Want to Buy WTB: Kodak Medalist II

[Mike Bates]

I'm in the market for a Kodak Medalist II. These cameras are near 70 years old, but I'm looking for a nice one. Cash deal or I have plenty of interesting cameras to trade.

 

[Chrismat]

Hi Mike,
I don't know if you'd be interested, but I have a cla'd Medalist I that I may be able to part with. It was cla'd by Ken Ruth (now retired) who's an expert on these cameras.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Mike Bates]

You're killing me, Chris. I'd love to have one CLA'd by Ken Ruth, but I'm holding out for a Medalist II. I've convinced myself I need the flash sync and a coated lens. I'm sorry I waited until Mr. Ruth retired to spark such an interest in a 70-year-old camera.

 

[klopjl02]

Mike-

If you end up not having too much luck finding one after some time, I perhaps may be able to help. I happen to own two of them. The story behind that is I purchased my first one in or around 2010 (I think). Loved the camera so much I sought to get the legendary Ken Ruth CLA treatment a couple years later. However, when that was taking a bit longer than anticipated, and knowing I had a looming Yosemite vacation in 2012, I ended up purchasing another Medalist II off of eBay since I wasn't going to get my first one back in time. Got to know the second one well enough (you know, every camera that old has its own quirks) and ended up getting some of the best images from that Medalist II on the trip out of the 4 cameras in total I took. In hindsight, I'm glad I made the purchase. And when I finally got my first Medalist II back from Ken Ruth (CLA + 120 conversion), I was ecstatic. I love it and it is my primary street camera to this day. And I no longer had to roll film onto the 620 spools. I do take it out with me quite often.

As for the fate of the second Medalist II, I shot with it a few more times over the years, but it really has just been sitting on my shelf. Below is an image of them both side-by-side. The one on the left is the adjusted one and the one on the right is the one that hasn't been adjusted and still requires 620 spooled film. The one on the right is the one I'd be willing to part with. I'll be honest that it really could use some sort of cleaning/adjustment, but I feel pretty confident about it still working. I may just run a couple rolls thru it this weekend just to make sure regardless if you're interested or not, but that would be the one that I could part with, if we were to talk further on the matter. I think I also have its leather case somewhere, like the one on the right that I currently use, plus about two-dozen 620 spools somewhere, if I can find them.

At any rate, like I said, if you have no luck finding a "nicer" one (CLA, etc), and want to experiment around with one, we can talk. I'll see about shooting with it sometime soon to make sure it is still in decent working condition.

Cheers,
Jeremy

 

[guangong]

I explored getting a Medalist II in addition to my Medalist, but since I don't use flash I decided against the idea. Why? Because I would lose the use of the fine focusing knob which was replaced by a flash outlet. This modification was added when Kodak attempted to sell to general public. Lenses on Medalist were fully coated at end of run in 1944 and are easy to identify by serial number. I find the fine focusing knob quite handy.
Any competent repairman can service a Medalist. I had mine cla ed and now as good as when left factory.
One point I should add: I found camera easier to hold steady when inside camera case, unlike most other cameras.

 

[Mike Bates]

Thanks, Jeremy. Perhaps I should be looking for a good shop for a CLA as well as a good candidate with with no show-stopping issues. Guangong raises a good point that a good CLA will bring the camera up to good operating condition as long as the camera I start with is serviceable.

 

[klopjl02]

When I knew I was going to gamble and purchase that second Medalist for my trip at the time, I actually contemplated picking up a Medalist I, but couldn't find one available for the right price in the limited amount of time I had. Plus, I felt a little safer just going with what I knew, since there are slight differences. I agree with both of you that if the repairman is capable, a good CLA will do wonders. Mr. Ruth's service was attractive at the time because he also had the knowledge and ability to do the 120 conversion. I did the respooling of 120 film to 620 spools for a couple years, but got a little tired of that.
And now that you pointed it out gaungong, I do think having the camera in the case helps with the picture taking experience.