Anybody using a brownie hawkeye?

[Ces1um]

I've been watching a few videos on this camera and I've been tempted to pick one up. I know it's a fairly primitive camera but I was hoping to get a few tips and tricks from anyone who is using one of these things regularly. Are they more frustration than they are worth?

 

[dwross]

I love my Hawkeyes. The lens is actually very good. Much better than the Brownie Target Six-20 meniscus lenses (unless, of course, you want the distinctive un-sharpness of a plastic meniscus lens). The front aluminum piece that holds the taking lens and the focusing lens in place is easily removed and replaced so that you can clean both. Every one of mine needed this. There is no tripod socket, so if you are using slow film in low light, you're in trouble. Down toward the bottom of this entry I've got a picture of how I've solved that. (Sorry it's embedded in stuff you don't need.)
http://www.thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/htmlgendiary.py?content=Journal3
I imagine most photographers wouldn't need to bother, but slow, fine-grained film is really nice with the Hawkeye lens.

 

[michr]

I don't use mine because of the requirement of 620 film. I know some claim that 120 works fine, but every time I've tried it the camera jams up about halfway through a roll. If I'm going to the trouble to respool onto a 620 reel, I have better cameras to use. The only thing I'd really want to try with the Brownie is reversing the lens, which gives a unique effect.
https://www.lomography.com/magazine...phic-techniques-with-americas-favorite-camera

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I have one, but I prefer my Grand Father's old Target six-20. I don't mind respooling onto 620 reel. Only takes a few minutes.

 

[BAC1967]

My favorite toy camera! They're fun to customize by painting and flipping the lens. They can be found for quite cheap so why not pick one up. The orange one below has the metal wind knob instead of the plastic knob, it will take a 120 film spool in the feed position. If you get one with a plastic knob all you have to do is bend a metal tab to get a 120 spool to fit. On the take-up spool side you will need a 620 spool despite which version the camera is, you can't really get around that. If you send your film to a lab for processing ask them to send the spool back.

Orange Brownie Hawkeye by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Riley Closeup by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

 

[cb1]

I love my Hawkeye! it takes great pictures. I found a near mint one with flash unit and 12 bulbs on ebay for $10.
Get one! lots of fun!

 

[Punker]

I don't use mine because of the requirement of 620 film. I know some claim that 120 works fine, but every time I've tried it the camera jams up about halfway through a roll.

Have you tried cutting a 120 spool down with scissors? I don't have any 620 cameras but I was looking at one and Method 2 here seems simplest.

http://www.lakiere.info/620_to_120_eng.htm

 

[dwross]

My favorite toy camera! They're fun to customize by painting and flipping the lens. They can be found for quite cheap so why not pick one up. The orange one below has the metal wind knob instead of the plastic knob, it will take a 120 film spool in the feed position. If you get one with a plastic knob all you have to do is bend a metal tab to get a 120 spool to fit. On the take-up spool side you will need a 620 spool despite which version the camera is, you can't really get around that. If you send your film to a lab for processing ask them to send the spool back.

Orange Brownie Hawkeye by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Riley Closeup by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

That's just about the most wonderful dog portrait I've ever seen.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I've been watching a few videos on this camera and I've been tempted to pick one up. I know it's a fairly primitive camera but I was hoping to get a few tips and tricks from anyone who is using one of these things regularly. Are they more frustration than they are worth?

They're fun cameras. My only small qualm is respooling 120 film. I reversed the lens for a blurry effect.
https://flic.kr/s/aHskjmCNC2

 

[BAC1967]

That's just about the most wonderful dog portrait I've ever seen.

Thanks! That was done with both the lens flipped and a a Kodak Close-up attachment No. 13. http://www.holgamods.com/hawkeye/Hawkeye/Accessories.html

This is a great site for Brownie Hawkeye's: http://www.holgamods.com/hawkeye/Hawkeye/Welcome.html. That's where I got my inspiration to paint them. He also adds a cable release socket to some of them.

This is another great site with instructions for flipping the lens and other mods like shooting 120 film in it. http://kurtmunger.com/kodak_brownie_hawkeyeid149.html

I enjoyed reading your article, nice job with the Tri-color stacking! I have seen where people actually installed a tripod socket on their Hawkeye.

 

[mikemgb]

I have several Hawkeyes and use them all, they are a lot of fun and very relaxing. You don't have to worry about exposure, or contrast, or flare, or depth of field or any of that difficult stuff. You just line up your subject in the viewfinder and push the button.

 

[michr]

My favorite toy camera! They're fun to customize by painting and flipping the lens. They can be found for quite cheap so why not pick one up. The orange one below has the metal wind knob instead of the plastic knob, it will take a 120 film spool in the feed position. If you get one with a plastic knob all you have to do is bend a metal tab to get a 120 spool to fit. On the take-up spool side you will need a 620 spool despite which version the camera is, you can't really get around that. If you send your film to a lab for processing ask them to send the spool back.

Orange Brownie Hawkeye by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr
Chernick, on Flickr

I love the paint jobs. I'll see what I can do about the metal tab in mine. I'd like to use the camera to respool 120 to 620 if I'm not using it to take pictures.

 

[michr]

Have you tried cutting a 120 spool down with scissors? I don't have any 620 cameras but I was looking at one and Method 2 here seems simplest.

http://www.lakiere.info/620_to_120_eng.htm

I've done that a few times over the years, but often ended up with light leaks if I didn't get things exactly right.

 

[BAC1967]

I love the paint jobs. I'll see what I can do about the metal tab in mine. I'd like to use the camera to respool 120 to 620 if I'm not using it to take pictures.

Thanks michr, I just recently found another one that I'm going to paint, I have a few ideas for the color scheme. Re-spooling in the camera will work in one direction but when you go to put it back onto a 620 spool in the proper direction the tail end of the film may not spool on correctly. Since the tail is not attached to the backing paper it will curl away from the pool and get jammed up in the camera. I have done this by hand, you have to keep everything tight and feel for the tail so you can make sure it gets onto the spool correctly. If you don't keep everything tight you will get to the end of the film that's attached to the paper and find that you have some slack.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I took great photographs as a teenager with a Brownie Hawkeye camera. I have one that I am waiting for an occasion to shoot two rolls of Verichrome Pan film.

 

[Ces1um]

That's just about the most wonderful dog portrait I've ever seen.

I agree- that's fantastic!

 

[Ces1um]

So I found a few hawkeyes on kijiji- the ones near my home are the non-flash models. Would you recommend getting the flash model (and then sourcing bulbs) or just stick to shooting outdoors on fairly sunny days?

 

[mikemgb]

So I found a few hawkeyes on kijiji- the ones near my home are the non-flash models. Would you recommend getting the flash model (and then sourcing bulbs) or just stick to shooting outdoors on fairly sunny days?

The flash units usually need service to work, all the contacts are generally corroded and need cleaning. Having said that, the flash looks cool so it's worth getting if you can find one but it certainly isn't essential.

 

[AgX]

My favorite toy camera! They're fun to customize by painting and flipping the lens. They can be found for quite cheap so why not pick one up.

I never came across a Hawkeye. Brownies in general are a rarity over here.

 

[BAC1967]

I never came across a Hawkeye. Brownies in general are a rarity over here.

Yes, but I imagine you have piles of Leica and Zeiss gear everywhere.

 

[AgX]

Not really. In several years I came across one Leica for sale outside the camera shop. And even there I could count them at one hand.

 

[bvy]

I love my Hawkeyes. The lens is actually very good. Much better than the Brownie Target Six-20 meniscus lenses (unless, of course, you want the distinctive un-sharpness of a plastic meniscus lens).

I thought the Hawkeye also had a single element meniscus lens? According to the Brownie site also, that's the case.

 

[DWThomas]

I thought the Hawkeye also had a single element meniscus lens? According to the Brownie site also, that's the case.

And I thought the Brownie Target Six-20 was a glass meniscus lens -- they went out of production in 1952 which seems early to me for plastic optics. I have owned a Target Six-20 since circa 1949, but I really don't want to poke the lens with something to see if it scratches! It could also be some specs get confused, as the words 'Brownie' and 'Target' appear to have been seen in a number of combinations and permutations over the years.

(I was jealous of a kid up the street who had a Hawkeye -- it was smooth and shiny!), but at the time I actually preferred the 6x9 format of the Target.)

 

[dwross]

DWThomas,
You're probably right. I've always thought the Six-20 lens was plastic because it sounds plasticy when I tap it with my fingernail. The Hawkeye's looks and sounds like glass. But, when I looked really hard at my Six-20 just now, I can believe it's glass. Whatever the material, it produces a softer negative than the Hawkeye.

 

[Ces1um]

Well, I hate kijiji. Had a hawkeye lined up, went to go meet the guy and turns out he got hung up at work. Was going to be about an hour late and I couldn't stick around that long. Been stung on eBay as well. Looks like I'm going to spend my time at some antique shops/thrift stores from now on.