Vintage point and shoot Box Cameras

I enjoy using the various types of Kodak Brownie cameras.  They take me back to my childhood when my grandmother used her Kodak Brownie Hawkeye to photograph family events. They are very simple to use and promote a click-and-pray philosophy of photography.  Most have a very low shutter speed of under 40/sec requiring very steady hands, or using something to stabilize the camera for best results.  They are the first cameras mass-produced for the public.  You can find them online or occasionally at thrift stores for under $20.  

The Brownie Bull's-Eye was a Bakelite Box camera made by Kodak between 1954  & 1960, designed by Arthur H Crapsey. The body featured an eye-level viewfinder and a large shutter-release button on the front vertical edge, in front of the winding knob. It was available in black (with light-grey winding knob, focus & shutter release)- from 1954-1958,  or a beige color (called "gold", with black controls) from 1958-1960.  a Kodalite-mount "Miget" flashgun was provided in a kit, identical to the one sold by with the Hawkeye Flash.

It uses 620 film, producing larger 6x9 negatives in a portrait orientation compared to the Hawkeye 6x6 format.  It's Twinidar two-element periscopic lens with zone focusing allows sharp focus from 4ft to infinity.  Original price: $15.00  I have a complete original boxed flash outfit which includes a camera, flash, bulbs, film, and batteries.

One of the first point-and-shoot cameras which brought photography to the masses. Kodak Brownie Hawkeye photography in one of its most basic forms. Super simple to use just point, click and pray. Using it brings back vivid memories of my grandmother taking family photos around the house. 

A Bakelite Box camera that takes 12 6x6 cm images on 620 films made in the USA between 1949-1961. The camera has fixed settings f16 @1/40 sec, the only exposure parameter the user can change is film speed, with speeds 50-100 being serviceable in the brightest sunlight, with 160-400 being within exposure latitudes for overcast or shaded daylight shots as well. 

I own various models of Kodak Hawkeyes including a complete original Brownie Hawkeye Outfit which includes a camera, bulb flash unit, film, and batteries.  The original price in the 1950s was $7.00.

I modified a standard Kodak Brownie box camera by adding a tripod mount and adapted a system to allow changeable filters to control the exposure.