Here’s an interesting camera from Kodak – the Vigilant Junior Six-20 which was produced between 1939 to 1949. I’m sure there are more than a few of these floating around in junk bins and what not.
We acquired the camera during one of our camera buying forays – the owner wanted it to go to a good home and told us that it was his families only camera for many years. It was dirty but the bellows are in good condition (I think we were the first ones to open it in maybe 30 or more years) as it was a struggle to get the bellows to deploy. We “bought” the camera along with a few of his Minolta lenses and a Minolta SR-T 101.
The camera is missing its winder knob but the film can still be advanced with a little effort (and luck). The Junior version of this popular camera was as basic as basic can be – simple shutter and even simpler aperture settings. We have no plans to shoot with this camera – 620 film is no longer available and although 120 roll film can be re-spooled to fit it’s not worth the effort. With 120 film you’d get only 8 exposures in the 6x9cm format.
So this little time machine gets added to our collection and for now, makes a nice display piece. I found a great new place to set up as a makeshift studio (see the picture above). Nice natural lighting and interesting backgrounds.
Thanks for stopping by! By the way, this camera is available for purchase at https://www.ccstudio2380.com if you’d like to add a nice clean vintage camera to your home or office decor.
Chris
