Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!

SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

DIY Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash lens adapter
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:46 pm    Post subject: DIY Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash lens adapter Reply with quote

Among my various vintage cameras, I have some Kodak 620 models from the 1950s.



I generally re-spool 120 film onto 620 spools to shoot film with them, but I also became curious about removing the lens from one and adapting it for use on my DSLR (Pentax K-1).
It turns out that removing the lens from a Hawkeye is very simple, non-destructive, and reversible.
Once you remove the back of the camera (as for loading film), you can see two screws.



Remove the screws to access the lens.



Tip: Make note of the orientation of the lens.

The lens is, in fact, a meniscus lens and the Hawkeye is focus-free (does that disqualify it as a Manual-Focus lens?).
I'm unsure whether the lens is 75mm or 80mm, but it should be in that range (for a 6x6 camera), and I wanted to be able to mount it on my DSLR and position it roughly where it belongs. I chose to use an M42 25mm-55mm helicoid (available from Ebay).
The last ingredient I required was a way to mount the lens to the helicoid. I chose a cheap M42 body cap, drilled a hole roughly the size of the Hawkeye's aperture (approximately 10mm, but smaller will likely give good results as well), and glued in a donut of foam to gently hug the lens.
An M42-to-Pentax-K adapter mounts the helicoid to my DSLR.



So now I can use the lens with my DSLR -- with the added benefit of being able to adjust focus (unlike with the Kawkeye).

Results have been good:




Further note: Some photographers have indicated that reversing the lens in the Hawkeye yields interesting results. I haven't tried that myself, but I do note that of my three Hawkeyes, the older two (circa 1950 & 1955) can have their lenses reversed, while the youngest (1957) cannot. So, if you want to buy a Hawkeye and try that, get an older one.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's a great result Like 1 . Congrats Dustylens. That shot is from a meniscus? Wow. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, as I've never adapted one. I think I might now.