Vintage Kodak Brownie Cameras

My personal retro museum of things from my childhood in the 1970s through to my teens in the 1980s. I might sneak in a few significant things from the 90s too.
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Danniielle
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Vintage Kodak Brownie Cameras

Post by Danniielle »

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Back at the end of the 70s, I received my first film camera from my grandparents. It was the Kodak Brownie Flash II on the left and that ignited a creative passion for photography that continues (with a Nikon dSLR these days) to this day!

This camera was made around 1960 so it is older than me by a decade. I've had it for most of its life and have kept it in the excellent condition I got it in.

A couple of decades later, I received the Six-20 Brownie C on the right from my grandparents on the other side of my family. This one was made somewhere around 1950 so it is a decade older than the Brownie Flash II. It has had a harder life but still works perfectly.
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The Brownie Flash II has several upgrades from the Six-20 C, the most notable being the flash, the better viewfinders with glass lenses rather than the matt screen and the close up slider.

They both have regular shutter and bulb (open) shutter controls and can do long exposures. They actually take quite respectable photos with their large format, 620 film which was nearly impossible to get when I was shooting on the flash model in the late 70s and early 80s. Fortunately, it is possible to use 120 film which was much easier to get.
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Below is a comparison between the Flash II and Six-20 C viewfinders.
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Below - inside the hinged film access doors on both cameras, Brownie Flash II first, then Six-20 C.
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And finally, a few more views of both.
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I'll have to dig through my photo albums and post some of the photos I took with the Flash II.
ANTHONY LICARI
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Re: Vintage Kodak Brownie Cameras

Post by ANTHONY LICARI »

I had one ore 2 of these in my younger days pictures weren't bad ether.
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Danniielle
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Re: Vintage Kodak Brownie Cameras

Post by Danniielle »

ANTHONY LICARI wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:49 pm I had one ore 2 of these in my younger days pictures weren't bad ether.
Do you remember what film you used? I ended up using 120 film when 620 became hard to get.
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