Kodak Duaflex II | Vintage Exploration

Kodak-Duaflex-vintage-antique-film-camera.-2jpg

“the more things change, the more they stay the same” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Les Guepes, January 1849

Recently my mom made an incredible discovery – a box of antique cameras buried in a closet in my grandmother’s house! One of these gems is a Kodak Duaflex II. This camera was originally available from 1950-1954. The one my mom found is in pristine condition – in the original box including the price tag, manual and a leather case that 60+ years later still looks brand new.

If you’ve followed my photography for a while you know that I have a fascination with just about anything vintage, especially vintage cameras. (see last year’s series on the Argus Rangefinder). Of course I had to photograph these gems. Over the next several weeks I will present my new collections, but here is a quick preview:

Kodak Duaflex II | Vintage Exporation | Vintage Antique Film Camera

an excerpt from the Kodak Duaflex II camera manual…

Suggestions for taking better pictures

Make them interesting – They should tell a story at a glance. For natural, unposed effects give your subject something to do.
Check the background – Look beyond the subject and exclude distracting and uninteresting objects. You can often use the sky as a background by choosing a low point of view.
Hold the camera level – Straight lines in buildings should be parallel to the sides of the view finder to prevent a distorted effect.
Moving Objects can be photographed if the subject’s path of travel is toward or away from the camera.
Come in Close for a larger image of your subject – but no closer than 5 feet without a Close-Up attachment.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Sixty-plus years later these suggestions for taking better photos still ring true. Even with all of our technology the basics of photography remain the same. With everything else in the world constantly changing I find a strange sort of comfort in this.

Disclosure: One of the ways I support this website is by partnering with awesome companies, whose products I use and love. These partnerships allow me to earn a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my affiliate links, but there is no additional cost for you. Thank you for your support!

2 Comments

  1. Sean Kercher on September 10, 2020 at 3:08 pm

    Don’t know if you’ve shot film through your Duaflex, but I totally recommend it. I shot one roll of film through my Duaflex I and I have two more coming so I can try to improve and also try color. B&H sells 620 film and The Darkroom can develop them (With digital scans!)

    I’ve included a link to one of the pictures that was taken by my camera. Its of me with the sun to my back.

    • Angela Andrieux on September 11, 2020 at 11:13 am

      I haven’t, but you’re right, I should! The link to your image didn’t come through. Any chance you could send it to me at angela@angelaandrieux.com? I’d love to see it!

Leave a Comment





GET EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS WHEN A NEW ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED!