Nice video. I recently bought a UK-made No.2 Brownie which came with the original instruction booklet. According to the instructions the biggest aperture is "about equal to f.16", which would seem to confirm that the aperture settings are in fact f.16, f.22 and f.32. The instructions also caution against using the smallest aperture for anything other than timed exposures, but was probably because most ortho film back in the 1930s was no faster than ISO50. With today's fast films, that's no longer a problem.
Thank you for the information! I was starting to think that was the case. And yeah, it's funny how different things were with the older film when you read the manual. Thanks for watching, cheers.
@@nomadben No problem. Quick question - do you scan your own films, or do you have them done by a lab? The reason I ask is that the slide film examples in your video might be better exposed than they seem. They look quite contrasty, and my flatbed scanner has a lot of trouble scanning dense transparencies which look good when inspected by eye, but turn out dark and muddy when digitised.
@@snapsnappist4529 You know, I honestly can't remember on that particular roll. I scanned a lot of those pictures myself on a flatbed. But the film didn't look much better in person, and the rest of the roll was so poorly exposed that there weren't any images at all.
The 120 film was invented in 1901 for this camera. Who would of thought that this film and camera was still being used over 100 years later in 2020. Amazing thanks
Nice! I've got an older Model E, so it dates from between 1919 and 1924, and has the older wood and cardboard construction. I've really enjoyed using it, and I've even sold a landscape picture I shot with it. I've always tended to use the widest aperture when shooting with it, but I'm keen to try and make more educated use of the apertures available. It's a really, really basic camera, but surprisingly capable when used with a bit of care.
I just picked up from Brownie number 2 Model E last month. Looking forward to using it. I have used box cameras before my other one is an art deco 620 camera.
It's kind of interesting to see these extremely old cameras that are at least a century old have better quality than my tablet. Kind of disappointing on the digital side but the quality of this camera is much better than I actually thought. Great vid!
I've had my grandma's model E brownie from 1920-21 since I was 12 and only in the last few years discovered you can still get film for it. I just loaded film into it for the first time since it was last used probably 80 years ago and i'm excited to try it out!
By far the best video around on Brownie's, and helped me a lot. I recently bought one and I thought I knew how to use it, but I learned a thing or two from this. Thanks.
Just getting into my Brownie 2 now. After a few more advanced vintage cameras turned out to be very disappointing I was very surprised at the quality of this camera. Cheers from Scotland
Great short tutorial...and really good looking photos considering it has a simple lens. Images look quite sharp in the center but a bit soft at the perimeter as you mentioned. But for such a simple 100 year old camera that had no comparison to todays lenses and being what it is (a box camera with rotary shutter) it looks like a fun camera to play around with. Just got one myself and excited to get out and use it. I will probably cover my red window as you did but will place a small disk of black construction paper on the tape where it covers the window so it doesn't get gummed up by the tape adhesive. Thanks again.
Great review. Not sure the electrical tape is required. There were many cameras made when we were well into panchromatic film that still used the red window. The film backing paper is lightproof, I guess it may depend on how long the film is in the camera. Many plastic Kodak Brownies used the red window.
This is a super helpful video, thanks! I have my godmother's old Brownie 2A (it was probably her father's), and now I want to try it out. I think I'll use painter's tape instead of electrical, as it doesn't leave any residue. Your photos are outstanding too!
I love it… I collect film cameras. I’m in my usual secret place just now looking at the offerings…. I find a BEAUTIFUL minty clean #2 F, and Red actually. $55. I left it there, but now home I watch your great vid, and you are in Seattle, LOL. I too live here, North Seattle, Carkeek Park. Man, I may just go back and buy that camera, this is all too cool seeing your Seattle photos. Thanks!
My Brownie No 2 was made in England and has a hinged back. I use 100 iso Fomapan black and white film and develop in Rodinal. I also have a Kodak Vest Pocket Kodak Auto graphic from 1915 that I have just renovated. 127 film is available here in the UK from Analogue wonderland.
This is the first time I've watched one of your video's and it was very informative and well thought out!! I like seeing older cameras being used and I love the simplicity of them!! To me that makes photography fun. Again a great video. Best of luck in your photography journey. Duane
Wow! Those images are great. Never thought about using one, but saw one in a shop the other day for $12, so I'll be going back for it next chance I get. Great video and explanatiin on this camera too.
Great video! May I suggest gaffer tape instead of vinyl electrical tape for light-proofing? I use it with my Voigtlander cameras, Kodak Brownie 3A folding camera, and Brownie Target Six-16 camera. It doesn’t leave a residue and won’t damage the red window or leatherette covering.
The camera founded amateur photography. The format is as big 6x9 cm to make contact prints. I have a Agfa Clack and also good experience and a lot of fun.
I just bought a same brownie model f. : ) This video will help me a lot to use that. (question: Do you recommend me to buy a portrait attachment for the brownie?)
I wish you would make more videos. You should make videos in the vain of the pc build. Unusual tech/pc projects or oddities. There's some already lole LGR and Techmoan, and you have all the skills to become a really popular youtuber and your style is unique and awesome. You just need to make videos consistently and eventually the algorthtm will takes notice. It really will.
@@nomadben no lol the blue hatchback a cross from it. The funny thing is that there are probably more p1800s left than 9000s. Btw, where did you find film for the brownie, might buy one
@@gabrielgomez2483 Oh, I didn't even notice it lol. You can get the film at any camera shop that still sells film. You might have one locally, or you can get it from any of the major sites, like B&H or Adorama.
Some time ago, I bought Brownie no. 2_A / Kodak No. 116 / Made in Canada. I am a complete amateur, but I am very interested in portrait photography, which is why I bought this old thing. I am asking for advice - is it possible to take pictures from the hand with this camera, or is it better to put it on a tripod? Which aperture should be used in the room: small, medium or large? Thank you also for the movie - thanks to it I was able to repair the mirror system in the camera. Greetings from Poland.
Sorry I for not replying, I don't remember seeing your comment before. You can definitely take handheld shots with it, but you need quite a bit of light to do so, so it's best to be outdoors for that. If you're indoors, it's definitely best to use the largest aperture. You might even need to use a tripod and do a long exposure depending on how bright the room is. I'm so glad I could help! I hope you've been able to have fun with your new camera.
@@nomadben Many thanks. To tell you the truth, I forgot about this post because other things came to the fore. Of course, I appreciate the fact that you replied and it will make me pick up my camera again. Best regards and all the best.
Hey man, I love this vidéo and the pictures you're making with this camera... very inspiring ! Do you think it's possible to print large pictures with it ? What would be the maximum size without loosing too much ? Thanks
Thank you! Yes you definitely could, but it's totally up to you what you think is acceptable quality, and what the viewing distance will be. You can get pretty decent resolution, but it will never be tack sharp. I recommend just doing some testing.
Glad you like them. Ektar was designed to look like those classic slide films, from what I understand. Those scans were made on a crappy flatbed scanner too, so a good scan would look much better.
Thanks for introducing!!! Btw may I ask what’s the iso on your film and do the aperture affect the picture lighting?( I know it must be yes, but how I do know which aperture should I take in order to get the photo out under a good normal exposure? Thank you very much !
Brilliant introduction just been given my Grandad's 2A unfortunately for 116 film so going to struggle getting some shots with it but will try. Needs a bit of TLC so going to do this first.
Thanks. I've actually already started working on it, but I lost the motivation for a while. But I'm glad to know that some people are actually looking forward to it. I have a lot more free time now, so I'll see if I can get it out within the next two weeks.
Man, that would be sick! I love your videos. Especially the ones you've obviously put effort into. Your $100 Business Laptop video is my favorite. I love what you did with it. The cinematography was good, and the background narrative was interesting. I am looking forward to the video, and I hope you have just as much fun making it as you obviously had with the Business Laptop video. Can't wait to see what you have in store Ben! Keep up the great work!
This might be the stupidest question ever asked about a brownie, but what is the “sharpest” aperture available here? Or are they all fairly comparable? I guess I’m curious how to make the best of a less-than-optimal situation.
I can't remember my results exactly, but the smallest aperture setting should theoretically be the sharpest. But regardless, the lens will be sharpest in the middle, and soft around the edges. There's not much you can do about that, but it can make for a nice style.
nomadben thank you, I guess I figured as much. Only so much you can do. Expecting tack sharp photos is kinda besides the point anyway! I always kinda wanted a Brownie, I might Ebay one and experiment for a bit of quarantine fun
It’s actually super disappointing that images come out so sharp like this. Given how old it is you would expect them to have designed a very wide aperture for taking pictorial style photographs, instead it takes sharper images and of higher definition than an iPhone 14 pro max lmao
What do you think the tooling to make a new one of these would cost? Nobody makes anything like this and I suspect the patents are lapsed on this design.
That's an interesting question, but I have no idea how to answer it. The tooling probably wouldn't cost much at all, relatively. The limited demand is probably what would prevent it from having a good business case.
You could probably make one of these fairly easily, the only complex component would be the lens. You could probably even 3D print a lot of the parts if you weren't too fussed about the materials.
@@Alex-RealApplebees You're welcome! You'll be able to use the 400 b&w negative film just fine if it's what you have. In full sunlight with the smallest aperture, I think you'll only be a stop or two overexposed, which won't affect the image much, it'll just give you a denser negative. Negative film can tolerate a ton of overexposure. I once overexposed a roll of b&w by probably about 3 stops, and I didn't even notice it!
@@nomadben Hey thank you so much for your wonderful advice! Ive just started shooting with film in January so I still have much to learn. This Brownie is my first 120 format camera, probably not the best camera to introduce a 35 user to a new format, but hey It'll work!
You can develop the film yourself, find a local lab to bring it to, or send it out. I'd recommend finding a local lab if there's one near you. Then you can have your film scanned into digital files (recommended), or you can make prints, or both.
Nice video. I recently bought a UK-made No.2 Brownie which came with the original instruction booklet. According to the instructions the biggest aperture is "about equal to f.16", which would seem to confirm that the aperture settings are in fact f.16, f.22 and f.32.
The instructions also caution against using the smallest aperture for anything other than timed exposures, but was probably because most ortho film back in the 1930s was no faster than ISO50. With today's fast films, that's no longer a problem.
Thank you for the information! I was starting to think that was the case. And yeah, it's funny how different things were with the older film when you read the manual.
Thanks for watching, cheers.
@@nomadben No problem. Quick question - do you scan your own films, or do you have them done by a lab? The reason I ask is that the slide film examples in your video might be better exposed than they seem. They look quite contrasty, and my flatbed scanner has a lot of trouble scanning dense transparencies which look good when inspected by eye, but turn out dark and muddy when digitised.
@@snapsnappist4529 You know, I honestly can't remember on that particular roll. I scanned a lot of those pictures myself on a flatbed. But the film didn't look much better in person, and the rest of the roll was so poorly exposed that there weren't any images at all.
I love vintage film cameras. I collect them, use them.
I like this video a lot.
You took really good photos with the Brownie.
Thank you for sharing.
@@vvmmm1 What a nice comment, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
The 120 film was invented in 1901 for this camera. Who would of thought that this film and camera was still being used over 100 years later in 2020. Amazing thanks
Nice! I've got an older Model E, so it dates from between 1919 and 1924, and has the older wood and cardboard construction. I've really enjoyed using it, and I've even sold a landscape picture I shot with it. I've always tended to use the widest aperture when shooting with it, but I'm keen to try and make more educated use of the apertures available. It's a really, really basic camera, but surprisingly capable when used with a bit of care.
Very nice! That's awesome. I agree.
I just picked up from Brownie number 2 Model E last month. Looking forward to using it. I have used box cameras before my other one is an art deco 620 camera.
Just bought a No. 2 Model B. You gave me enough to understand sliders and how to load film. BRAVO! Using it for teaching Intro to Photo.
Thank you! I'm so glad I could help. I'm sure your students will find it interesting.
It's kind of interesting to see these extremely old cameras that are at least a century old have better quality than my tablet. Kind of disappointing on the digital side but the quality of this camera is much better than I actually thought. Great vid!
I've had my grandma's model E brownie from 1920-21 since I was 12 and only in the last few years discovered you can still get film for it. I just loaded film into it for the first time since it was last used probably 80 years ago and i'm excited to try it out!
That's awesome!
How did you get on?
By far the best video around on Brownie's, and helped me a lot. I recently bought one and I thought I knew how to use it, but I learned a thing or two from this. Thanks.
Thank you very much Jon! I'm glad I could help.
This is a great camera review. The cameras simplicity of photography lends itself to now. The future. Thank you for refreshing peoples memory's.
Thanks Philip, glad you enjoyed it.
Well mad video and great photos
Much appreciated Taylor
My great-grand uncle had one and I have many great family photos from 1900-1925. My mother had one as well.
What a crazy camera! Those images at the end are incredible. there is such a vintage vibe to them. I really like the glow for the night stuff too.
Just getting into my Brownie 2 now. After a few more advanced vintage cameras turned out to be very disappointing I was very surprised at the quality of this camera. Cheers from Scotland
Excellent video and amazing pictures!!! Today i bought a Kodak Brownie like this one and i can't wait to use it!! Thanks!!
Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad I could help. Happy shooting.
Thanks so much! Now I am more inspired to use my Brownie. Love the sample pictures you shared from this camera.
Thank you Marcelo!
At this point I have no idea what this channel is and I love it. Fascinating camera, I love the framewindow
I have many interests lol. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
@@nomadben I'll watch whatever you put out. Once subscribed, never unsubscribed.
@@theproducertm That means a lot, I appreciate it!
Great short tutorial...and really good looking photos considering it has a simple lens. Images look quite sharp in the center but a bit soft at the perimeter as you mentioned. But for such a simple 100 year old camera that had no comparison to todays lenses and being what it is (a box camera with rotary shutter) it looks like a fun camera to play around with. Just got one myself and excited to get out and use it. I will probably cover my red window as you did but will place a small disk of black construction paper on the tape where it covers the window so it doesn't get gummed up by the tape adhesive. Thanks again.
Thanks a bunch David! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you have fun shooting with your Brownie.
Great review. Not sure the electrical tape is required. There were many cameras made when we were well into panchromatic film that still used the red window. The film backing paper is lightproof, I guess it may depend on how long the film is in the camera. Many plastic Kodak Brownies used the red window.
Awesome camera history
Great Channel! I learn and I have fun! I Love this guy!
This is a super helpful video, thanks! I have my godmother's old Brownie 2A (it was probably her father's), and now I want to try it out. I think I'll use painter's tape instead of electrical, as it doesn't leave any residue. Your photos are outstanding too!
I'm glad I could help. Good luck with your Brownie!
I love it… I collect film cameras. I’m in my usual secret place just now looking at the offerings….
I find a BEAUTIFUL minty clean #2 F, and Red actually.
$55. I left it there, but now home I watch your great vid, and you are in Seattle, LOL.
I too live here, North Seattle, Carkeek Park.
Man, I may just go back and buy that camera, this is all too cool seeing your Seattle photos. Thanks!
Small world! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Carkeek Park is really nice.
Have fun shooting!
My Brownie No 2 was made in England and has a hinged back.
I use 100 iso Fomapan black and white film and develop in Rodinal.
I also have a Kodak Vest Pocket Kodak Auto graphic from 1915 that I have just renovated.
127 film is available here in the UK from Analogue wonderland.
cute looking camera!
I've just found this camera and this video really helped me out!! cant wait to use it!
Thanks Rich! Happy to help!
This is the first time I've watched one of your video's and it was very informative and well thought out!!
I like seeing older cameras being used and I love the simplicity of them!! To me that makes photography fun.
Again a great video.
Best of luck in your photography journey.
Duane
Thank you very much for your kind words Duane! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@@nomadben
Thank you for your quick reply.
Not too many youtube channels ever reply back and replying back is a class act on your part!!
Thanks again!
Thanks for this vid! Very helpful! Picked up a brownie today from a thrift store for $8 and want to actually use it!
That's awesome! I'm glad I could help.
Wow! Those images are great. Never thought about using one, but saw one in a shop the other day for $12, so I'll be going back for it next chance I get. Great video and explanatiin on this camera too.
Thank you! Happy to help. Have fun shooting.
This video is mega helpful! Thanks a lot for such detailed instructions.
I'm glad I could help!
Great video! May I suggest gaffer tape instead of vinyl electrical tape for light-proofing? I use it with my Voigtlander cameras, Kodak Brownie 3A folding camera, and Brownie Target Six-16 camera. It doesn’t leave a residue and won’t damage the red window or leatherette covering.
Thanks! That's a good suggestion, Ed.
The camera founded amateur photography. The format is as big 6x9 cm to make contact prints.
I have a Agfa Clack and also good experience and a lot of fun.
Excellent video. Thanks! I learned a lot 👍
Really appreciate that, friend! I'm glad to help.
Great video
I just bought a same brownie model f. : )
This video will help me a lot to use that.
(question: Do you recommend me to buy a portrait attachment for the brownie?)
I'm happy to help! And no, I wouldn't worry about the portrait attachment. Just have fun with it :)
I don’t think you said what film you used for the first few black&whites?
Various Ilford films. All of their stuff is good
I wish you would make more videos. You should make videos in the vain of the pc build. Unusual tech/pc projects or oddities. There's some already lole LGR and Techmoan, and you have all the skills to become a really popular youtuber and your style is unique and awesome. You just need to make videos consistently and eventually the algorthtm will takes notice. It really will.
I really appreciate that. I have some ideas. It's just getting around to doing it.
Why don’t was you upload anymore 😭
Nice video.
12:12 yooooooo saab 9000!!! Love that car so much. Wonder who owns it
That's actually a Volvo P1800, but yeah, it's a pretty cool car.
@@nomadben no lol the blue hatchback a cross from it. The funny thing is that there are probably more p1800s left than 9000s. Btw, where did you find film for the brownie, might buy one
@@gabrielgomez2483 Oh, I didn't even notice it lol. You can get the film at any camera shop that still sells film. You might have one locally, or you can get it from any of the major sites, like B&H or Adorama.
Some time ago, I bought Brownie no. 2_A / Kodak No. 116 / Made in Canada. I am a complete amateur, but I am very interested in portrait photography, which is why I bought this old thing. I am asking for advice - is it possible to take pictures from the hand with this camera, or is it better to put it on a tripod? Which aperture should be used in the room: small, medium or large? Thank you also for the movie - thanks to it I was able to repair the mirror system in the camera. Greetings from Poland.
Sorry I for not replying, I don't remember seeing your comment before.
You can definitely take handheld shots with it, but you need quite a bit of light to do so, so it's best to be outdoors for that. If you're indoors, it's definitely best to use the largest aperture. You might even need to use a tripod and do a long exposure depending on how bright the room is.
I'm so glad I could help! I hope you've been able to have fun with your new camera.
@@nomadben Many thanks. To tell you the truth, I forgot about this post because other things came to the fore. Of course, I appreciate the fact that you replied and it will make me pick up my camera again. Best regards and all the best.
Informative video
Hola!, ¿como puedo limpiar los cristales y los metales de la cámara? Thanks!
Hey man, I love this vidéo and the pictures you're making with this camera... very inspiring ! Do you think it's possible to print large pictures with it ? What would be the maximum size without loosing too much ? Thanks
Thank you! Yes you definitely could, but it's totally up to you what you think is acceptable quality, and what the viewing distance will be. You can get pretty decent resolution, but it will never be tack sharp. I recommend just doing some testing.
@@nomadben Thanks:)
those ektar images look like they rendered almost like kodachrome to my eyes, the contrast just looks right for early colour photography.
Glad you like them. Ektar was designed to look like those classic slide films, from what I understand. Those scans were made on a crappy flatbed scanner too, so a good scan would look much better.
What speed film do you recommend for b&w negative film?
nice channel mate
I've got one. Good pix.
Thanks for introducing!!! Btw may I ask what’s the iso on your film and do the aperture affect the picture lighting?( I know it must be yes, but how I do know which aperture should I take in order to get the photo out under a good normal exposure? Thank you very much !
Brilliant introduction just been given my Grandad's 2A unfortunately for 116 film so going to struggle getting some shots with it but will try. Needs a bit of TLC so going to do this first.
Thanks! Best of luck shooting.
This is interesting, and I like the video, but I'm wondering, when is the monitor video coming?
Thanks. I've actually already started working on it, but I lost the motivation for a while. But I'm glad to know that some people are actually looking forward to it. I have a lot more free time now, so I'll see if I can get it out within the next two weeks.
Man, that would be sick! I love your videos. Especially the ones you've obviously put effort into. Your $100 Business Laptop video is my favorite. I love what you did with it. The cinematography was good, and the background narrative was interesting.
I am looking forward to the video, and I hope you have just as much fun making it as you obviously had with the Business Laptop video.
Can't wait to see what you have in store Ben! Keep up the great work!
@@delve_ I really really appreciate the support! Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the laptop video so much. I'll try my best!
Your best is all you can do. I'm rooting for you. See you later, Ben. Can't wait to hear more of your wonderful voice, as well!
This might be the stupidest question ever asked about a brownie, but what is the “sharpest” aperture available here? Or are they all fairly comparable? I guess I’m curious how to make the best of a less-than-optimal situation.
I can't remember my results exactly, but the smallest aperture setting should theoretically be the sharpest. But regardless, the lens will be sharpest in the middle, and soft around the edges. There's not much you can do about that, but it can make for a nice style.
nomadben thank you, I guess I figured as much. Only so much you can do. Expecting tack sharp photos is kinda besides the point anyway! I always kinda wanted a Brownie, I might Ebay one and experiment for a bit of quarantine fun
@@MrRom92DAW Cool, yeah it's worth a try. They can be a lot of fun.
It’s actually super disappointing that images come out so sharp like this. Given how old it is you would expect them to have designed a very wide aperture for taking pictorial style photographs, instead it takes sharper images and of higher definition than an iPhone 14 pro max lmao
I'm going to try and get a Model B Brownie.
What do you think the tooling to make a new one of these would cost? Nobody makes anything like this and I suspect the patents are lapsed on this design.
That's an interesting question, but I have no idea how to answer it. The tooling probably wouldn't cost much at all, relatively. The limited demand is probably what would prevent it from having a good business case.
You could probably make one of these fairly easily, the only complex component would be the lens. You could probably even 3D print a lot of the parts if you weren't too fussed about the materials.
Yours is a UK model, as it has an early winder.
It says
“Made in USA”
I just recently became the owner of a Brownie, what would you recommend for a film speed?
Use 100 or 125 for outdoor daylight shots, and go as fast as you want for anything else.
@@nomadben Thank you very much! I will certainly find some lower speed films for it, after I use up some 400 b&w that was gifted to me.
@@Alex-RealApplebees You're welcome! You'll be able to use the 400 b&w negative film just fine if it's what you have. In full sunlight with the smallest aperture, I think you'll only be a stop or two overexposed, which won't affect the image much, it'll just give you a denser negative. Negative film can tolerate a ton of overexposure.
I once overexposed a roll of b&w by probably about 3 stops, and I didn't even notice it!
@@nomadben Hey thank you so much for your wonderful advice! Ive just started shooting with film in January so I still have much to learn. This Brownie is my first 120 format camera, probably not the best camera to introduce a 35 user to a new format, but hey It'll work!
Good!!!
I actually own a model c and a model one A
Please make more videos.
Thank you, I'll try.
Do i have to send my photos somewhere to get developed???
You can develop the film yourself, find a local lab to bring it to, or send it out. I'd recommend finding a local lab if there's one near you. Then you can have your film scanned into digital files (recommended), or you can make prints, or both.
Have you quit? Or are you just on hiatus?
Hiatus I suppose. There's stuff I want to do, but I just never care enough to get around to it.
Alright. Well, I'll be waiting for when you're ready to return :)
@@delve_ Many thanks my friend.
made in 1900...wow thats old!
If you make more pc videos, you will make lots of $$$
I literally found mine in a dumpster! Lol
Wow! Does it work?
Nice video.