Kodak Brownie Starflex

image by John Kratz (Image rights)

For the Japanese TLRs, see Starflex (wartime) and Starflex (postwar).

The Kodak Brownie Starflex was one of Kodak's very characteristic products - an easy to use camera for occasional amateur photographers. It was a simple small twin lens reflex camera - based on a design by Arthur H Crapsey. It was sold as set with a big flashgun. It did not really have "twin" lenses: The finder optics were simpler than those of the main lens. There was an additional folding sports finder built in to the base, between the film winder and the opening catch. Winding the film cocked the shutter, so preventing multiple-exposures.

There was an exposure selector below the lens, marked for Color and B & W; this changed the aperture, giving Exposure Values of 13 & 14.

It was part of the highly successful Star series.

Specifications

• Type: Twin Lens reflex (pseudo TLR)
• Manufacturer: Kodak
• Year of launch: 1957
• Price: 10 US$
• Films: 127 roll film, exposure format 4×4 cm
• Finder: reflex & reverse, additional sports finder on the bottom
• Aperture: Choice of two different apertures - listed as "color" and "b&w"

Links

• photoethnography.com
• UK Starflex page
• Brownie Starflex on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand

image by Steve Harwood (Image rights)

Starflex with Flash image by Steve Harwood (Image rights)