Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model C - First Photos

I'm so sorry if you originally at some point started to follow me because of my weird art or weird sense of humor or the lack of it or something else that is not film cameras. I have totally sunken in to the world of old film cameras and although I'm sure that at some point my focus will direct itself to something else, but before that, it is what it is and here's another film camera post which I have no idea to which community I should post it in because it's not that much about film photography or photography but about using this camera the first time and loading film and doing things wrong and hitting my head to a wall (any wall will do) and kicking myself than it is about repairing stuff or photographing. Analog photography? Well, yes but more digital photos of the film camera and me messing things up so... Photography community it is.

One thing you can rely on though. Long sentences without breathing. Try it. When lightheaded you might find me more amusing. Unless you are Icelandic. I hear it's really common to breathe in and out during your words and sentences, no need to take a pause to breathe. I'd love to learn that. Inhaling and exhaling during talking.

But perhaps some other time. Now a new old camera. Old camera but new for me.

Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model C. I found this from a flea market in the nearby park few weeks ago. Manual here, second row, second from the right.

Something not made in Germany or West-Germany like the older Kodak Box 620 or the Felica I have.

Look how clear the viewfinders are compared to my first Kodak 620! Both photos were taken after I've cleaned the viewfinders only from outside so this is how much in better condition the newer Kodak Box camera is.

I got the 620 spools from China and as I now had two box cameras I had enough spools to respool the 120 film to a 620 spool. The 120 spools are slightly taller, the middle part is wider and the spools are made from plastic. The 620 spools are made of metal.

After few video tutorials on how to respool a 120 film to a 620 spool, a step in to a dark closet with my hands and everything I need inside a black bag things should be easy.

Well guess again. Somehow I managed to respool the film paper from the end to the start to the spool although I did first roll it out and then to the 620 spool. For a moment I thought that this would be fine but as you can see there is not supposed to be a number 16 visible in this camera as the last photo is supposed to be number 8 so there's something wrong here. And the film of course isn't as long as the paper. So back to the closet I went.

Of course it wasn't that easy, I managed to detach the film completely from the paper and as I couldn't see in the dark where the numbers start so that I could start the film, I just guessed and yeah, of course the film started to roll inside the camera as it no longer was attached to the paper so of I went again to the dark closet and had to roll the film to the spool too in diminished light, so that ruined the first two frames (approx. 12 cm) completely.

But finally I got it. I no longer am a friend of dark closets. Especially if I have to keep my sweaty hands inside a bag. And of course I did all this at the time when the weather was quite hot so I was sweating and felt that there was no air and of course being blind for several minutes didn't help. But mentally I am preparing myself to go back to the closet at some point if my old film camera hobby continues.

Let's hope I run out of money first so there's no need to go the the dark closet again. My film provider wasn't too keen to sell me respooled 120 film. (I suggested that he'd respool it.) I guess he knows only a fool would do that.

The film I chose to respool was Fomapan ISO 100 because Fomapan is the cheapest film and I haven't tried an ISO 100 before. 120 size that is. Again I covered the red window with tape and also had to secure the catch because it kept popping open. Luckily it did that before I took any photos, not in the middle of the film.

Camera: 7€
2x 620 Spools: 8€
Fomapan 100 Black and white 120 film: 5,50€
Film developing: 17,90€
Film scanned to TIFF images: 20€

#firstframe

As you can see I had trouble keeping the camera still. Or it's the camera. It's feature. Not sure which but guessing it's my fault. I think this was the third photo as the first two were completely overexposed. Although the photo is blurry because I couldn't keep it still enough, I like this photo. If there was no car in the photo, could you guess which decade this photo was taken?

Here's my tram comparison photo. Me facing the sun. Simply a must with every camera I buy.

Sun behind my back. Again not that sharp but what I love in this photo is that the guy on the left could be someone from the fifties or perhaps from the 1930's! It's the clothes. And the hat. Perhaps my camera really is a time machine!

Also the dazzling sunlight reflection on the tram windscreen. It's very hard to get such photo with modern devices unless you deliberately taint the lens somehow. Or add a filter. But in this camera, I believe it is it's feature.

This is the same place as in the double exposure photo that I took with my Felica.

What I love in this photo is the glowing white T-shirt. I'm not sure if it's the film or the camera (are there any other possible reasons?) or the fact that I encountered few problems when respooling the film, but I like it. Again there's blurriness in the photo, but most of it is in the moving legs and not that much in the Kehräsaari sign so I'm thinking the blurriness in the previous photos was my fault (not keeping the camera still enough) and because of the slow film (me photographing moving objects).

Anyway, I got six photos and four of those were good enough to show you all, so the respooling wasn't a complete failure. Also got proof that the Brownie C is working. At least mostly. I can hear a tiny tingle when I shake the camera and the time exposure (B) is not working so I will have to open it and see if I can do anything about it. Let's hope I won't break it even more.

So now I have four cameras I have to repair. The only old film camera completely working now is the Felica and I've loaded a color film in to it. Yes, I know! A color film! Oowee!

Here's my repair pile. Brownie Model C, Cosina in the box and underneath it another box where I have the first Kodak 620. And on the front a new camera (new for me) Bilora Bella 35. The Bellas shutter isn't working so no photos before opening it. I just have to hope that I can repair it although it's much more challenging than the old Kodak cameras. But that's a good topic for another post. As is the thing what I did to the 1970's Cosina. That's another story.

_{Film cameras
Felica
1, 2
Kodak Box 620
1, 2
Cosina Flash 35E
1, 2, 3}

_{Digital cameras
Sony A6400, 16-50mm
1
Sony A6400, Laowa 25mm f2.8
1
Comparison: Sony A6400, Canon EOS 550D, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32, Canon PowerShot A550
1, 2}