Kodak Brownie Twin 20

[Paul Sorensen]

So, I was going to get out my old Holga for a little shooting and found that the shutter was stuck. I played with it for a little before realizing that my wife had given me a bakelite Brownie camera a couple of years ago that I had never even tried to use. It was brand new in its original box, including the original batteries and the flash and bulbs it originally came with.

I played around with it and found that while it is a 620 camera, it is super easy to get 120 film into it, I just trimmed the edges of the 120 spool with a big nail trimmer and I was set to go. Here is an image from the first roll, nothing exciting, just some basil from our garden, but I now know what to expect in regards to exposure and general lens characteristics. The shutter speed is slow, about 1/60, so I found that I had camera shake in lots of my shots. The lens is sharpest in the center and very soft on the edges, but it ain't too sharp anywhere.

Of course, it is built way better than a Holga, no light leaks, not much vignetting (there is a little light drop off evident in shots that include the sky) and a shutter that makes a nice reassuring clack when it is triggered. I am looking forward to using it more and seeing what I can come up with.

 

[skyrick]

Hello Paul. I'm glad to hear that you've discovered your Brownie. About three years ago I disassembled and cleaned the Brownie Hawkeye that took my baby pictures in the mid-50s. I'm lucky to have one of the models that will accept a roll of 120 without trimming or respooling. I DO have to use a 620 spool for takeup, but I just request that the lab return the spool with the prints. Here are a couple of examples. The color shot was with Fuji Pro 400H. The BW is Fuji Acros 100. I think with the Brownie's shutter that I prefer 400.

Rick

 

[Ektagraphic]

The Brownies are lots of fun. I really enjoy shooting with my Brownie Reflex.