How Kodak Made Lenses

[Shaps]

 

[DREW WILEY]

I don't know about the music. It made me wonder if the Seven Dwarves were going to appear in the flick. It's certainly an interesting time capsule. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[AnselMortensen]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing it.
All that equipment represented a serious capital investment...where did it go? Scrapyard?

 

[David Lindquist]

Looks like the building is still there, albeit with an uncertain future. The most recent thing I could find: https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2025/02/eastman-kodak-hawkeye-plant/

As far as the contents, yes where did it all go? Like that SIP Jig Borer seen at about 19 minutes, perhaps the ultimate expression of the machine tool builders' art back in its day.

I was struck by the number of women in the workforce.

David

 

[BAC1967]

Gives me a whole new respect for my lenses. A lot went into making them as perfect as possible. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Typical of the era, lack of safety glasses or gloves; no fume extraction or respirators at hazardous solvent stations; no cleanroom style clothing.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

America use to make great stuff. Do we any more? Fortunately, Kodak film is still great.

 

[blee1996]

There are some Sigma factory videos that shows how modern lenses are made. The overall process seems similar, except there are more automation and computer assisted designs.

 

[BMbikerider]

I never used a camera with a Kodak lens but when I started work for my local police force scenes of crime darkroom they were still using an MPP 5x4 camera, fitted with a 135/F4.5 Xenar lens, but the seemingly giant Kodak enlarger was fitted with a I think a F4.5 or 5.6 uncoated Kodak enlarging lens. The quality was actually very good quality but it was so old, the diaphragm needed a good service, it was nearly impossible to change the aperture.

 

[ChrisGalway]

Thanks for posting this video ... any idea when it was made ... 1960s?

The story of Kodak's decline is a sad one, but it was self-inflicted by poor management over many many years and a failure to adapt. The level of investment needed to make the lenses (for example) was huge, as can be clearly seen from the video ... an amazing variety of precision instruments and machines. The problem was that they failed to continue investing in automation, so eventually the lens making became uneconomic.

Fortunately Kodak still make excellent film products, driven mainly by the movie industry and directors like Christopher Nolan.

 

[Shaps]

Typical of the era, lack of safety glasses or gloves; no fume extraction or respirators at hazardous solvent stations; no cleanroom style clothing.

And the narrator called a young woman working a girl

 

[Besk]

Gives me a whole new respect for my lenses. A lot went into making them as perfect as possible. Thanks for sharing that.

Yes! Makes you have more respect for lenses.