Kodak Monitor six-20 special

[Nesster]

1941 Kodak Monitor Six 20 Special by Nesster, on Flickr


1941 Kodak Monitor Six 20 top deck & profile view by Nesster, on Flickr

This 1941 folder from Kodak has a frame counter / auto stop / double exposure lock mechanism (mine will need cleaning); an Anastigmat Special 101mm f/4.5 4 element lens in a Supermatic shutter with speeds to 400 (mine only works on one speed regardless of shutter setting, so the shutter needs cleaning as well)... The view finder has manual parallax compensation. 620 film.

First roll, even with the one speed shutter the performance is good.


Westminister Art Center, Bloomfield College by Nesster, on Flickr

"100%" crop of the 1200dpi Epson 4490 scan


Westminister Art Center, Bloomfield College, "100% crop" by Nesster, on Flickr

Yeah, why didn't I do the crop on the section with the girl

Fomapan 100 in D-76, this shot was @f/11

[Nesster]

another "100%" crop, the lens has some resolution. The scratches on the film are because I forgot Foma is delicate and used a squeegee

[Katastrofo]

Camera looks well made and indeed the lens is Special. This is from a
respooled roll? I keep hoping to find out about a Kodak folder where you
can 'persuade' a 120 roll to fit, but there's simply not enough real estate
to do so, like my Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash.

Nice samples.

[Big Dawg]

A heavy duty folder. Nice results. I hope to shoot a few in a week or so with my medalist. Just got to get the time and a good subject.

[mmelvis]

Very nice camera and good looking results

[luisalegria]

Great camera, wonderful shutter. The top of the line shutter at the time.

Rather easy to fix actually, responds well to lighter fluid and a bit of poking with a dental pick to get it moving.

You don't even need to remove the front plate, just the lens cells.

[dof]

That Anastigmat Special is a nice lens -- Tessar type 4 element.

[Nesster]

Glad to know, Luis, as looks like the 40s was a golden age for US Kodak.

Yes, I respooled to 620, I don't find it that hard... though this time the bonehead move was to leave a bit of the Foma new roll sticky (it doesn't come off as easily as with other makers) on the paper, which worked its way loose during the rewind, and ended up being featured on maybe 4 of the frames

Here's another sample, I cropped about a 6x4.5 section of the full frame (due to fame overlap and not such great framing on my part) and then forgot to downsize the damn thing. But it shows the lens at f/5.6


crop of the church tower by Nesster, on Flickr

Here's the huge original
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6067187414_96f9ec3b82_o.jpg

And the last frame on the roll, our soon to be ex house, memorialized with the very last camera I buy as owner and occupier of said house. And most likely the last B&W film I'll develop in the house.

Cameras wrapped up and boxed take a lot of space as do negatives etc. I have more boxes of photo stuff than hi-fi or books, or clothes. And, I've been taking cameras etc to work too, and they are starting to pile up. I swear, I'll need to start selling them. Or giving them away.

[Big Dawg]

T.here is one on Ebay right now for under 50 DUS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190540253144?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I'm tempted but Pressman is calling.

[Nesster]

Yes I saw that - this one has the ordinary (still 4 element) Anastigmat, and it sounds like the shutter button linkages are screwed. Except that it came with the special lens, I'd probably have gone for a Vigilant instead, as it is a simpler mechanism (no auto stop to get confused).... and the Pressman for you needs makes much more sense.

[Big Dawg]

[martinsmith99]

Amazing camera! Nice work Jussi!

[dof]

Shows you what fine lenses these Kodaks are.

[Nesster]

They are indeed. Once we move house I'll sort out the two mechanisms on the camera...

meanwhile, an illustration of why feature creep happens with cameras, till they are the bell-n-whistle things they are now. Focusing aids, especially coupled ones, increase reliability when shooting at the wider apertures.

Here I shot both at around f/5.6 and 10ft, but I slightly misjudged the distance for the cross and more or less nailed it for the statue.


Celtic Cross, St. John's Episcopal, Montclair NJ by Nesster, on Flickr


Fireman statue, Bloomfield NJ by Nesster, on Flickr

Obviouslyu this is a slippery slope: once I have coupled focusing, I'll want some form of metering. Once I have metering in the hand, I'll want it in the camera, and coupled to boot. And once it's there, I'll want auto exposure, and because auto exposure gets fooled easy I'll want matrix metering. By then I'll be too lazy to advance the film myself, and too lazy to focus... etc. Heck, I'll be too lazy to load and develop the film. Yeah, I'm ready for one of them Fuji x100's

[Attila]

I am a proud owner too can't wait to try it out.

My camera has 100mm f4.5 lens not 101mm and serial number has no EC pre-fix

[Katastrofo]

Attila, are you respooling the 120 yourself or sending it to Jussi, since he seems to like it.

Looking forward to your pictures!

[Attila]

I think I will simple cut 120mm spool to smaller diameter, it works well and easy. I expect I will love it just same than Jussi

[Katastrofo]

Let us know how that works out for you.

[Nesster]

LOL, Bill, it takes me an extra dose of ambition to get started with either respooling or reel clipping. I keep telling myself I need to, but my reels have long nails and the 620 spools cobwebs.

[Katastrofo]

Heh, I tried clipping the spool just one time (I only have 3 different kinds of toenail clippers, maybe I should
check if Lindstrom makes a pair) and it was not a good progress.

[Attila]

I use one tool to clip bird and turtle nails I think that will be strong enough, if not works re-spool also not a big job.

[Katastrofo]

[Attila]

It works Monitor is loaded with fomapan 100, spool has edge mark around that is 620 size exactly I did cut there with cutters 1-2 to minutes only.

[Katastrofo]

Congrats, Attila! Show a picture of those cutters some time. Looking forward to the pictures!

[Attila]

I did use similar sharp front cutter
http://www.getoptical.com/cutting-pliers/66-ac47-front-cutter.html