Kodak No. 2A Folding Pocket Brownie (1910)
Little is thoroughly documented about the Kodak No. 2A Folding Pocket Brownie. What the record does show is a camera that earned its "pocket" name, more or less. It was introduced in 1910 at $7 - roughly $170 in today's money. It's a folding viewfinder camera with red bellows, made for the now-defunct 116 roll film format (similar to 616 but with wider spool flanges). One modern owner, writing on 35mmc, called it a "historic compact" and, with a bit of affection, "this beast is a 'compact'". Pocketability meant something different in 1910 than it does now.
The shutter is a Brownie Automatic with I, B, and T modes - Instant, Bulb, and Timed. The lens is a meniscus achromatic type, and the aperture scale uses numbers 1 through 4 rather than f-stops. Focusing is done through bellows adjustments for 8, 25, or 100 feet. One owner noted, "Absolutely love the century old look and feel the lens and light leaks give!"
Kodak's naming conventions of the era can be confusing. The No. 2A Folding Pocket Brownie is sometimes listed as "Model A," and it should not be confused with the related No. 2 Folding Pocket Brownie Model B (a 120-film camera from 1909) or the later No. 2A Brownie Model C (circa 1924-1933). Those are different cameras. The No. 2A Folding Pocket Brownie's own production run beyond its 1910 introduction isn't clearly documented, and no original instruction manual details have surfaced beyond the basic specs above.
Known specs:
- Introduced: 1910, at $7
- Format: 116 roll film
- Lens: meniscus achromatic
- Shutter: Brownie Automatic, I / B / T
- Aperture: numbered scale, 1–4
- Focusing: bellows, 8 / 25 / 100 feet
- Red bellows, folding design
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