Kodak Medalist II

[Alentejo]

Hello,
I intend to buy a Kodak Medalist II camera, because I love the look and it's suppost to have a very good Ektar lens.
Anybody uses it and can give me a hint, if it's still worth buying it besides collecting?
Thanks for Your help.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

To use it, you will need to respool 120 film onto 620 spools. Or you may find one that's been converted to 120.

 

[Dan Daniel]

OK, one of my obsessions so excuse me if I ramble on. First, the design is very American. Chunky. Definitely Chevrolet, not Porsche. Unlike most cameras, the Medalist doesn't seem to 'fit the hand' naturally like a Leica or most any other camera designed to be hand-held. Once you get a feel for it, though, it actually sits in the hand well. Although the shutter release is long and doesn't have the precision of a Leica or Rollei or such, so doing action/street work will take some serious practice to get the shutter release point and timing to come smoothly. The separate rangefinder works fine all in all. The position of its window under the viewfinder works well, a simple glance downward. The rangefinder image is pretty magnified which leads to precision but can also make it confusing when you first glance into it to orient as to what exactly you are seeing.

Mechanically it is, well, unique? Rube Goldberg was obviously a consultant, or an inspiration. At the same time, it is a very 'raw' mechanism, designed to be worked on by soldiers, not a huge amount of finesse or precision but very solid and works smoothly. Each 'system' stands on its own and can be figured out with a little study. There are good manuals available for doing repairs. Most good camera repair person could probably suss out the workings and do good work on it.

The lens is wonderful. It's why I even mess with the whole thing. I have used it on a tripod most of the time. Recently I started shooting hand-held more, and am enjoying it, but a Leica it ain't.

I recently finished my first version of converting a Medalist to 120 film. The clunky design leaves lots of room for machining and modifiying. The first test run by another photographer worked well. Soon I'll know enough to be able to offer work and conversions on the Medalists. If anyone is interested in being a tester of a 120 converted camera, drop me a note.

Having bought a few, the major issue is a balky shutter. The Supermatics have not aged well and will usually need a good stripdown and cleaning. About half of the rangefinders I have seen need adjustments. Watch the front viewfinder window- these seem to be cracked or chipped on about a quarter of them. As with any old camera, dirt and grease can make basics difficult- focus tubes, shutter button, sync of shutter release and wind system, etc.

 

[Alex Varas]

Amazing camera, I stop myself not to use it roll after roll. I do respool myself and I have already a lot of accesories to play with.
I waited to get one CLAd already so it works pretty well for its age.
You can take a look
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkmRdqA
https://flic.kr/s/aHskA4iBW6
https://flic.kr/s/aHskzTuhYL
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmoc38Zr

I hope it gives you an idea of what that Ektar can do.
Best regards,
Alex

 

[Alentejo]

Thank You all of You for the motivating replies. I'm even more sure to buy one. I'm sure I won't find it in Europe. Nevertheless, I have time pay the additional tax, but I need One.

 

[Chrismat]

I have a Medalist I that was cla'd by Ken Ruth who is now retired. They are finicky cameras, but for me that's part of the appeal. The Medalist I has a self timer that I use instead of a cable release because the cable release mechanism (from what I was told by Ken Ruth) is fragile. I do have an original (supposedly) cable release made for the Medalist but it's more convenient for me to use the self timer. The Medalist II does not have a self timer.

One thing to note: I was told by Ken to never use the B mode because if it is done incorrectly the shutter can be damaged, so I've never used it.

 

[Alex Varas]

I have used the B mode because I have the back accessory plus telek and porta lenses and unit extensions.
I used it with the cable shutter release located at the lens barrel.
I guess he mentioned this because if you are focusing with the matte glass it might happen that the shutter closes when the lens goes resting position and every manual and repair man I have read about this camera is: "to do everything in the correct order"
It happened once after that I was ao scared that I move the whole camera to focus if Im near this point (I use a wooden piece of about 3-4cm placed on the barrel to prevent getting this point.

Btw Alentejo, get the camera leather case and a wide strap

 

[campy51]

I have always been interested in this camera also. Should version 1 be avoided?

 

[Alex Varas]

You can find the answer in this excellent article:

http://www.mikeeckman.com/2015/12/kodak-medalist-1944/

 

[thuggins]

Mike Zacks can do the CLA; he did a great job on mine. As for the shutter release, you just have to make sure of two things. First, the lens must be fully extended. I've learned to take mine past (i.e. short of) infinity by setting the infinity marker to the infrared indicator. Second, press the shutter release smoothly, all the way down. It first trips the double exposure lock and then trips the shutter, so if you don't press it the whole way you won't get a picture. As for respooling 120 onto 620, they make a tool for that. It's called a Foldex20, they are pretty cheap and pretty common. With a little practice respooling is quite easy.

And yes, it is a big clunky camera. That's part of the fun.

 

[Paul Howell]

In the 60s while still in high school I worked part time for a retired Navy photo mate who had a small studio in LA. He shot weddings with 2 Medalists, he had used Medalist while in the Navy, the lens is excellent for the day. He shot color with one and B&W in the other. When I was in college he got a Mamyia press with a wide angle lens, still thought the Medalist was sharper then the 90mm on the Mamyia. Getting one is on my list, maybe someday.

 

[removedacct1]

Dan's summary is very good and quite accurate.
I have a Medalist II and I love it. It's an odd bird, with peculiar styling that makes it look like a Shoebill Stork compared to the sophisticated German style of the early Retina cameras. Its heavy, and strange, and you'll need to learn to respool 120 to 620, but its a breeze once you've done it a couple of times. Is it worth it? Absolutely. The Ektar lens is fantastic, and it gives you that sweet 2/3 aspect ratio in a 6X9 cm negative. I recommend the Medalist without hesitation, but be aware that its a strange beast that will need care and attention, and a bit of extra effort to use.

 

[OptiKen]

Amazing camera, I stop myself not to use it roll after roll. I do respool myself and I have already a lot of accesories to play with.
I waited to get one CLAd already so it works pretty well for its age.
You can take a look
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkmRdqA
https://flic.kr/s/aHskA4iBW6
https://flic.kr/s/aHskzTuhYL
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmoc38Zr

I hope it gives you an idea of what that Ektar can do.
Best regards,
Alex

Alex - that lens is AMAZING! You're shots are incredibly detailed, sharp, and the contrast is beautiful.

 

[John51]

I love my Medalist II. With 620 cameras, I think of it as being paid to respool. If 620 film was as available as 120 is, no way would I be able to afford a Medalist. For image quality, it really is 'As good as any and better than most' imo.

fwir, converting the take up side can mess up the film spacing as the 120 spools are thicker.

 

[guangong]

I have a late model Medalist I; for Medalist II the fine focusing knob was replaced by a flash outlet. Lenses on the later Model I cameras are coated, but even uncoated lenses are very good. I very seldom use flash. I have only used my Medalist hand held, but find that the case helps a great deal when handholding. The camera was designed to be hand held by seaman photographing enemy shore batteries, so lens is very sharp. This also would explain the cameras format.
I can also recommend Michael Zach’s repair service.

 

[choiliefan]

I have a lot of cameras in my collection but if I were forced to sell off everything except one, the Medalist would survive the carnage. Re-spooling film is an issue easily dealt with. I've even run 220 film by resetting the counter after the first eight. Great camera with wonderful Heliar-type lens.

 

[Chrismat]

Finding filters can be a problem, for my Medalist I the diameter of the lens is 44mm with a thread so I bought a 44-49mm step up ring.

 

[Alex Varas]

Finding filters can be a problem, for my Medalist I the diameter of the lens is 44mm with a thread so I bought a 44-49mm step up ring.

My experience at this point is Series VI (used by both Medalist) filters are inexistent here, rare in western Europe but plenty of them in USA.
I would advice to get the hood, and a yellow K2 if you are doing BW.

 

[choiliefan]

I never realized the filter ring is 44mm. I have a few decent series VI filters which drop into front of the lens and are secured by the screw-in Kodak lens hood. Will look into the 44mm adapter as well. Great tip.

 

[choiliefan]

Back when I used an early Leicaflex the 50mm lens took a series VI filter adapter, could be wrong though. Perhaps you can find some nice Leica branded filters?

 

[Chrismat]

I found that 44-49mm step up rings are pretty rare, but I found a place in Thousand Oaks, CA. that sells them.

http://www.camera-depot.com/stepping.htm

 

[Dan Daniel]

Nice to know that Series VI is a 44mm thread. Looks like https://filterfind.net/ has one adapter available. He also has lots of Ser. VI filters and his goods are quality all around- a nice source for filters and misc. oddball fittings.

Someone mentioned that the film counter doesn't work properly if you put a 120 spool on the take-up size. This isn't true. The film metering (measuring) system is the roller marked 'DO NOT TURN THIS ROLLER.' Like the Rolleiflex system, it uses a fine-toothed gear riding along the film itself to determine its frame spacing. Spool size doesn't affect this.

Someone else mentioned that releasing the shutter can be a two-stage process. Yes, the wind mechanism release and the shutter release are two different mechanical systems. This is common on mechanical cameras. And it is also common that you can adjust the release points to get them synchronized. Ideally the shutter release and the wind system release happen at the same point. The Medalist can be adjusted for this, and should be adjusted for this, but it sometimes isn't simple and the trouble of getting them in sync is far beyond the minor inconvenience of them being out of sync. It is also possible to adjust the shutter release lock that stops you from firing the shutter if the lens isn't extended to infinity or beyond so that it matches infinity on the scale.

When you use a cable release, which attaches directly to the shutter block on the front of the camera, you bypass the wind system release because you aren't pushing the shutter release on the main body. So after firing the shutter with the cable release you need to press the shutter button on the camera in order to release the wind system. I still get caught by this, going to wind after taking a shot, having it not move, and fearing that my camera has had a major breakdown. Then I remember to push the shutter button and life goes on.

 

[kenj8246]

I have a Medalist I--serviced by Ken Ruth--and a Medalist II--done by some guy in upstate NY. Love both. Don't shoot them nearly enough but do regularly exercise the shutters. It's just enjoyable doing that. Use a cable release on both.

 

[moto-uno]

Not yet mentioned , is that Blue Moon machine sells pretrimmed film that fits the camera perfectly and allow you to start shooting right away (if you're as impatient as I am). You will also need an original metal take up spool .
Regards Peter

 

[Gerry M]

This article on the Medalist was written by a photo friend of mine from Talent, Oregon.

www.filmshooterscollective.com/analog-film-photography-blog/kodak-medalist-camera-review-2-11