Kodak Brownie Twin 20 (1959–1964)

The Brownie Twin 20 is a simple, molded-plastic box camera. Kodak introduced it in April 1959 and produced it until September 1964. It was made first in Rochester, New York, and then assembled in England from February 1960 onward. The design is close to the smaller Kodak Star series, but the Twin 20 steps up to 620 roll film and a 2¼ x 2¼ inch square image.

The "Twin" in the name means two brilliant viewfinders. One is a reverse-telescope type for eye-level shooting, and the second is for waist-level composing. Both finders include a smaller square guide for slide film. The body is wrapped in horizontal Art Deco ribbing with an aluminum lens bezel and side highlights, a look that carries the Streamline Moderne style past its main period. The front lens bezel is marked with scene labels for focus: Close-ups (4-6 ft), Groups (6-12 ft), and Scenes (12 ft - infinity). A multi-hole aperture plate offers f/11, f/16, and f/22 at a fixed 1/100 second shutter speed. The uncoated meniscus lens is 70mm.

Film handling is where the Twin 20 gets a little unusual. Loading is done by moving a lever on the base, which lifts the top off along with the film transport. A red window on the back is used only to locate the first frame; after that, an auto-advance mechanism locks after each exposure, with a shutter interlock to prevent double exposures. The catch: the red window can't be used to reliably count frames because of a mismatch between the auto-advance and the window's annotation, so it's easy to lose track of how many of the 12 frames you've taken. There's no tripod mount, so the usual advice for sharp shots at 1/100 is to brace against a wall. Flash is supported through a screw-and-pin connection on the side.

The Twin 20 takes 620 film, which is still available from selected outlets. 620 spools are shorter and smaller in diameter than 120 spools, so a modern 120 roll won't drop in. You'd need to re-spool onto 620 spools in a changing bag, or cut down 120 film to fit. Later owners have called it "a jolly, happy little camera."

Surviving examples are common and inexpensive. A Pacific Rim Camera catalog listing shows one with box, packing, and empty spool, working, with a chip in the base, at $50. Fox and Talbot Cameras listed one at $18.00 CAD.