Thank you so much for sharing your comment! It's really great to hear from someone who actually worked at Kodak and can share a little about what it was like to work there. I really appreciate your message!

You should definitely try to track that down!

They are fun, good luck!

@@oddballcamera what size did you use for this camera? I bought the ansco version you talked about. Your video on it was very informative

@@Kaiya.Kulshan If you have the Combination Back for the camera, the plate size is 3.25" x 5.5". J. Lane makes this size, although in looking at his website right now it appears that they've suspended production for the moment. Zebra Dry Plates is another source, and I see that they make a plate for 3A cameras.

Thank you! There are a couple of options to use the camera--one is to try to find expired 122 film online, typically on eBay. This can take some time and can also be a bit expensive. Another option is to buy 122-to-120 film adapters and then use commonly-available 120 film in the camera. With this option you will get narrower negatives since 120 film is a narrower film stock than 122, but you can at least try out the camera with modern film!

You can use cut film if you have the dry plate back.

Yes! I am a big Mallory/Irvine nerd. I've been looking for a Vest Pocket Kodak for a while but haven't found one quite yet!

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback. I hope to have another video about this camera done sometime in coming months.

Thank you! I hope to have another 122 camera video up soon.

Thank you! I plan to publish another video with this camera again soon. Stay tuned!

Yes! 116/616 negatives are large, and 122 negatives are even larger. I plan on comparing the two in "Part 2" of this video. Stay tuned!

Oh that would be an amazing conversion! This camera begs for a 4x5 conversion. I would love to see what you put together!

Very nice! Are you going to try shooting with the 1A? Should be fun. And nice to hear from a fellow Washingtonian!

@oddballcamera Yes! I plan on shooting with it. I'm going to take it into a camera shop this Monday for them to check the shutter for me. The Instant shutter is working fine for all 4 aperture modes but when I go to bulb and press it down, the shutter stays open but it kinda has some quirks when trying to let up on it. You kinda have to mess with it for it to shut again. Same goes for the Time mode. I don't know what the issue is but we'll see. Do you recommend cleaning these old cameras and treating the bellows with some sort of leather conditioner/sustainer?

@@ethanmietzner5218 Definitely check the bellows for light leaks before running any film through it. The easiest way to do this is to open the back of the camera while the bellows are extended and shine a bright flashlight on the outside of the bellows while you look at the inside (some people do this the other way around, but I find it easier to spot light leaks inside the darkness of the interior of the bellows). Light leaks are very common in the corner folds so check all the way up and down the bellows. If you have pinhole light leaks you'll want to block those up with something--I personally use black fabric paint as it is designed to be somewhat flexible after drying. Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours before trying to fold the bellows back up. If you have larger holes you might need to use some kind of fabric patch repair tape or similar. I also treat leather bellows with a leather treatment. Again, make sure this is completely dry before closing the camera back up. Have fun with it!

@oddballcamera I checked the bellows for light leaks and found none, even on the corners. I did see however where the bellows attach to the front of the camera where the shutter is, that there is a slight leak where it attaches but it's so minimal and hidden away that I don't think it will affect an image.

That's awesome! These are fun cameras to shoot with. Good luck!

Yes! The size of the negatives this camera produces is shocking. As you say, very detailed prints are easily made with straightforward contact printing.

Thank you! I'm hoping to get another 122-film-based camera posted in the near future.

That's awesome! The old Zeiss Ikontas are very nice cameras. I have another video on a 1930s Zeiss Super Ikonta if you haven't seen that one yet.

Thank you! Yes, it would be great if you could find some film for your 2A! You can sometimes find old 116 film on eBay. Like you say, even just getting the backing paper and reel would be useful, as you can easily adopt 70mm film for use in a 116 camera.

Me too! These cameras were already incredibly obsolete even back then.

I know! This camera has been super reliable...more reliable than the operator... 😄

Thank you! Unfortunately the photos I took in the snow did not come out, but I was really happy with the tree on the river bank. It's always a bit of a roll of the dice when shooting with film this old.

Thank you! I like to keep my older cameras working if possible. It's definitely a very different experience shooting with these very old cameras compared to modern digital!

Nice! I have been looking for one of the later 3A versions for a while. I hope you're able to get it usable once again!

Thank you!

Very nice! It's fun to get out and shoot with these old cameras now and then.

Yes, the camera is in amazing condition, including the bellows, which are completely light-tight. I was lucky to find this copy at a low price. For the film, I have (nearly) always had really good luck with Verichrome Pan, so I almost always rate it at 100 if it's older than 1980 and shoot it at box speed (125) if newer than 1980. VP must have really good emulsion stabilizers because this approach has worked for me every time except once or twice. For this particular roll, the inner foil pack had already been opened when I got the film, so I rated it at 80 thinking it might need a little extra exposure to overcome any background fog on the film. However, there was virtually no fog on the film at all, so I could have rated it at 100 like I usually do. I have an old Nikor 122 reel that is used for developing.

Спасибо! I hope to post more videos with this camera in the future.

It took me a long time to find one also. I got lucky in finding this set. I have heard of some people who have made their own using a donor plain back from another camera. You're lucky to have the Special variants! Those are really amazing cameras. I hope to do a video about those as a "Part 2" to this video someday.

@@oddballcamera Of course! I actually have a donor 3-A from which I could use the back to make one myself! Shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks for the tip!

@@Dahrenhorst Fantastic! Good luck with the conversion. The big advantage of making your own is that you can design it to use other plate holders that are more easily obtained. The Combination Back takes unique plate holders that are even harder to find than the back itself (I was lucky to find a complete set--but only a single holder!). The 3.25 x 5.5 plate holders for Seneca and Premo cameras are relatively easy to find. The huge advantage of the 3A Special over the 3A when using plates is that the 3A Special cameras have fine-focus knobs, which would be extremely useful with ground glass focusing. No fine-focus on the 3A (though the 3A does have a secondary focus scale specifically for use with plates).

Does the 120 film stay in focus pretty well throughout the scene? I've just measured the inside dimensions of my 3A Junior and am in the process of designing (for a 3D printer) a sled to center the film and hold down the 3mm edges in an attempt to keep the film flat. Big concern is with it being thin enough to not impede with the film and scene but rigid enough to hold the film flat and centered. But if you say the curl really doesn't affect the bulk of the image, I might just run a roll thru it as is.

@@MikeyMopar Try to run a roll through it first. Some cameras have problems with flatness, others don't. I made a mask or rail out of thin aluminum for my cameras, because I actually had flatness inconsistencies. Another problem is actually scratches on the emulsion, when the rollers don't work properly anymore or are scratched. You might want to smoothen or to polish them. But before you start to re-engineer your camera, I suggest you first just test it with one roll.

Yes, exactly!

As a kid, I remember my father showing me how to make contact prints using printing out paper in a special frame.

Awesome camera! To check if it is working open the back, point at a light source, and click the shutter. You should see a quick flash of light if the shutter is set to a standard shutter speed. Be sure to open the aperture all the way when doing this check. Then you'll also need to check the bellows for light leaks. Have fun!

Yes, if the holes are very small you can paint them closed with black fabric paint. I had to do that to my camera as well. Leave the bellows extended for about a day to ensure the paint is totally cured before closing the camera back up.

I was very surprised at the sharpness of this lens as well! The full-size images are even sharper than what I can show in this compressed video. I think for cameras of this age, it's incredibly important that the lens board is still parallel to the film plane, and is located the correct distance from the film plane. It's really easy for these lens/focus calibrations to get out of whack either from damage or just age for these kinds of bellows cameras. Your Voigtlander focus might just need to be re-calibrated?

@@oddballcamera that's it

I know! This roll had been unsealed many years ago so I figured my chances were 50/50. I've had really good luck with VP over the years, but always have shot sealed rolls before this one.

The easiest alternative is to adapt 120 film for use in the camera. There are several folks out there who make the film spool adapters...check Film Photography Project if you're in the US.

You didn't miss it...I did! Unfortunately the snow pictures did not come out. The worst part is I think it was user error, not a problem with the film...ugh.

@@oddballcamera Ooh well, it happens! Thanks for letting me know, though! That scenery looked gorgeous. The quality of the images in general is astounding. I was just confused because after the video part, there was no picture, neither did it appear later, and no info. But hey, I've messed up so many pictures in my lifetime, I can relate to the feeling:D