BillBingham2
Registered User
Happy Thursday Everyone!
As I was going through stuff a month back I found an old Kodak Monitor 616 Special. After a bit of research I think I have found a camera that will fill my lusting for a MF friend.
I'm wondering who would you recommend to do a CLA on her?
I'm going to add some guide rails to allow me to use 120 film with some adapters.
Thanks.
B2 (;->
As I was going through stuff a month back I found an old Kodak Monitor 616 Special. After a bit of research I think I have found a camera that will fill my lusting for a MF friend.
I'm wondering who would you recommend to do a CLA on her?
I'm going to add some guide rails to allow me to use 120 film with some adapters.
Thanks.
B2 (;->
Last edited:
shawn
Veteran
I have several Monitor 616s and 620s and have been using their lenses on Kraken 6x12 cameras.
Before you send a Six-16 out for a CLA check the bellows very carefully. The Monitor bellows just don't seem to last and most of the ones I've seen have cracks in them. There is a seller on ebay that has replacement bellows for the Six-16 (but not the Six-20) Monitors.
Also, the automatic film advance in the Six-16 likely will not work with 120 film. The 'gears' on the shaft are outside of the height of 120 film so the shaft won't reliably turn. It does have a red door might be able to use but I'm not sure if 120 film will line up properly with that. And you will manually have to disable the double exposure prevention for each shot. (The lever under the viewfinder).
If you like the Monitor (and they are nice cameras) the earlier versions of the Six-20 can take a clipped spool of 120 film so there is no need to reroll film. You do need 620 take up spools though. Later on Kodak changed the film side a little which prevented clipped 120 spools from fitting. (edit for clarity)
I think the 101mm and 127mm 'Anistigmat Special' lenses are the 101/127mm Ektar's in a front cell focusing mount.
Shawn
Before you send a Six-16 out for a CLA check the bellows very carefully. The Monitor bellows just don't seem to last and most of the ones I've seen have cracks in them. There is a seller on ebay that has replacement bellows for the Six-16 (but not the Six-20) Monitors.
Also, the automatic film advance in the Six-16 likely will not work with 120 film. The 'gears' on the shaft are outside of the height of 120 film so the shaft won't reliably turn. It does have a red door might be able to use but I'm not sure if 120 film will line up properly with that. And you will manually have to disable the double exposure prevention for each shot. (The lever under the viewfinder).
If you like the Monitor (and they are nice cameras) the earlier versions of the Six-20 can take a clipped spool of 120 film so there is no need to reroll film. You do need 620 take up spools though. Later on Kodak changed the film side a little which prevented clipped 120 spools from fitting. (edit for clarity)
I think the 101mm and 127mm 'Anistigmat Special' lenses are the 101/127mm Ektar's in a front cell focusing mount.
Shawn
MDenton
Established
shawn
Veteran
I have a couple of 616 Monitors and checking them out they changed a bit over the years. Both had 127mm Special Astigmatic lens on them, one was uncoated the other was coated.
Early vs late body rear door
Early body has a DOF scale on it, late body didn't.
Bottom plates are pretty different. Much thinner on the later body.
Fancy door latch on the earlier body, later body is just a sliding lock.
The film compartments are quite a bit different between them too.
Much simpler in the later body. The covering feels thicker on the earlier body too.
And it is hard to see in the pictures but the openings into the spool compartments are different. A 120 roll will pop into the feed side of the early body but not the later body. Likewise on the takeup side a 120 roll fits easily on the early body but can't fit into the later body.
I tried a 120 backing roll in the early body using a 116 spool for take up and as expected it wouldn't roll the automatic film advance roll. The red window lines up with the 6x4.5 marks on the paper so it should be possible to shoot on something like 3,6,9,12,15. The window is close to the edge of the paper though so it is possibly a light leak.
I'm printing some adapters now and might try putting a roll through just to see what happens. After I put a lens back on the body.
Shawn
Early vs late body rear door
Early body has a DOF scale on it, late body didn't.
Bottom plates are pretty different. Much thinner on the later body.
Fancy door latch on the earlier body, later body is just a sliding lock.
The film compartments are quite a bit different between them too.
Much simpler in the later body. The covering feels thicker on the earlier body too.
And it is hard to see in the pictures but the openings into the spool compartments are different. A 120 roll will pop into the feed side of the early body but not the later body. Likewise on the takeup side a 120 roll fits easily on the early body but can't fit into the later body.
I tried a 120 backing roll in the early body using a 116 spool for take up and as expected it wouldn't roll the automatic film advance roll. The red window lines up with the 6x4.5 marks on the paper so it should be possible to shoot on something like 3,6,9,12,15. The window is close to the edge of the paper though so it is possibly a light leak.
I'm printing some adapters now and might try putting a roll through just to see what happens. After I put a lens back on the body.
Shawn