Bakelite Rules!

I have a thing for Bakelite cameras, and always wanted to add the classic Kodak Brownie Hawkeye to my collection. It’s just a matter of time until one passes my way. But when I came across the unfamiliar Brownie Bulls-Eye in a flea market in Montsweag, Maine, it seemed a good consolation prize.

Kodak Brownie Bull’s-Eye Bakelite 620 Box Camera

I quickly learned that the Brownie Bull’s-Eye is an eye-level viewfinder camera similar to the Hawkeye, but with zone focusing, a better lens, and a larger rectangular format. Like the Hawkeye, it uses 620 film and can be easily adapted to 120 film. And it too has a fixed aperture of f/11, with two shutter speeds of 1/50 sec. and bulb. Both the Bull’s-Eye and the Hawkeye were designed by the influential industrial designer Arthur Crapsey who is also responsible for the Signet 35.

Like the Holga, these bakelite box cameras are wonderfully simple, but they are substantially better built. Bakelite is strong, lightweight, and dimensionally stable, not unlike cast aluminum, but much cheaper to manufacture. Compared with the Holga, these cameras have very good quality lenses. In fact, the Bull’s-Eye has a two element lens, as opposed to the simple meniscus lens in the Haweye.

This example was in good shape except for one thing; the dreaded mold. The lens was covered by a film of white mold, both inside and out, and also between the two element lens. But I’m pleased to report that it was an easy matter to remove the faceplate holding the lens assembly to clean both outer surfaces of the two-element coated glass lens. And in so doing, I discovered the Bull’s-Eye’s little secret; the rear element can be easily separated from the front by twisting off the bayonet retaining ring. The lens is now as clear as the day it was made.

Likewise, it was easy to restore the viewfinder lenses to their original condition. The rear viewfinder lens can be popped out along with its retaining clip by gently pushing from inside the back with a Q-tip.

Now that everything’s clean, I can look forward to taking some nice 6x9 frames by respooling 120 film onto my 620 rolls. Since I now have two 620 cameras, I have both a take-up spool, and one to respool the film onto.

This turned out to be quite a windfall. The Bull’s-Eye is much more usable than the Hawkeye, even though it does not possess quite the same cube-like charm.