I picked up one of these 116 cameras. The view finder is either bad or I'm not smart enough to figure out how to use it. Not a real problem since it has stops for various distances on the bed. What I would like to do is rig something up to the film rails so I can check if the stops on the bed are accurate.

Also the shutter is a B&L compound. It works fine at B and T but in the speed setting it is stuck at once speed. A fast speed it seems to. I'm assuming the little round dial with speeds on it is for changing speeds.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Nick on 2004-02-26 11:36 ]</font>

Nick,

Hi. Most of these old Kodak folkers had tiny waist-level viewfinders, often attached to the front standard. That might be the problem: if you hold it too close to your eye, you can't see anything but a blur. (Same thing with most Kodak Brownie cameras, too.)

Several models' viewfinders could swivel 90° to one side, so that you could use the viewfinder regardless or orientation (whether holding the camera in either horizontal OR vertical position).

Here's a camera that maybe similar to yours:
http://www.toptown.com/nowhere/kypfer/X-16/1apkodak.htm

Hope this helps!

Micah in NC

Hi,
I think mine is older but otherwise similar. That does work-))

Thanks
Nick

To check the focus all you need is a piece of ground glass to tape (or hold) onto the film rails, ground side facing the lens. If you can't come up with ground glass, light tracing paper should work or even Scotch tape, the frosty lookng kind.
Don't expect the focus to perfectly coincide with the scales, however. The scales were usually set up to focus at the hyperfocal distance, more or less, so everything within a given range will be in focus at small apertures. The shutter --- (oh boy) --- Those Compound shutters can be pretty accurate if they are perfectly clean and not too worn. Chances are, if you clean it you will at least get a couple of useable speeds but don't get too hopeful.

If I can get one slow speed I'd be happy. Right now it's flying. I took the speed dial off and there is a lever that I guess is supposed to be moved by the dial. The lever is really stuck. Maybe this weekend I'll think about taking that apart. OTOH I could try and survie with T and B.

For focus I just want to figure infinity focus.

The Compound shutter uses an air brake mechanism to slow the shutter when set to slow speeds. You should see this on top of the shutter by the speed dial. Looks like a little tube laying atop the shutter. The little pistons in there are probably gummed up and stuck. If you can get some solvent into them they should free up. This is where the Ronsonal soak would help. These are a delicate critter so be very careful if you disassemble anything. As for focus, it will probably be set shy of infinity, so you get some near depth of field.

Thanks. Getting it set to work fine at say f/16 or f/22 is the basic idea. I doubt the lens is that great even if it was an upgrade over the basic camera.

I've not handled a "Compound" shutter, but S.K. Grimes's website has a brief discussion of them. He liked the shutter, but noted that it has paper iris leaves, and requires care in disassembly and assembly, and judicious cleaning and relubricating.

The lens may be better than you think!

It's a Taylor Cooke F/6.3. Hopefully when stopped down to F/16 or F/22 it'll be fine. I won't need billboard size prints from it. It's actually very clean and only needed a light dusting.

The "Cooke Anastigmat" is a very famous lens. The original design, by H. Dennis Taylor, had a maximum aperture of f:6.3, so you seem to have an early one. If it's in good shape, it ought to produce excellent images, especially when stopped down moderately.

For some reason the range of 1914-1916 sticks in my mind. But the shutter was supposedly made by B&L under license and I don't think it lists the German licensor so I guess that dates it post the US entry into the war.