Restoring a 1917 Kodak 2C Autographic Junior Folding Camera

The idea to preserve moments as images goes back as far as the 6th century to the ancient Greeks but it was only in 1826 that Frenchman Joseph Niépce using a sliding wooden box camera recorded the first permanent image on a glass plate coated with a mixture of silver and chalk that darkened when exposed to light. Till the end of the century photography remained an expensive and messy affair with wet chemistry glass plates that had to be coated before each exposure and processed immediately.

The technology behind photography has evolved radically since, predominantly over the last decade or so, particularly with the onset of the ‘digital age’; it has become so easy now to shoot tons of photos and fill memory cards to your heart’s content! Moreover you can even see what you have captured in a few seconds and tweak the settings accordingly on the spot or even have the possibilities to dramatically edit the photos on your computer later.
The cameras these days have multiple sensors and a processor that can decide everything, the light, automatic focus, the shutter speed, the aperture etc., all you need to do is to point and release the shutter!

I have heard many photographers say, “these days everybody is becoming a photographer, but you have to study for many years in a photography school, then spent years practising and mastering your skills”…true, you need to have a good technical understanding of fundamental concepts of photography in theory and spend years applying the theory of photography into practise but in the end photography to me is a thought, something cognitive that the photographer feels and expresses using the medium of an image.
Looking back in time, legendary photographers like Ansel Adams did not go to photography schools but spend their time in the field experimenting and defining their own styles by shooting, learning from their mistakes and shooting again.
That is how I started photography and I keep learning every time I press the shutter of my camera, I don’t try to imitate others but formulate my own style which I find is very important especially in the present era of photography where everybody can afford a basic ‘point and shoot’ camera. What I see now is most people shooting the same type of photos that we all are so used too but it is hard to find amateur photographers coming up with frames that defy the widely accepted rules of photography but still deliver an excellent image. I think this is what differentiates between a seasoned photographer and an amateur.

Having said that, this offcourse is easier said than done, however in my opinion this is the future of photography – something outrageously contemporary yet solidly grounded in the fundamentals of photography that have been established by the veterans.

In line with my above philosophy and to challenge myself, I decided to undertake an interesting project – restoration of a Kodak 2C Autographic Junior Folding Camera from the year 1917 and then using this camera to make photos. I will keep the nature of these images a secret for the moment but can assure you that these images will be like I said before – outrageously contemporary! : )

The Kodak 2C Autographic Junior Folding Camera is one of the first cameras that Kodak produced and was extremely successful.
Kodak was never about high quality photography. In the 1980s when Kodak started up as a company, the vision that George Eastman had was to make photography available for the masses, to put a camera in every hand. Kodak developed the technique of putting film emulsion onto a thin flexible backing and thus developed the first roll film. Kodak also gave us the numbering system (Type 135 for 35mm film; Type120/220 for medium format roll film, etc.).
Kodak is also recognised for making the box-type Brownie cameras in the 1930s and this was camera used by Ansel Adams in his early days.

A bit of technical details of the Kodak 2C Autographic Junior Folding Camera:
Focussing System– Zone focusing with bellows
Lens– Kodak Anastigmat f/7.7
Shutter– 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 Kodak Ball Bearing Shutter
Apertures– f/7.7 11 16 22 32 45
Metering System– None
Film Type– A130
Flash– None
Battery– None
Dimensions– Folded Dimensions (44mm x 111mm x 222mm)
Weight– 963 grams

From the manual that came with the camera

Adding to the challenge is fact that the 130 film is no longer available. This means that apart from restoring the mechanicals of this camera, the camera needs to be modified to accept the 120 medium format black and white film!
After a bit of research, it seems that the best film to go with this camera is the Kodak 400TX 200 film.

This will be a long-term project, starting with the modification of the camera to take the 120 film instead of the A130.

November 2011 — The camera has been restored, film loaded and back in action.

For starters, all I really used to customise the camera for a 120 film was- 2 plastic caps from water bottles, some blue tack, 2 ear buds, black cardboard, black plastic sheet and a black permanent marker.

I made a 15cm X 8.5cm custom inner back in plastic with a 5.5cm x 6.5cm window over which the 120 film rolls