Vest Pocket Autographic Kodak, with photos.
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- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2021
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Let's take a look at this Kodak from period in time of great social change.
Thank you for the video. I just got a kodak from a family member and want to know more about it. This video was really helpful.
Very informative video, thanks. I recently purchased this camera and your comments help a lot. Besides checking the bellows, I'll light seal the top film door before I shoot my roll. The fact the pictures are a bit off makes the photos more interesting in my opinion.
Thank you for the video, sir. I just bought this camera as a gift to my brother. What an amazing little camera it is!
Muito legal meu sobrinho....muito delicada mas bastante bonita.
Hello Nick, Thank you for your comment. I hope your brother likes his gift, thank you for sharing.
All the best
MVC
30:30 I've seen that someone eles took put foam from a light seal kit into the film door. that could be a more permanent solution to your photo fogging problem. I know it's not entirely period correct, but it's better than electrical tape or tin foil.
I have 5 of these and shot film through two.... First one was totally fogged..... But the second gave me vintage photo's of my boys on their BMX bikes!! Really surreal images :-).
Loved the vid :-) Subbed and liked :-) Thank you :-)
Hello abetterangle, Thank you for your comments and sharing your family stories. Vintage looking BMX photos sound cool and a great alternative look to the family album!
All the best
MVC
Extremely helpful video. I was aware of these pocket Kodaks, but never expected to get one. But this past weekend I stumbled on a 1913 Autographic in an antique mall in North Carolina USA, for $45 USD. I am now the proud owner with an online order for some 127 film.
Your suggestion on exposure will be most helpful. Thank you.
Hello tommartin9731,
How did you get on with the VPK? Did you get some good shots?
All the best
MVC
I found another 127 film on Analogue Wonderland called, Rollei CrossBird Creative - 127 Film. It's apparently meant to be processed 2 different ways for different results.
What an excellent video. I have one of these, in almost mint condition. I put one roll of film through it, but I haven't got round to processing it yet!
Hi Bill, Thank you for your comments and kind words. I hope your photographs turn out well. It's an interesting little camera and I can see myself revisiting this if I come across one with a better fitting side panel.
All the best
MVC
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 I was able to fix the light leaks on my VPK with black paper-tape affixed inside the camera body, sticking up just enough to make the panel fit more tightly. Also, a piece of electrical tape to cover the red winding window. I had the same fogging you did on your negatives. Came from light leaking around the paper backing from the red window. I think over these 107 years the red has faded a bit.
I bought it today in goodwill for $8, the shutter is not stable and only at shutter speed 25.
Nice video! If you're interested in this little camera, this book might be as well: Vest Pocket Kodak and the First World War from Jon Cooksey.
Cheers!
Hello Henk, thank you for the comment and the recommendation. I shall add it to my library in due course.
I've just ordered one of these from eBay, same model as what you're demonstrating here. I have means to convert 120 film to 127, so I can use whatever emulsion I like (within the shutter and aperture limitations of the camera, of course).
The way I understand the autographic film backing, it depended on the film itself being orthochromatic -- that is, having little if any sensitivity to red light. The main backing paper did a fine job of blocking red, but passed some amount of green and blue, which was blocked by a red wax layer on the tissue paper. When you scratched a note through the autographic trap door, you broke through the wax layer, allowing the green and blue light to penetrate the backing where you'd scratched and expose the message onto the film between frames.
The other feature of autographic film was a longer space between framing numbers than in the standard films, to leave that quarter inch or so for the note without it being impressed onto the image. This made an autographic film a couple inches longer than a standard one, though either film would work in cameras with or without the autographic door, because the actual image frame was the same -- you just couldn't add notes on film that wasn't autographic (or if you managed to let light through the backing, you'd overlay the note onto the previous frame instead of having it show between frames).
I may have to come up with a way to improvise a pressure plate, though...
Hello SilntObsvr, Thank you for your comments, you are right to say the autographic feature required a specific film. These were marked with an A suffix i.e. 127A, 120A etc. I'm curious to hear about your pressure plate idea, please let me know how it turns out.
All the best
MVC
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 I found another video about extracting the Kodak Ball Bearing Shutter from models that have it, and one of the first steps is dismounting the bellows and frame gate from the film chambers and back plate. That leaves the back plate exposed, which would permit installing a card-over-foam pad around 2-3 mm thick (I'll arrive at an exact figure once mine is in hand).
A circular hole and separate pad on the removable red window plate would preserve the ability to remove that plate to clean the red window or to allow focus verification (for models with focusing lens) via frosted plastic or ground glass at the film plane.
Nice, that could work.
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 Just following up a little -- I just received a 1921 patents, meniscus lens, Ball Bearing Shutter AVPK, and mine has a sort of pressure plate in it already -- there's no more than 1 mm clearance for the film and backing paper (which, together, should be about 0.2 to 0.3 mm thick) when the loading cover is off. I wonder if the people who've had wavy looking negatives didn't have either a film tensioning problem, misaligned spools causing wrinkles, or film with a bad curl from spending too long on the spool?
Hello SilntObsvr, Thank you for your comments. Very interesting. Do you mean the tight gap itself acts as a pressure plate or your camera, sorry, Kodak has some device between the back plate and the film gate. If the former then 1mm is a gaping chasm in film terms, with some modern lenses tolerance is as little as 1/200th of a mm and in the cine industry shims are sold in fractions of a mm to ensure correct register. Now I am slightly conflating two things here, film gate and flange distance, but they all work in unison and tiny differences would make all the difference in the world.
Film tension could be at issue here and is something I would pay more attention to if I use one of these in future but the film is literally dragged across the gate I don't know is there would be enough tension in the feed roll to pull it back, but maybe. In my case the film was recently manufactured but I have seen very old 35mm films where the leader is very springy.
This is all useful stuff you raise to help us get better results when we use our antique cameras and Kodaks however seeing and noting these issues today also gives us some insights about how cameras have developed and been refined over the years. Early cameras no pressure plate + wrinkled film. The manufacturers would know or soon find our and develop a solution and newer cameras have a pressure plate or other refinement.
Thanks again, it's very interesting.
MVC
I’ve learned so much about the camera, I mean the Kodak! Thank-you. How can one find out which year it was manufactured? The one I have is my grandfather’s , he got it as a child from his reporter and diplomat uncle as he was fleeing the Russian Revolution in 1917. Yes… not much has changed in a century in that part of the world. My granddad used his till the 1950s . I’ll be reviving it this year for sure, now that I know how it works. My model which is identical to yours has a lens that sticks out by about 6 or 7mm and has №1 written on it.
Hello Élisabeth B. de K. Thank you for your comment. That is a very interesting history you have for your VPK, thank you for sharing it with us. The serial number can be found on the reverse of the chrome foot that folds down to help it stand. This can be looked up via camera wiki who have done a great job here:- camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vest_Pocket_Kodak_serial_numbers
All the best
MVC
This cameras has interesting 3d efect photos
How does the autographic part work? Does the film go through there?
Thanks for the video. Do you know if the developer could print a photo onto a bigger size card or could it only be done at the time of taking the photo as you've described? By the way, I'm in Australia but I've also got a photo of that church in Hitchin!
Hello Sasha, Thank you for your comment. Kokak made a daylight enlarger which was a card square sided tube, the negative went in one end and a postcard sized sheet of sensitised paper the other. This was then exposed to daylight and you got a postcard print, once developed in dishes of course. A commercial darkroom, most likely your local pharmacy at the time could of course print at other sizes for you but albums were really geared to contact prints or postcards.
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 thank you so much!
Hi ! Great video thank you. A couple of questions if I may as I have just come across one of these cameras. It appears to have a film in it. The window shows the number 44. And behind the autographic flap there is a number 5. Does this mean there are 44 photos on the film that have been taken ?? I recall you said the films held 8 shots ?! Thanks !
Hello DaveSandy
Thank you for your comment.
Not sure where the 44 comes from but yes, you get 8 shots. I would be mindded in your position to wind the fillm to the end and get it developed then start again with a new film.
Kind regards
MVC
Thank you. The winder seems quite stiff and I’m scared of breaking something. Which way should it wind to do this please ? I know nothing of vintage cameras I’m afraid ! Cheers
Would you know what the value of a Kodak like this will be in 2022 ?
Hello dulceinea3028, Thank you for your comment. There were many versions of this Kodak and of course condition is important. For one like mine I would think about £10-20. Top money would be around £60, at least that's as much as I would pay for a nice one. There are one or two rare ones with Zeiss lenses and a focusing lens or fast aperture, those will be worth quite a bot more.
All the best
MVC
Hello could you please link the online manual for this camera? I haven’t been able to find much.
Hello Adam, Thank you for your comment. You can find most at www.butkus.org/chinon/minox.htm
Just an observation on why your photos are slightly out of focus. Your struts are slightly bent. The front is not perfectly parallel to the camera body and was likely dropped at some point in it's life. This is critical because this model does not have any focus adjustments. A simple bit of work should bring it back if you're handy.
it's very interesting I have a Zeiss Ikon Piccoletle camera (model with a Zeiss lens). The camera's appearance is very similar. But the skirt was damaged and I didn't have time to fix it (including money) because I didn't know where to find film for it in the age of expensive camera film.
Several months later I was fortunate to receive another new camera from a veteran, an Agfa Jsorette 1936 camera. By that time I had enough money to fix it. and have three old cameras So I picked up all three from Kodak Pocket no.1 120, Piccoletle and Agfa Jsorette to look at before deciding to send the Jsorette to the camera technician CLA. Because it is the least damaged and saves the film the most. Two cameras will have similar problems. It's more difficult to shoot. And it can only take up to 8 photos, while Agfa Jsorette can shoot up to 12 in 6x6 and 16 in 4.5x6, and it's also easier to take pictures. So I decided to fix this new camera instead and use it for photography. The result of the picture that came out made me feel very good. Unfortunately, during this year, film for photographing the size of 120 has increased many times the original price. including size 135 but still cheaper than 120 At least choosing to repair Agfa cameras before they can take more pictures in the film era is the cheapest option at this time.
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More I just came to know that the reason Agfa company created this camera is because At that time, film was very expensive as well, so it was equipped with a system that made more images available to both ordinary and novice photographers who wanted to shoot more pictures in different places. It is a concept that responds the most for the film camera era as well as in this era.
Hello Wrecked Boy, Thank you do much for your comments. It sounds like you have quite a collection forming there. There were a number of 6X9cm cameras with fold-over masking plates in the film gate to reduce them to 6X4.5cm or 6X6cm, generally they have two film viewing windows on the back. The 127 film used in this Kodak was also an attempt to make photography more affordable and everyday as it is a 4cm wide format. Film from the pre 1970's was actually better quality in some ways as it had more silver in it but the inflation of the 70's caused manufacturing to move to using less. You make an interesting point about how the economics of any given period might affect camera design, usage and cost. I wonder if an economics post grad somewhere might write a paper linking photography usage to an economic gauge? I mean there is a "Big Mac" index after all! Maybe not however. Thanks again for your comments, I hope you continue to enjoy Vintage Photography.
All the best
MVC
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 Oh thank you for replying
I am very fond of film photography. Even though 120 size film is starting to double the price as far as i'm not mistaken I've heard that Kodak is starting to shift itself into the same line that Leica does, focusing on luxury and professionalism, after a long absence. By focusing on selling their own brand and history. Which is good news, I guess, but the bad news is that they have raised their film prices by two to three times the original price. Kodak's color film has increased in price from the original price is not very expensive. Until now the price has surpassed 30+ dollars. For 120 film 5 rolls 1 box
So I went back to that old method. Going back to black and white photography where the price is still more stable and the cheaper expired film doesn't have much effect on black and white film like Foma or Shanghai film. They are very cheap. Although the quality or details are not much, suitable for photography practice, but the price is good. Now I'm thinking of trying to get some Kodak expired film to try because as I said before, black and white expired film doesn't have much effect. I take pictures normally, but it depends on the merchant's storage method. That one I hope I will find a film that is not very damaged and in good condition, not expensive. As for the cheap films, some of them might have been bought by someone who likes photography too if I was too late. Haha.
Anyway, thank you very much for replying. I hope you have a good day ^^
Wow thirty bucks for five colour 120 films seem very low here as Porta 160 is £68 (about $80) for a box of five. It's all relative of course. Ultimately we need companies to keep making film and if that's the price they need to make it worth while then I guess so be it. The alternative is if we all start making our own wet plates!
@@mostlyvintagecameras4323 I think it should depend on the cost of living of each locality as well. But yes, it is worth the import duty too. The worst that followed for me right now is The photo shop around my house has stopped cleaning the black and white film. As for the color film, there are only a handful of filmmakers left. In addition to having to do wet plates and have to wash the film by myself, this work, haha
Nice video. How much for something like this?
Hello David, Thank you for your comment. Prices vary dramatically but for a nice one about £30 should get you a little choice. There were one or two better version either with a Zeiss focusing lens or a faster than 7.7 aperture and they will fetch a significant premium. I'd be wary about anyone inflating the price with claims about it being used in the trenches etc, there were so many of them that this isn't really that special (unless it comes with an original receipt showing it was sold to a named officer etc) of course. You also have to accept as with mine, it might not work very well after all these years!
En' sin.
I saw one for 50 i should but it
Hello Liek5949, Thank you for your comments. To be frank it is hard to say as your circumstances can never be known to me and individual cameras can vary in spec and condition as well. I would say this is not a camera for a first time film photographer, there is quite a lot of faf involved in using t and even in getting film for it. However if you are an experianced photographer looking to get a feel for early turn of the centuray cameras this was widly used, the same if you collect items from this period. £50 or $50 does sould on the high side so I'd want one in relly good condition for that price or else one of the latter ones with focussing lens.
Hope this helps and if you buy it or not I hope you enjoy shooting with film whatever camera you have/choose.
All the best
MVC