Kodak Bantam f4.5
"...A trim little job with a gem of a lens.*"
*from an original Kodak ad.
The Bantam f4.5 was truly a marvel in miniaturization for its time (1938-1948) being barely bigger than a current Minox 35 or Olympus XA when it is all closed up. It is a well designed and reliable inexpensive camera and a perfect joy to use. The 47mm Special Anastigmat is an absolute "gem of lens" just as advertised and is reported to be nearly on par with the famous Kodak Ektar lens which would put it theoretically in the same optical league, as say a vintage Elmar. Of course there is no rangefinder for precise focusing and the inexpensive shutter is somewhat lacking in range (T, B, 25, 50, 100, 200), but for 1/100th of the cost of the most common Leica you can pick up one of these classic wonders nearly any day of the week on eBay. The only down-side is that the camera takes obsolete 828 roll film, but no matter, it is easy to cut down rolls of 120 film and re-spool it for 828 (read how here). On the plus-side, most photo labs will develop 828 film for you since it is actually just unperforated 35mm with a negative size of 28x40mm.
The earliest Bantam f4.5 model only focuses down to 4 ft., but the later ones focus down to 2.5 ft. which is something you definitely want with these 47mm lens since they are somewhat short (equivalent to 28-35mm on a standard 35mm camera depending how you handle the aspect ratio difference). The early models also do not have coated lenses or tripod mounts. The example pictured above is of the later vintage, 1948 to be exact, but the age of my earliest example is unknown since it does not conform to the Kodak "CAMEROSITY" numbering convention. Pictured also are the optional camera strap lugs which are a very nice addition even though the camera can easily be pocketed.
What kind of photos are these primitive beasts capable of taking you may ask, well look in some of the galleries listed below to find out. I am very impressed with the results and the camera's handling so this lowly Bantam f4.5 has become one of my everyday favorite daytime shooters.
[more coming soon]