KODAK used to really know how to do it

[Timmyjoe]

I know we all mock Kodak for the many decisions they've made in the last twenty years that have led to bankruptcy and discontinuation of favorite films, but I gotta say, they used to really know what they were doing.

I was able to pick up a KODAK Accessory Back (from the 1940's) for my Medalist II that turns it into a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 view camera, and WOW, is it nicely designed. I was lucky enough to get the instruction manual with the back, and Kodak designed it so the user can calibrate the back to their individual Medalist camera. It was quite easy to calibrate (and didn't even require a collimator), and when finished, you can focus with the ground glass & magnifier (which is part of the Accessory Back), or the rangefinder built into the camera, and the images match, spot on. The fit and finish is top notch, and all this precision photographic equipment was made here in the States. Those were the days. Quite impressive.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Peter Jennings]

Yeah, Kodak had it together on occasion. The Medalist is a great example of what they were capable of in the area of innovative, high-quality cameras. Too bad they decided to abandon that arena.

 

[Robert Lai]

I love my Medalist II. It is indeed solidly built, and with thoughtful touches that show that the engineers really thought about making the best product. Unfortunately, Kodak made so many junky things too that people forget that in the past they were makers of some very high quality cameras.

I do appreciate that most of their items are made so that they are easy to use. The film loading of the Medalist is a glaring exception.

 

[bluesun267]

I know they're not technically pure Kodak, but the Retina RF series of cameras are a real joy.

On the other extreme, let us not forget one (of many) Kodak exercises in absurdity, like the Kodak Moviedeck projector.

 

[lynnb]

Tim, just curious, is your Medalist modified to take 120 film? I've always admired the quality of the Ektar lens images, but the thought of re-spooling or grinding down 120 reels puts me off.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Hey Lynn, No, my Medalist II is stock, using 620 spools on feed and take-up. I made a fixture for my lathe and take a fresh roll of 120, shave down both ends of the plastic on the spool, and it works great (with a 620 spool for take up).

Best,
-Tim

 

[Robert Lai]

My experience with Ken Ruth's 120 conversion

My experience with Ken Ruth's 120 conversion

I had Ken Ruth modify my Medalist II to use 120 on both sides, and overhaul it at the same time. There are pluses and minuses with this. The main minus is that he had to grind out recesses in the film chambers to accommodate the wider flange diameter of the 120 film spool. Only grind the area for the flanges, not the entire chamber. The problem is then that you can remove so much metal that you actually perforate through to the light chamber behind the lens. That happened in a couple of spots.

Ken wasn't the cleanest worker, so there were metal shavings and dust inside the camera when I got it back. When I cleaned it all up, I noticed the perforated metal areas. I used black epoxy to seal the holes. Ken also left bare metal where he ground out the metal recesses. So, I had to go at these areas with flat black paint.

The plus was that he was an optical whiz. My viewfinder eyepiece doublet had decemented. He separated the elements and recemented them for me. Now my viewfinder/RF image is crystal clear. The engineers at Kodak did put in a parallax correction mask that moves up and down. However, the range of movement seems to be about 2mm, so you wonder why they bothered.

A couple more caveats about the Medalist II.

The flash synch runs on two rails inside the camera. These are polished unblackened metal, so there is a risk of glare from reflection off these rails. I put deoxit fader on my rails. This prevents oxidation from preventing electrical continuity, and also lubricates the rails. This made focusing notably smoother. I also taped some black velvet flocking material on the back of the traveling lens mount, to cover the shiny bare metal spots there for the flash wires. Again, to reduce internal reflection.

Flash terminal is a Kodak ASA type bayonet. I put an ASA to PC adapter on mine.

The other quirk is that Ken Ruth liked to rip out the F / M flash synch delay timer. His rationale was that people only use X synch. I do use flash bulbs. I had Frank Marshman rebuild the shutter (Ken had taken out all the flash delay components) to give me back my bulb flash synch.

Finally, my top speed of 1/400 was only about 1/260. Frank Marshman actually has new old stock Kodak Flash Supermatic shutter springs. He bought out Kodak's remaining supply when they were getting rid of these parts. He put a new spring in my shutter. The speed bumped up 1/3 of a stop, but it doesn't reach the full rated speed. So, expect that the top speed is only 1/3 to 1/2 stop faster than 1/200. The remaining speeds are remarkably accurate, even 70 years after the shutter was built.