La ràpida Kodak / Need for Speed (Kodak)
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
La Nº 1A Speed Kodak fou una càmera produida en baix nombre (unes 2100) entre 1909 i 1913, i crec que era una de les més complexes oferides per Kodak, que en general s'orientà a models barats i amateur. La Speed Kodak era inusual en aquell moment per incorporar un obturador de pla focal i no un obturador central com totes les càmeres del tipus "folding pocket", molt populars.
L'obturador, que ocupa tot el cos de la màquina, permetia velocitats de fins a 1/1000, i per això la càmera s'anomena Speed Kodak (de fet, encara hi havia un model més gran i complexe, la Nº 4A Speed Kodak). De fet, aquest obturador indica clàrament el seu origen en les càmeres Graflex, de Folmer & Schwing, empresa recentment adquirida per Eastman Kodak. Fins i tot té una "cosina" produida dins la marca Graflex, la 1A Graflex, amb la que comparteix molts elements (però aquella és una SLR, més complexa). El numeral 1A indica que empraven el desaparescut format 116, però es poden adaptar facilment al encara actual 120.
Fins i tot hi ha la possibilitat que aquesta càmera influís en el naixement de la famosa Leica, tot i que no de manera directa. Si Oskar Barnack, el creador de la famosa càmera de 35mm, va coneixer aquesta Speed Kodak (fabricà els seus prototipus el mateix 1913), potser es fixà en les seves possibilitat, sobretot si es reduïa encara més el volum de la càmera.
Aquest exemplar en concret està en un estat de conservació extern impecable, però l'obturador té alguns problemas, afortunadament minimitzats. L'objectiu és un Bausch & Lomb-Zeiss Tessar, Series Ic f4.5 / 3 1/4x4 1/4. Alhora de provar-la el disparador es movia però la cortina del obturador no. Per sort vaig trobar dibuixos tecnics del mecanisme (en les patents americanes). De fet, les peces son grans i relativament poques, pel que fou facil veure que el problema era que la peça que en apretar el disparador havia de deixar que la cortina es mogues (impelida per una molla que funciona prou bé), estava torçada. Donat que adreçar-la podia comportar trencar-la, vaig llimar les fraccions de mm que molestaven (la gran mida de les peces facilitava això), i ara l'obturador funciona i la càmera fa fotos!
El nº de serie està entorn el 2.400; considernat que van del 1000 a entorn el 3100, és més aviat tardana, fabricada probablement cap al 1911-13.
Desgraciament més de la meitat de les velocitats menys ràpides fan que la cortina no tingui la tensió suficient i no es poden fer servir, però amb les que queden, la càmera pot tirar prou bé!
camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/No._1A_Speed_Kodak
journal.graflex.org/journal-2015-01.pdf
kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=212&cam=1465
==============================================
The Nº 1A Speed Kodak was a camera produced in small numbers (about 2100) between 1909 and 1913, and I think it was one of the most complex offered by Kodak, which was generally geared towards cheap and amateur models. The Speed Kodak was unusual at the time to incorporate a focal plane shutter and not a leaf shutter like all the very popular "folding pocket" type cameras that share this size & body.
This shutter allowed speeds of up to 1/1000, which is why the camera is called Speed Kodak (there was still a larger and more complex model, the Nº 4A Speed Kodak). In fact, this shutter clearly indicates its origin in the Graflex cameras, from Folmer & Schwing, a company recently acquired by Eastman Kodak. It even has a "cousin" produced within the Graflex brand, the 1A Graflex, with which it shares many elements (but that's a more complex camera, being a SLR). The numeral 1A indicates that they used the long gone format 116, but they can be easily adapted to the still current 120.
There is even a possibility that this camera influenced the birth of the famous Leica, although not directly. If Oskar Barnack, the creator of the first really working 35mm camera, came to know this Speed Kodak (he made his prototypes in 1913), perhaps he would look at its possibilities, especially if the volume of the camera was further reduced to 35mm cinema film. Obviously there ara many differences in the mechanism, but not so with the first prototypes (the Ur-Leica), with a quite similar shutter cloth.
This particular specimen is in an impeccable cosmetic condition, but the shutter has some problems, fortunately minimized. The lens is a Bausch & Lomb-Zeiss Tessar, Series Ic f4.5 / 3 1 / 4x4 1/4. At the time of testing it the shutter release did move but the shutter curtain did not. Luckily I found technical drawings of the mechanism (in American patents). In fact, the internal parts are large and relatively few, so it was easy to see that the problem was that when you pulled the trigger, the part that had to let the curtain move (driven by a spring that works well enough), was slightly bent. Since straightening it could lead to breaking it, I filed the annoying mm fractions (the large size of the pieces made that easier), and now the shutter works and the camera takes pictures!
The serial number is around 2,400; considered to range from 1000 to around 3100, it is a rather later camera, probably manufactured around 1911-13.
Unfortunately for more than half of the slower speeds the curtain does not have enough tension and they can’t be used, but with the ones left, the camera can shoot well enough!
camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/No._1A_Speed_Kodak
journal.graflex.org/journal-2015-01.pdf
La ràpida Kodak / Need for Speed (Kodak)
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
La Nº 1A Speed Kodak fou una càmera produida en baix nombre (unes 2100) entre 1909 i 1913, i crec que era una de les més complexes oferides per Kodak, que en general s'orientà a models barats i amateur. La Speed Kodak era inusual en aquell moment per incorporar un obturador de pla focal i no un obturador central com totes les càmeres del tipus "folding pocket", molt populars.
L'obturador, que ocupa tot el cos de la màquina, permetia velocitats de fins a 1/1000, i per això la càmera s'anomena Speed Kodak (de fet, encara hi havia un model més gran i complexe, la Nº 4A Speed Kodak). De fet, aquest obturador indica clàrament el seu origen en les càmeres Graflex, de Folmer & Schwing, empresa recentment adquirida per Eastman Kodak. Fins i tot té una "cosina" produida dins la marca Graflex, la 1A Graflex, amb la que comparteix molts elements (però aquella és una SLR, més complexa). El numeral 1A indica que empraven el desaparescut format 116, però es poden adaptar facilment al encara actual 120.
Fins i tot hi ha la possibilitat que aquesta càmera influís en el naixement de la famosa Leica, tot i que no de manera directa. Si Oskar Barnack, el creador de la famosa càmera de 35mm, va coneixer aquesta Speed Kodak (fabricà els seus prototipus el mateix 1913), potser es fixà en les seves possibilitat, sobretot si es reduïa encara més el volum de la càmera.
Aquest exemplar en concret està en un estat de conservació extern impecable, però l'obturador té alguns problemas, afortunadament minimitzats. L'objectiu és un Bausch & Lomb-Zeiss Tessar, Series Ic f4.5 / 3 1/4x4 1/4. Alhora de provar-la el disparador es movia però la cortina del obturador no. Per sort vaig trobar dibuixos tecnics del mecanisme (en les patents americanes). De fet, les peces son grans i relativament poques, pel que fou facil veure que el problema era que la peça que en apretar el disparador havia de deixar que la cortina es mogues (impelida per una molla que funciona prou bé), estava torçada. Donat que adreçar-la podia comportar trencar-la, vaig llimar les fraccions de mm que molestaven (la gran mida de les peces facilitava això), i ara l'obturador funciona i la càmera fa fotos!
El nº de serie està entorn el 2.400; considernat que van del 1000 a entorn el 3100, és més aviat tardana, fabricada probablement cap al 1911-13.
Desgraciament més de la meitat de les velocitats menys ràpides fan que la cortina no tingui la tensió suficient i no es poden fer servir, però amb les que queden, la càmera pot tirar prou bé!
camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/No._1A_Speed_Kodak
journal.graflex.org/journal-2015-01.pdf
kodak.3106.net/index.php?p=212&cam=1465
==============================================
The Nº 1A Speed Kodak was a camera produced in small numbers (about 2100) between 1909 and 1913, and I think it was one of the most complex offered by Kodak, which was generally geared towards cheap and amateur models. The Speed Kodak was unusual at the time to incorporate a focal plane shutter and not a leaf shutter like all the very popular "folding pocket" type cameras that share this size & body.
This shutter allowed speeds of up to 1/1000, which is why the camera is called Speed Kodak (there was still a larger and more complex model, the Nº 4A Speed Kodak). In fact, this shutter clearly indicates its origin in the Graflex cameras, from Folmer & Schwing, a company recently acquired by Eastman Kodak. It even has a "cousin" produced within the Graflex brand, the 1A Graflex, with which it shares many elements (but that's a more complex camera, being a SLR). The numeral 1A indicates that they used the long gone format 116, but they can be easily adapted to the still current 120.
There is even a possibility that this camera influenced the birth of the famous Leica, although not directly. If Oskar Barnack, the creator of the first really working 35mm camera, came to know this Speed Kodak (he made his prototypes in 1913), perhaps he would look at its possibilities, especially if the volume of the camera was further reduced to 35mm cinema film. Obviously there ara many differences in the mechanism, but not so with the first prototypes (the Ur-Leica), with a quite similar shutter cloth.
This particular specimen is in an impeccable cosmetic condition, but the shutter has some problems, fortunately minimized. The lens is a Bausch & Lomb-Zeiss Tessar, Series Ic f4.5 / 3 1 / 4x4 1/4. At the time of testing it the shutter release did move but the shutter curtain did not. Luckily I found technical drawings of the mechanism (in American patents). In fact, the internal parts are large and relatively few, so it was easy to see that the problem was that when you pulled the trigger, the part that had to let the curtain move (driven by a spring that works well enough), was slightly bent. Since straightening it could lead to breaking it, I filed the annoying mm fractions (the large size of the pieces made that easier), and now the shutter works and the camera takes pictures!
The serial number is around 2,400; considered to range from 1000 to around 3100, it is a rather later camera, probably manufactured around 1911-13.
Unfortunately for more than half of the slower speeds the curtain does not have enough tension and they can’t be used, but with the ones left, the camera can shoot well enough!
camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/No._1A_Speed_Kodak
journal.graflex.org/journal-2015-01.pdf