Foldex 20
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 3:19 pm
Foldex 20 was produced from 1948 to 1960. It took big 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 images. That's 8 to a roll of standard film....like the Kodak 2 I mentioned also today. It was made by Pho Tak of Chicago and must have sold a pretty good many at less than $20 each. It has one shutter speed of maybe 1/50th of a second as well as a B mode. The Aperture is unknown to me but probably something toward the open end. The most amazing thing about it is that you push a button on the finder side and the accordion bellows pops right out to full length.
Took it for a test run. I was suspecting some pinhole or other leaks and there were some light leaks. But not a total loss.
About the same time as this camera Kodak had a much better version with a pop out bellows. It also had multiple shutter speeds and apertures as well. It was called the Tourist and I wrote one up in another post string.
The shutter release is on the bellows frame. You push in toward the middle of the camera to trip the shutter. Not exactly an ergonomic location but the Kodak operated much the same way.
I'd say the camera is good enough for snap shots...or was. The simple plastic Kodak Brownie Hawkie was probably better and cheaper and didn't have a cloth bellows to get holes in.
Took it for a test run. I was suspecting some pinhole or other leaks and there were some light leaks. But not a total loss.
About the same time as this camera Kodak had a much better version with a pop out bellows. It also had multiple shutter speeds and apertures as well. It was called the Tourist and I wrote one up in another post string.
The shutter release is on the bellows frame. You push in toward the middle of the camera to trip the shutter. Not exactly an ergonomic location but the Kodak operated much the same way.
I'd say the camera is good enough for snap shots...or was. The simple plastic Kodak Brownie Hawkie was probably better and cheaper and didn't have a cloth bellows to get holes in.