Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash [Antique]
- Antique camera [with metal wind knob early 50's model]
- Uses 620 film [no longer avail.] 120 film can be modified to work
- Flash model
- First point and shoot camera in production
Vintage early 50′s Kodak Brownie Hawkeye.
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Review by Joanne Bouthillier for Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash [Antique]
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I have been an antique camera collector for many years, and I just love the old Kodak line of Brownie Box cameras. Particularly this camera (the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash) which I believe was produced sometime in the late 1950′s and perhaps early 1960′s. The one I have is a later model, because of its plastic advance knob.
Despite a common misconception about this camera, YES you can indeed use 120 film, and despite another misconception no modifications to the spool are needed! The 120 spool fits quite nicely in the reserve part of the film chamber, and it is relatively easy to load the camera. However you do need to use an original 620 spool for the take up (be sure to ask the photofinisher to return the spool!) With this camera you will be able to get 12 shots on a standard roll of 120 film, the frames on the negative will be square (about 2 ¼ inches by 2 ¼ inches each frame). As a result, the prints themselves will also be square and will be typically printed out at 5 inches by 5 inches (depending on the photofinisher).
The picture quality is nothing short of amazing, very sharp and crisp, and yet at the same time a slight softness that you really can not achieve with a digital camera. The pictures that you can get out of this camera are far superior than anything you could ever hope to get out of a Holga, Diana (or any other of those plastic over-hyped, overpriced pieces of junk).
A couple of recommendations that I can offer in using the camera would be to use a slower speed of film (such as 100ISO or 160ISO) this is due to the camera’s relatively slow shutter speed (which is about 1/30th sec), and the camera’s aperture (which is about f11). With that said, as for ideal shooting conditions, I would recommend outdoors on a bright sunny or partly cloudy day, I suppose indoors (if you had some sort of flash) Also make sure to hold the camera really still (I would suggest using some sort of stand or tripod) to help steady the camera.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this camera if you are an antique camera collector, or you just want to experiment with 120 film without having to pay an arm or a leg, or jumping on the over-hyped Lomography bandwagon.