Kodak Brownie 2 Video Manual

120 film exists because of this camera. If, like me 120 is your favorite format, then you owe a lot to the Brownie 2 lineage. In production for 35 years, the Brownie 2 was one of the longest-production runs in camera history. The camera model changed a good deal over its lifetime and this copy is one of the oldest, one of the first or second, variants.
Index:
Skip the Intro: 0:07
Camera Overview: 0:12
Camera Features - Top: 1:55
Camera Features - Front: 3:05
Camera Features - Back: 3:16
Camera Features - Bottom: 3:49
Camera Features - Inside: 4:05
Comparing the Kodak Film Carriage to the Ansco Film Carriage: 4:33
Loading Film: 6:07
How to Take a Photo with the Kodak Brownie 2: 8:47
Notes: 10:20
Camera Don’ts: 11:19
An Invitation to Like and Subscribe: 12:44
References:
www.brownie-cam...
www.earlyphotog...
www.kodak.com/g...
www.butkus.org/...
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Gear I used for Filming and Editing:
Video Capture and Film Digitization- Pentax K-3 (www.ricoh-imagi...)
Secondary Capture- Sony CX330 (www.sony.com/el...)
Lens- Pentax 31mm FA Limited (www.pentaxforum...)
Off-camera Audio- Tascam DR-60MKII and Tascam DR-05 (tascam.com/prod... and tascam.com/prod...)
Video Editing- Sony Movie Studio Platinum (www.vegascreati...)
Audio Processing- Adobe Soundbooth (www.adobe.com/...)
My Photography Website:
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[@RandomTreeProductions]

You deserves much more attention David, been watching for a long while and love your videos :)

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! I'm happy with the channel's growth. We add about 250 new subscribers every month. I'd like to be at a point where this could be my day job and I could make the kinds of videos I WANT to make, but I'm just not there yet. Thank you for watching and subscribing. Engaged subscribers keep YT fun and keep me motivated to keep going.

[@Jeff_St_John]

Thank you for the video. Always really enjoy them! A little surprised to not see a couple photos taken with the camera, as that is something you usually include with your videos... but still appreciate all the time you put into these. Thanks again!

[@DavidHancock]

Yeah, I looked for them on my drives but must not have kept any. They were in REALLY bad shape from the light leaks, the ones I recall were unusable for anything. I ran three rolls of film through it on three different days, so all three must have turned out unusable.

[@coolbluelights]

I have a model E that belonged to my grandmother. it's in amazing shape for being 100 years old. the logo on the handle is still very readable and the clasp is still shiny. I just loaded film in it for the first time in at least 80 years and i'm excited to start using it!

[@DavidHancock]

Nice! These can still take nice photos.

[@niibuyaa]

Thank's for posting. I have a Brownie No. 2 120 film camera. And really enjoy it. It has a different more user freindly carraige that is more simplistic and relies on the flat/slightly curved metal springs. I did clean the viewfinder with lens paper and that cleaned then up excellently and now they work. That did require me to take off the front plate like you mention. Luckily mine was very well maintained and came apart and went back together easily. It's likely not used much, but was certainly in a home with smokers as the lens were orange/yellow. First roll was poor quality partly because of my own movement and the fact that i hadn't cleaned the viewfinders yet. Second roll was better and i also exploited my mobile phone camera by taking pictures on it in tandem to what I did with the Brownie. If ypu check details on most mobile phone pictures it will give you Aperature, Focal lenght, ISO, and exposure time. Ypu csn use that to figure out the best lighting situation for pictures. All without having to be smart enough to understand any of those numbers. So the third roll was excellent minus one picture. Anyhow, thanks for posting i got a few tips that were helpful.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@aperture8usa66]

I have the Kodak Brownie No. 2, Models B, D, and F. To my eye, the build quality of these Brownies went down as they supposedly made "improvements." Yes, the Model F is all metal, but it feels clunky in my hands as compared to the earlier models. What I like best about the Model B are the light brass(?) film cradles on the roll holder inside the camera. The film just slides into the cradle. The cradles, along with the black film gate, help to keep the film tightly wound as you make exposures and turn the crank. The shutter on the B is very quiet (at least on my model), and the film advances like a knife through butter. And for a 120-year-old camera, the original leather handle on top is still quite pliable and strong! If I had to choose just one No. 2 Brownie, it would most definitely be Model B.

[@DavidHancock]

Nice and I concur on the declining build quality over time.

[@robertknight4672]

I picked up a number 2 Brownie today in an antique store. I do have one of the later Art Deco brownie cameras that takes 620 film aand that one is little more refined for film loading than the number 2. I find box cameras to be a very unique experience.

[@DavidHancock]

Nice! Yeah, box cameras are fantastic and fun.

[@dedofspace]

I have a practically mint condition Flash 2, my first old camera (and really, camera in general) and this vid was really helpful for figuring out how to load it. I looked up the manual but the pictures and instructions weren't really helpful so having a video visual is awesome! thank u :)

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@KimKorkkula]

I really like your videos. All About Film -series is just great!

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@Lawful_Rebel]

I have a metal, later model, Kodak Brownie with almost immaculate Brown Leatherette and a winding nob, as opposed to your one with the key type thing. It works very well. I was actually pretty impressed with the image quality for what it is. It even came with a push on portrait lens which lets me get between 3 to 6 feet from a subject.. Great fun 😀

[@DavidHancock]

These vary pretty wildly in terms of quality. The big saving grace is the negative size on them. They are tons of fun to use, though.

[@laurenkramer7565]

You mentioned a video on Ansco box cameras but I couldn’t find it in your library. Any chance you could reply with a link to view it? Thanks!

[@DavidHancock]

I don't think that I have any Ansco cameras right now. If I get my hands on one I'll make a video about it, though.

[@philipfoster7269]

Thanks for the great vids. I've got a UK made No2 KBB that cost me about £2. I haven't shot with it yet but fully intend to. Out of interest, do you know what the focal length of the lens is? Thanks again from the UK.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! The FL on theses is basically the length of the camera minus a couple CM. The lens is designed to focus from about eight feet to infinity.

[@adammckinley4804]

I recently picked up this camera and a later brownie #2 folding both take the same film.. what are we able to use these days what do you use to clean the veiw windows

[@DavidHancock]

If it's just the glass, lens cleaner will work. If it's the mirror, then distilled water on a lens tissue.

[@burntoutelectronics]

They did make a later 120 box brownie! The 50th anniversary brownie

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@TheStockwell]

Problematic as these cameras are, it was a Kodak Brownie which in 1916 was given to fourteen year-old Ansel Adams so he'd have something to do on a family trip to Yosemite. I think we all know how THAT turned out!

[@DavidHancock]

I'm 100% for easy, consumer-grade cameras and photography, especially for kids and teens and anyone starting out. Learning to love photography without worrying about all the technical stuff is a great entry.

[@TheStockwell]

@@DavidHancock . . . that's why your channel is so useful. You personally pick up a camera and say, "This camera is great - except for the 'What the Hell?' aspects of its operation." You've probably stopped a trillion of people from buying a vintage camera on eBay and saying, "My experience tells me that film is a waste of time." I'm moving back to film and videos like this one have kept me on the right track - no; thank YOU! I'm looking for a 120 camera for making cyanotype prints. As of this video, I'm taking the Model E off my list of candidates. Byzantine and counter-intuitive? 4:20 I feel your pain, Mr. Hancock! ;)

[@DavidHancock]

@@TheStockwell Thank you. That means way now to me than I can put into words. I might be able to help you figure out a camera type to use. So cyanotypes, I assume you're coating the paper yourself and either using really long lengths for spools or using individual pieces but in 120 for the aspect ratio and image size. If it's the first, you'll run into issues with the red window, because I don't think it's strong enough of a light block to prevent fogging, even for red-light-safe emulsions. But you could have success with a TLR that has auto advance upon loading, like an Autocord. If it's the latter, just using a 120 camera for the format, another approach might be a 4x5 Brownie. I forget the model, the C or D? I have a video on that one, too, and used 4x5 film in it with good results. That would let you coat the paper in whatever size you'd like (even non-traditional aspect ratios.) I'm curious about your project, the look your going for and the types of subjects you're going to photograph, too.

[@TheStockwell]

@@DavidHancock Spoiler alert: I've subscribed to your channel. Now that I have THAT out of the way . . . ! I'm not going to use a camera to MAKE cyanotypes. In-camera cyanotype prints (I've looked it up) require exposure times on a geologic timescale - around 6,000 years, roughly. I'm looking for a camera to make large negatives for contact printing. 120 format is the most practical. I'm planning an exhibition of cyanotypes - landscapes, for the most part. I'm a painter/filmmaker/photographer in VERY northern Vermont. Over a year ago, I began work on a film which required a vintage film camera. I wound up purchasing a working Kodak 3A Autographic camera - and WOW!, does it have a vintage look. I started using it, then a friend gave me a dozen rolls of 35mm film he doesn't need, and the next thing you know: I'm in Carmel, California in Ansel Adams' darkroom. This week, I'm trying out two Zeiss Tenor box cameras using 120 film. As for the 35mm film I was given, I decided to give myself a hard time by getting an Argus C3 "Brick" - two of them, in fact. I still use digital cameras: a Sony 4K camcorder and a low-priced Sony Cybershot camera I opened up and converted to an infrared camera - because infrared is surrealistic and trippy. Also, black and white rules. So, yep - cyanotypes, because I want to make my own prints with my own hands . . . and don't want to drag chemicals and fumes into it. I'm a Kodak addict and am leaning towards a No.3 Model B. It's a good looking box.

[@behnamtaidi400]

Hi David, Thanks for your video. As a hobby, I'd like to do some pinhole photography. I thought that buying a brownie and removing it's lens would work. I have bought a Brownie No.2A Model C. It looks very simiar to the model E that you have shown. On the back it says that it is made in Canada and that it uses 116 Film. Does the 120 film fit into this camera? More importantly, I plan to remove the lens and use photographic paper with the camera. How do I remove the lens? Any ideas?

[@DavidHancock]

Hi, Benham, these can be modded for pinhole photography pretty easily. 116 film is larger than 120, so check HolgaMods or eBay for 116 to 120 spool adapters. Then you can use 120 in the 116 camera. To take the front off, there should be some screws or nails holding the front plate on (check the sides). From there you can access the lens and shutter. The shutter may have to be removed to remove the lens. It may also be easier to remove the lens from the rear, though you'd have to reach for it. I'm not exactly sure how the lenses are held in place on these and how destructive your efforts will be to the camera.

[@behnamtaidi400]

@@DavidHancock Hi David, thanks for your reply. Looking inside the camera, it looks like I neeed a tool with two strong pins sticking out of it at 180° (opposite) of each other. Maybe I'll try with two paperclips to see if it budges..... Then I would be able to put photograpic paper in it and develp t myself (the part I really enjoyed!).

[@behnamtaidi400]

@@gypsies0184 Hi Gypsies, I don't think that the camera is worth anything really. Why not convert it to a fun pinhole camera? I just dont want to destroy it in the process.....

[@DavidHancock]

@@behnamtaidi400 The tool you're looking for is called a spanner wrench. They run around $10-25 on eBay for a decent one. If you have to unscrew it from behind, you'll need a longer one.

[@womanwithcamerawithandreaa626]

I got a kodak brownie number 3, it doesn't have the speed shutter and the front lens for landscape. Do you think I can still get good shots?

[@DavidHancock]

By the front lens for landscapes, do you mean the viewfinder that you would use to site landscape-orientation photos? If so, then definitely, just look down the camera from the back and roughly site your scene. As for the speed shutter, there should be a switch that changes the shutter from bulb to "instant."

[@womanwithcamerawithandreaa626]

The front horizontal viewfinder is missing. The shutter doesn't work My question is what type photography can I get with the camera in those conditions? Thank you for your answer 📸💕

[@DavidHancock]

@@womanwithcamerawithandreaa626 without a working shutter, you won't get any photos. The shutter is required to work for the light to reach the film. Without that, the film can't record images.

[@womanwithcamerawithandreaa626]

@@DavidHancock can I use as a pinhole camera?

[@DavidHancock]

It would still need a working shutter. Plus you'd need to modify it to remove the lens and put a pinhole into it. It's possible and could be a fun project if you want to go that route, though. If you do that you'd be accessing the shutter mechanism and could probably get it to work again while you're there. These are pretty simple cameras from a mechanical standpoint (a lever, a spring, and a rotating plate). So fixing them is pretty easy once you have the front of the camera removed.

[@smallcnclathes]

I have a 2A, but I think I really need to get a No2 model F, even if it is just for one roll of film. Good video, so many on this topic have no narration just awful music.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@79tazman]

How many maga pixel does that camera have LOL!!

[@DavidHancock]

About seven. :D