Kodak No. 1
The Kodak No. 1 was George Eastman's second Kodak camera, the first being the camera called simply the "Kodak," introduced the previous year, in 1888. The No. 1 resembled the Kodak, but featured a more sophisticated shutter.
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| Later model No. 1 Kodak Camera, 1889-95 |
In use, the shutter was set by pulling a string; the camera was sighted by looking along a V-shape on the top of the camera. The shutter was tripped by pressing a button on the camera's side. After exposure, the key was used to wind the film to the next frame. The film moved past a shaft, rotating it, which caused a pointer visible on the top of the camera to rotate, so the photographer could be sure of advancing the correct amount of film. Once one hundred pictures had been taken, the user sent the whole camera back to Kodak for film processing and reloading - at a cost of $10[1]. A hundred round negatives with a diameter of 65mm came from each roll of Eastman American Film. The round image was a design decision, partly as a way of ensuring that the photographer didn't have to hold the camera exactly level with the horizon, and partly to compensate for the poor image quality at the corners of the image. These first Kodak cameras were designed by George Eastman in collaboration with a cabinetmaker, Frank A. Brownell, who set up the production line at Eastman's factory. They are beautifully built, with box joints and strong leather covering.
- type: box camera
- Manufacturer: Kodak
- Years of production: 1888-1889 (Kodak); 1889-1895 (no.1)
- price: US$25 (quite expensive at that time)
- Films: paper film rolls - changed by manufacturer
- Lens: Bausch & Lomb 57mm f/9 wide angle lens
- Shutter: string set; cylindrical (Kodak), sector (No.1)
- Weight: 900 g
- Dimensions: 8.3×9.6×16.5cm
Links
In German:
- Kodak No. 1 (German Wikipedia)
In English:
