Shooting the Kodak Automatic 35
On a recent trip to visit family, I had the good fortune to receive a few new-to-me film cameras previously owned by my parents and grandparents. One of these is the Kodak Automatic 35.
Introduced to the American market in 1959 for a list price of $84.50 USD, and notably (along with the Motormatic) Kodak's last American made 35mm camera, the Automatic 35 was marketed as being portable and easy to use—this was Kodak's first automatic exposure 35mm camera. A viewfinder camera based on the Kodak Signet 50, the Automatic 35 sports a 44mm f/2.8 Ektanar fixed lens, a two speed (1/40s and 1/80s) Synchro 80 shutter, and a selenium exposure meter. The meter supports film speeds of 10 to 160.
The camera I received is complete with the Kodak branded leather field case. Both body and case are in excellent condition given their age, 65 years at time of writing. It fascinates me to think that this camera was used to record my family’s memories decades before I was born. I was excited to put a roll through to test the operation, and did just that with some Kentmere Pan 100.
Despite the name, the camera is not fully automatic, instead operating in what we would now call shutter priority. The photographer manually sets the film speed and shutter speed, the camera indicates the exposure value based on the metering, and opens the aperture accordingly when the shutter is released. Focus is set manually on the lens, which indicates zones (Close-ups, Groups, Scenes) and focus distance in feet. The advance lever is on the bottom of the camera, and the shutter is cocked as the film advances. A small window with a frame counter sits next to the rewind release at the lower front of the body. Unfortunately, the frame counter no longer functions on the camera in my possession. The rewind dial and film speed setting are located on the top plate.
I shot the roll of Kentmere 100 mostly around my parents' house, but also fired a few frames on a short drive around the area, and a few more at a nearby restaurant. The subject matter being rural feels appropriate, somehow.
That the images turned out at all was exciting, and I was pleased to see that the lens is reasonably sharp, the meter works at least well enough for a wide latitude black and white film, and I mostly managed to gauge distances adequately to end up with the majority of the shots in focus. I will put a color roll through the camera soon, which will be a bit of a tougher test, however based on these results I remain optimistic.
