blog.expiredfilm.com » How-to http://blog.expiredfilm.com The Photography of Bill Hansen Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:27:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= How to flip a Brownie Hawkeye Flash lens http://blog.expiredfilm.com/2010/03/10/how-to-flip-a-brownie-hawkeye-flash-lens/ http://blog.expiredfilm.com/2010/03/10/how-to-flip-a-brownie-hawkeye-flash-lens/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:06:14 +0000 Bill http://blog.expiredfilm.com/?p=164 Brownie Hawkeye Flash[/caption]

I've noticed a lot of search traffic hitting my site specifically looking for information on how to flip the lens of a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash (BHF). While there are probably multitudes of other resources on the interwebs, I figure I'll just throw my two-cents out there.

For those who don't know, the BHF is a black bakelite beauty with a top-down viewfinder, single element meniscus lens, shutter speed somewhere around 1/30 to 1/60 & a bulb setting, while it lacks a tripod mount, it has a nifty handle. In it's heyday, the BHF was a very popular camera. Your grandparents most likely had one. Nowadays, you can find them cheaply at thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, and eBay, or for a higher premium decorating shelves in antique stores & hipster boutiques. I, personally, got mine for free on Craigslist thanks to a kind-hearted Samaritan who was donating several cameras to anyone who could justify receiving one. I simply wrote “I'll use it.” It arrived in the mail a couple days later and I've been enthralled with it ever since. Anywho, an unmodified BHF takes a relatively normal photograph, but something magical happens when you flip the lens. It's like the soft focus of a vintage Diana multiplied to the Nth degree. The lens' focal point shifts from infinity to about 3 feet in the center, while the edges just melt away into blurry goodness. The effect can be quite surreal. Flipping the lens of a BHF is actually a simple procedure with a very low-risk of permanently #@$%-ing anything up and is easily reversible. That said, I assume no responsibility with these directions if you somehow manage to accidentally bork your favorite family heirloom. Ready? Let's get flipping. Related posts:
  1. -BHF – Bridge to the Adirondacks
  2. -BHF – Ausable River
  3. -BHF – Waikiki Sunset
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