Kodak Brownie Flash II – Instruction Manual

About this edition

This text edition transcribes all twelve source pages of How to Use Your Brownie Flash II Camera, Kodak Limited, London. No publication date is identified. Illustrations and decorative photographs are omitted; numbered control labels, flashholder diagram labels, operating instructions, warnings and both exposure tables are retained. These are historical instructions and product claims.

Credit: Kodak Limited, London. Source copy: The Brownie Camera Page.

How to use your Brownie Flash II camera

Kodak Limited London.

Get to know your camera

1. Catch: Lift to open the camera.
2. Viewfinder: For horizontal pictures.
3. Viewfinder: For vertical pictures.
4. Close-up slide: Pull out for close-up pictures from 5 to 10 feet. Press in for subjects farther away than 10 feet.
5. Control lever: Set to “I” for instantaneous snapshots, and “B” for brief-time exposures.
6. Camera lens: Keep free of dust or finger-prints.
7. Winding key: Turn to wind the film.
8. Shutter button: For snapshots press slowly inwards; for brief-time exposures follow special instructions.
9. Flasholder connection: Use “Brownie” Flasholder (see To take flash pictures).

How to load

1. Open the back of the camera by lifting the catch. Draw out the winding key as far as it will come. Withdraw the inside of the camera – called the film holder. Remove the empty spool.
2. Place the new spool of film in the holder, in the position illustrated. Break the paper band and unwind about four inches of paper, keeping the rest of the film tightly wound.
3. Take the empty spool, insert the end of the paper into the long slot and wind three turns on to the spool, with the black side of the paper towards the inside. Be sure that the paper winds evenly between the spool flanges.
4. Draw the paper over the rollers and insert the spool at the end marked “KEY SIDE”. Replace the holder, with “KEY SIDE” towards the winding key of the camera. Close the camera back. While turning, press in the winding key until it engages the spool: keep turning until a hand appears in the red window. Now wind on slowly until the figure “1” is centred. Wind to the next number after each picture.

Load your camera in shade, never in direct sunlight or strong artificial light. Use only size 620 film: Kodak “Verichrome” Pan (or “Plus-X”) Film is recommended.

And unload

After the last picture (No. 8), wind until the end of the paper passes the red window. Draw out the winding key, open the catch securing the camera back and withdraw the film holder.

Remove the exposed film, holding it securely to prevent it unrolling. Fold under the end of the paper and seal it with the gummed paper band.

Follow these simple picture-making rules

Snapshots

1. Set the Control Lever to “I” (instantaneous) for all daylight snapshots.
2. Look in the red window to make certain that you have advanced the film.
3. Check the distance. Do not photograph subjects nearer than 10 feet from the camera unless you use the close-up slide (see Using the close-up slide).
4. Check the light. The subject can be in bright or hazy sunlight, between an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. For better rendering of clouds use a No. 370 “Kodisk” Cloud Filter.
5. Compose the picture. Decide whether it should be horizontal or vertical. The viewfinder shows you what your picture will include.
6. Hold the camera steady. Camera shake will blur the picture. Press the shutter button inwards with a gentle squeezing action.

Using the close-up slide

Close-up pictures add interest and variety to your album. Just pull out the close-up slide and stand between 5 and 10 feet from your subject. This will enable you to obtain attractive head-and-shoulders portraits, or detailed pictures of still-life subjects (flowers or architectural features, for instance). When sighting close-ups keep the main subject well down in the viewfinder for vertical pictures, and to the left of centre for horizontal pictures, otherwise part of the subject may be cut off. Always return the slide after use.

Brief-time exposures

When there is not enough light for an ordinary snapshot, and you have no “Brownie” Flasholder with you, make a brief-time exposure. Place the camera on a firm support, and set the control lever to “B”. Steady the camera and press in the shutter button slowly. The shutter will remain open for as long as the button is pressed. Exposure time will depend on the available light and cannot be given exactly. As a basis, try the following times with “Verichrome” Pan Film.

With “Tri-X” Film, these times can be halved.

To take flash pictures

With the “Brownie” Flasholder fitted to your camera, a flashbulb will provide you with the necessary light source for taking pictures in very dull weather or after dark, indoors or outdoors. Before fitting the Flasholder, make sure there is a 22½-volt battery (Ever-Ready No. B155 or the equivalent) correctly inserted in the Flasholder case (see instructions on tape). See that the control lever on the camera shutter is set to “I”.

Fitting the Flasholder

The Flasholder has a projecting pin and a captive knurled screw. Insert the pin into the lower of the two holes on the side of the camera opposite the shutter button. Tighten the captive screw. Electrical connections are made automatically.

Note: Do not insert a flashbulb until the Flasholder has been attached to the camera (see When making flashsnaps).

Illustration labels: captive screw; flashguard clip; ejector pin; contact pin.

When making flashsnaps

Insert a capless flashbulb. Clip a “Brownie” Flashguard over the front of the reflector. This is a safeguard against the unlikely event of a flashbulb shattering when fired. You may now take your flashsnap simply by pressing the exposure button on the camera. Do not attempt to remove a fired flashbulb immediately with the fingers. Push the plunger at the rear of the reflector to eject the hot bulb, then unclip the Flashguard and allow the bulb to drop out. Never use the Flasholder in an explosive atmosphere.

You can expect to “stop” subject movement that is not too fast for a normal daylight snapshot. This is a great advantage when photographing babies or animals.

Flash is useful even on the brightest summer day. As a “fill-in” it will relieve hard shadows thrown by strong side lighting, or will bring out frontal detail in subjects which are strongly back-lit.

Stand where mirrors and other bright surfaces will not reflect the flash back into the camera lens.

The table gives recommended flash-to-subject distances for various films and flashbulbs. For the best possible pictures try to keep your subject at the single distance given for the film you are using. However you may wish to stand closer or further away from your subject (e.g., to improve composition, or for portraits). Provided you keep within the limits of the distances given in brackets, you will obtain good photographs of any average subjects in your own homes, or in similar surroundings. Remember to pull out the close-up slide if standing nearer than 10 feet from your subject. Do not stand closer than 5 feet.

When using flash as a “fill-in” in daylight, keep to the longer distances. With dark subjects in dark or large rooms, or for pictures out-of-doors at night, use the shorter distances.

Names quoted thus – “Kodak” – are trade marks.

Use Kodak film size 620

“Verichrome” Pan Film

An excellent film for both daylight and artificial light photography. Fast but fine-grain emulsion ensures negatives from which big enlargements can be made. This film has great exposure latitude, freedom from halation and a balanced sensitivity to all colours.

“Panatomic-X” Film

A high-definition, panchromatic film that gives exceptional image sharpness by virtue of its thin coating, very fine grain and freedom from halation and light scatter. It is therefore ideal for making negatives which will permit high degrees of enlargement.

“Tri-X” Film

A panchromatic film of very high speed. It is too fast with this camera for ordinary snapshots in summer sunshine and should be reserved for artificial light, flash, or for outdoor shots in dull weather or poor light.

Printed in England. Printer code begins 5/59/; remaining small characters are indistinct in this source copy.