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Bolseyflex – Not much flex
The Bolseyflex is a medium format 6x6 pseudo-TLR. A very ornate simple camera which I tried out a couple of times.
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Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model D – Beauty is box
Box cameras are without a single doubt the longest line of a particular type of camera ever produced. It can be argued that they ran for 140 years, possibly longer depending on how loose the interpretation is. There is even a new one being produced now in 2018! The Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model D is considered one of the more modern box cameras, and as such has been styled to look wonderful, while still aimed at the lower end. It has minimal controls, but with a promised frame size of 6x9cm, it is intriguing to see what quality a simple contraption like this can produce. Other box cameras have been…
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Ferrania Rondine – Little Italian Bird
Box cameras are boxes with a lens. Simple. In Italy, Ferrania had other ideas and created one which just oozes style. The Ferrania Rondine was created when workmanship was still a priority, and even tools like a camera had to have a great aesthetic to them. In the wild, this camera brings out comments from “Isn’t that so cute!!” to “That is a beautiful camera”. Make no mistake though, this is not a high-end camera, but a camera aimed at the lower end of the market, but Italian products seem to have a very sophisticated look to them. Box cameras have featured here before, including the Ensign Ful-Vue (another gorgeous…
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Kodak No. 2 Brownie Model E – Photographing outside of the box
There is a saying that a camera is just a light tight box to capture the image. Box cameras are the best example of this, only one step more technologically advanced from a pinhole camera. In the early 1900s Kodak was introducing box cameras in all shapes and sizes for a range of different film sizes. The Kodak No. 2 Brownie thankfully uses one of the more common film formats, and in-fact introduced 120 film to the world, which is still the standard size for medium format photography. Every so often, after using a variety of cameras, it is cathartic to get back to basics and box cameras are perfect…
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Ensign Ful-Vue – Is it really the full view?
When does a box camera not look like a box camera? When it is the Ensign Ful-Vue from 1946. Until then most were basically a box with a lens on the front. There were a few variants, including box cameras that had better viewing lenses and looked more like Twin Lens Reflex cameras, but still generally had a box shape. When Ensign released the Ful-Vue they moved to a very modern shape for the period, and I think created one of the most striking looking box cameras ever. I picked this camera up when I was living in London around 1999 and promptly put it on a shelf. While…
