 Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:46 pm Post subject: DIY Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash lens adapter |
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Dustylens wrote:
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. |
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. 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.