The Brownies were made for the tourist market in the 1940s and 1950s and came in a number of variations. I picked this one up on Ebay for around $20. It’s an all-metal, sturdy, little camera. It is solidly built and still functioning perfectly. There are two missing parts on mine: a strap that was attached to the top along the rangefinder, which quickly came off when I started fiddling with it, and a very old-school looking flash that gives this version of the Brownie its name. The flash was originally attached to the front of the camera onto those two protruding metal buttons on the face.
There are only two adjustments that you can make: a standard exposure setting “I” for “instantaneous” and “B” for “bulb,” which holds the shutter open for as long as you hold the button down. The “bulb” function is a reference to the pneumatic action of early cameras where you actually squeezed a bulb to activate and hold open the shutter. It’s the abbreviation that are still used on cameras today..
You also have the choice of focus between “5 to 10 feet” and “beyond 10 feet." I love old labels like this and what makes it even more charming is how the focus mechanism works. When you flip the switch to “5 to 10 feet," a small lens snaps into place over the stationary lens. That’s it! Want to focus to infinity? Flip the switch back and the little lens snaps back into the camera. The close-up “5 to 10 feet” lens on mine is pretty foggy and I don’t want to bother trying to open up the assembly so I just shoot with the stationary lens which is very clean.
The camera comes in two sections and can be separated using a switch located on the bottom. Once the two camera pieces are apart, you can now load the film. I usually find at least one spool inside these vintage cameras when I buy them. This one was no exception.
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Your two available adjustments: “I” for a standard exposure and “B” for long exposure. Plus, a focus adjustment switch of either “5 to 10 feet,” or “beyond 10 feet.”
You also have the choice of focus between “5 to 10 feet” and “beyond 10 feet." I love old labels like this and what makes it even more charming is how the focus mechanism works. When you flip the switch to “5 to 10 feet," a small lens snaps into place over the stationary lens. That’s it! Want to focus to infinity? Flip the switch back and the little lens snaps back into the camera. The close-up “5 to 10 feet” lens on mine is pretty foggy and I don’t want to bother trying to open up the assembly so I just shoot with the stationary lens which is very clean.
The camera comes in two sections and can be separated using a switch located on the bottom. Once the two camera pieces are apart, you can now load the film. I usually find at least one spool inside these vintage cameras when I buy them. This one was no exception.
The shots
The vignetting on this camera is beautiful. With the right film and favorable lighting, you can get some great results. Here are some shots I got on an early winter morning at an empty Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk using an expired Fuji Velvia film.
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