Kodak Folding Cartridge Premo

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The Folding Cartridge Premo cameras are a series of folding-bed cameras for various types of roll film, made by Eastman Kodak from about 1916 until the mid-20s (see also the Cartridge Premo box cameras of about the same time). They might be seen as an extension of the Film Premo film pack cameras (cartridge refers to roll film).

There are a number of variations on the basic format. The camera has a sheet metal shell containing the winding key and a red window, into which latches the removable unit containing the bellows and the folding bed. The bed is held shut by a lever that doubles as a foot for standing the camera upright in portrait position. The front standard slides out on rails to a catch between 25 meters and 30 meters on focusing scale, which is roughly hyperfocal distance for smaller apertures on this camera. The catch can be released by pressing a latch on the front standard, allowing the camera to be focused nearer or farther than this distance. The cameras have a pivoted brilliant finder, which has a cross-shaped frame that shows both landscape and portrait views. The dimensions of the camera vary based on the format of film.

The cameras have one of two fairly basic lenses: the meniscus achromat two-element lens mounted behind the shutter (which has its blades exposed to the outside air,) or the faster and sharper Rapid Rectilinear four-element lens mounted around the shutter.

The camera has a basic version of the Kodak Ball Bearing Shutter, an everset, five-blade leaf shutter giving speeds 1/25 and 1/50 second, plus 'B' and 'T'.

Different models of this camera vary in details: apertures are marked in Kodak's own simplified system (numbered 1 - 4) in the example pictured near right, but are marked in Universal System stops (stops 4-64, equivalent to f/8-f/32) in the example shown far right.

McKeown lists several sizes, each taking a different type of film:[1]

  • No. 2 (2¼×3¼ inch (6x9cm) on 120 film) (This is the only format of film that is still available for this camera.)
  • No. 2A (2½×4¼ inch on 116 film)
  • No. 2C (2⅞×4⅞ inch on 130 film)
  • No. 3A (3¼×5½ inch on 122 film)


Notes

  1. McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). p515.

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