Kodak Jiffy Kodak Six-20 (1933–1937)

The Jiffy Kodak Six-20 is a folding camera made by Eastman Kodak from 1933 to 1937. Walter Dorwin Teague styled it. He was the industrial designer behind much of Kodak's Depression-era look. It was Kodak's entry-level offering at $7 (one source lists the original price as 6.75). A companion model, the Jiffy Kodak Six-16, used 616 film. Apart from format, the two cameras are identical in design and functionality.

The camera is a single-extension, strut-folding, self-opening bellows design. It folds closed to about 1.5 inches thick, with an all-leather body and a metal face. The lens board springs forward when opened. It carries a Twindar periscopic lens with zone focusing, and the settings are simply "5 TO 10 FEET" and "BEYOND 10 FEET." There are three apertures (f/11, f/16, f/22) selected by a sliding tab, and a rotary shutter with T and a single instant speed. One sample measured 1/45 sec for the instant speed, while the body text of the same source says 1/40s, so treat the exact speed as approximate. Two brilliant viewfinders sit in the pop-out lens board, one for vertical and one for horizontal compositions. The front panel is etched metal with a lined, geometric design, using chrome and enamel.

It takes 620 roll film, shooting eight 2¼ × 3¼-inch frames. 620 film is still available from selected photographic outlets. The film itself is the same as 120, but the spools differ, and 120 spools will jam in this camera. The standard workaround is re-spooling 120 onto 620 spools in a darkroom or changing bag. One photographer who did exactly that, shooting Portra 160, reported a light leak from a single pinhole in their sample. The viewfinder mirrors are also known to degrade with age, which can dim the image.

The record is thin here. There are no production numbers, no detailed period reviews, and no reliable current market data. A blog review of the Series II variant called it "a disappointing performer," which tracks with its simple lens and minimal controls.

Known specs: