a camera a number of years ago to photograph some 'horse and carriage' day. It was an interesting experience to use a 1897 Folding Pocket Kodak in the field. The camera is very light and compact and really fits nicely in a coat pocket. The two little reflex finders are useless. The rest is simple: aim, press the button, turn the key.
I used 120 size roll film and I think that I had figured out a bit how to wind enough film for the next exposure and avoid exposing part of the previous photo.

I also updated the slide show of original old photos that were made with early Kodaks, which you can view on my website. I added one made with a C Ordinary or C Daylight camera and one with a No. 2 Stereo Brownie. There are 22 photos now. It is a nice little collection that gives an impression of the kind of results that could be expected from the early cameras. There are also some pics of photographers with their camera.

Early Folding Pocket Kodak

There's an interesting camera for sale at eBay, a early version of the Folding Pocket Kodak. It is not the rare very first version, but a transitional model. It meets five of the six criteria for a real first model FPK. Still it is a very fine addition to any collection of antique cameras. When it was introduced in August of 1897 it was one of the first really pocketable cameras with a acceptable (for snapshooters) picture size. Sometimes it is called the 'Adam' of the folding pocket cameras and I think this is true. After the FPK many folding cameras followed, produced by almost all companies, well into the 1950's or 60's. Read more on my site and in my (Dutch language) article.
The camera for sale is in good condition and only needs a bit of Venetian cream to restore the color of the body. (No, I am not selling it. It is a fine camera and I hope it gets a good home.)

Landscape and plant

Here's another example of a reflected landscape. I rotated the original photo, transfered it to black & white / sepia and added some old paper effect. The result is sinister, but I like it.

I had seen some dried out plants when I took the landscapes and I also photographed them, but I wasn't satisfied with the results. I went back yesterday when there was more sun and tried again. This time I am more pleased with the result. No tricks or funny stuff, just plain and pure photography.

Landscapes

Once in a while a take my working camera (Sony Alpha 700) and go out to try my luck. This weekend I felt the urge to do so. Here are two results. One is a more classic landscape, but it has the elements of what I like to do: searching for hidden landscapes, for a mysterious world that is there and at the same time is not there. This are the reflections in water, ice, glass. The second photo is an example of a reflexion in partially frozen water. I also applied some effects so that it is hardly recognizable as a photo.

Naked Kodaks, continued

There's a couple of naked Kodaks again on eBay. This time a No. 2 Bulls-eye and a No. 3 Bulls-eye.
 

Both are sold by the same seller, who, as I happen to know, has had naked Kodaks in the past. He's honest and tells that the leather was stripped off. Well, the result is pretty. Rather dull camera's are made into nice objects for the mantelpiece, with warm colored wood and shiny brass. OK, if that's what you want. Collectors of Kodaks or other old cameras don't buy things like this, I think. Or do they?

Not stripped of its coat is the No. 1 Panoram with leather case. A nice set, with one bid at the moment, at $ 0.99. Case is worn, but could be fixed with some TLC. Also interesting is a C Daylight Kodak that needs a large amount of TLC. Leather is missing on parts and the door of the film back and the pull string & knob are also missing. Starts at $ 9.99 (has reserve). Seller ships to the USA only. Bad luck for the large collecting community in the rest of the world (yes, there is a world outside of the USA!), but if you are interested you always can ask. It's a nice job for a restorer. I hope it doesn't end naked....
 

What's going on

 

My No. 4 Folding Kodet Junior is going to make a big trip (16.453 km) to the other side of the world (photo below) for a beauty treatment. As you can see in the photo at the left it needs a large amount of TLC.

I also mailed my newest article about the Eastman Interchangeable View camera (1886 - 1890) to the editor of Photohistorisch Tijdschrift. I hope it will be published this spring or summer. The article will contain detailed information on production data and numbers made. Here's a Wordle that I made from the text, to give you an impression ;)

Restoration

Yesterday I got a mail with two pictures: one of a No. 4 Folding Kodet Special camera as it was bought and one of the same camera after restoration. I had mentioned the camera in my blog of November 2nd 2010, when it was for sale on eBay and the new owner thought I would like to see it now. Indeed I enjoyed seeing the photos. I share them with you here. Photos were made by the new owner and restorer, Harry Wilson from Australia.

I really admire the wonderful job that was done and I'm glad this rare camera is restored in such a fine way.

Here's another example, also done by Harry Wilson.

 

eBay watch - Boston Bulls eye camera

Again there is an interesting historical camera for sale at eBay. This time it's a Boston Bull's-eye box camera from 1892 - 1895. In the race during the 1890s to win the favor of the snapshooting photographer many manufacturers tried to design cameras that were more compact and more easy to use. The Bulls-eye camera from the Boston Camera Mfg Co was a milestone. It incorporated 3 innovative features that eventualy were used in all the simple boxes up to the 1960s. These are:

1. daylight loading roll film with paper backing
2. front roll design: spools placed in front of the plane of focus
3. red window to read the numbers of the exposures on the backing paper

These 3 together made a very compact, easy to use en cheaper camera. It should have been a succes, but is wasn't until George Eastman bought the whole Boston Camera Mfg Co on August 23, 1895. The Boston Bulls-eye became the Eastman No. 2 Bulls-eye, a very succesful camera that was sold until 1913.
I have written an extensive article about the camera (in Dutch) which you can find here. Even if you can't read it, it is worthwhile looking at the illustrations.

The camera that is for sale is a wooden version. Buy it now price is US$ 400. I think this is too much, considering the condition it is in. The key is missing. A piece of wood is missing along the top front and the lacquer is very worn. But bidding starts at $ 10, so you can take a chance. It is a rare camera!
See my ebonite specimen here.