The Kodak No. 3A Model B2, which I have adapted, was made between 1904 and 1906 as far as I could determine from the available literature. It was a "Pocket Folding Kodak" but pockets must have been very big back then because this one measures (in inches) about 10 x 4-3/4 x 2. The No. 3A was one of the larger Pocket Folding Kodaks and made "postcard" pictures: ten 3-1/4 x 5-1/2 inch exposures on size 122 film.
The shutter is a Kodak FPK, which has Time, Bulb, and Instantaneous - a single 1/50 of a second shutter speed. The lens is a Bausch and Lomb Rapid Rectilinear. I've used this shutter and lens in the past with Polaroid and know that it performs a lot better than most might think considering its age and rather pedestrian nature.
** please forgive the sideways picture. Viewed as such, though, is close to what it looked like when shooting landscaped panoramic pictures, except the reflex viewer would have been flipped to its second position. **
The film gate was masked and adapters are being used to convert to 120 roll film. Before committing to actual film use, a number of experiments were conducted to figure out how to wind the film via "counts of the winding knob". Although there is a red window (which was masked), the red window does not align with any numbering on 120 film.
The initial test was "questionably successful". In an attempt to get the film speed to work with a 1/50 shutter speed limitation, Ilford Pan F Plus (50 ASA) was used. Today is overcast and about EV11... so 1/50 at US 4 (F/8) worked out. When the sun is actually shining, I plan on using either contrast filters or ND filters to adapt the exposure appropriately. But for today it was naked lens wide open.
All seemed to go okay but the film had a "weird feel" as it was advanced. Too loose, and that was confirmed when the back was open. One modification I needed to make and didn't was to adjust the supply spool tensioner so it worked with the 122-120 adapters. I may also need to make another modification and add a pressure plate behind the film and updated film gate.
Unfortunately the only chemistry I have at the moment is rather old. It might work... or it might not, so I'll have to defer processing the film. By that time, I'll have shot a second roll with a properly working film tensioner.
More to come...
After adjusting the film supply reel tensioner the film spooled through a lot smoother and reliably. Now ready for some serious photography!
The shutter is a Kodak FPK, which has Time, Bulb, and Instantaneous - a single 1/50 of a second shutter speed. The lens is a Bausch and Lomb Rapid Rectilinear. I've used this shutter and lens in the past with Polaroid and know that it performs a lot better than most might think considering its age and rather pedestrian nature.
** please forgive the sideways picture. Viewed as such, though, is close to what it looked like when shooting landscaped panoramic pictures, except the reflex viewer would have been flipped to its second position. **
The film gate was masked and adapters are being used to convert to 120 roll film. Before committing to actual film use, a number of experiments were conducted to figure out how to wind the film via "counts of the winding knob". Although there is a red window (which was masked), the red window does not align with any numbering on 120 film.
The initial test was "questionably successful". In an attempt to get the film speed to work with a 1/50 shutter speed limitation, Ilford Pan F Plus (50 ASA) was used. Today is overcast and about EV11... so 1/50 at US 4 (F/8) worked out. When the sun is actually shining, I plan on using either contrast filters or ND filters to adapt the exposure appropriately. But for today it was naked lens wide open.
All seemed to go okay but the film had a "weird feel" as it was advanced. Too loose, and that was confirmed when the back was open. One modification I needed to make and didn't was to adjust the supply spool tensioner so it worked with the 122-120 adapters. I may also need to make another modification and add a pressure plate behind the film and updated film gate.
Unfortunately the only chemistry I have at the moment is rather old. It might work... or it might not, so I'll have to defer processing the film. By that time, I'll have shot a second roll with a properly working film tensioner.
More to come...
After adjusting the film supply reel tensioner the film spooled through a lot smoother and reliably. Now ready for some serious photography!
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