For this installment of the antique camera blog, I’ve got a Kodak Vigilant Six-20. The Kodak Vigilant Six-20 was produced from 1939-1949 and came paired 4 different lens/shutter combinations. I found this one at a local antique shop, and it came with the 100mm f/8.8 lens. This folding camera is significantly larger than the 1913 Kodak Vest Pocket that I blogged about earlier. Considering this camera is nearly 80 years old, it is amazing how well it has held up. These old Kodaks were really built to last. The other thing that strikes me is how technically advanced they are. This Kodak is significantly more technical than the Zeiss Box camera that I previously blogged about, despite the fact that they are from basically the same time period. This Kodak has adjustments for aperture, focus distance, and shutter speed. It even has a bulb and timer mode. I think that’s definitely proof of how Kodak was leading the photography industry during that time period.
You can see slider on the left hand side of the lens that controls the aperture, and if you spin the outside ring to line up the line with the numbers on the right side of the lens, that controls the shutter speed. The inside dial with the post controls the focus distance.
Look at the machining on the shutter button. They just don’t make them like this anymore. Such amazing attention to detail.
Again, more attention to detail. These are the struts that hold that mount the lens to the end of the bellows when it unfolds and extends.
This little window twists open so that you can see the film as you wind it, so you can be sure that you’ve advanced it enough before taking your next picture.
