Pho-Tak Foldex 20 [1948]

Purchased as part of a larger lot of cameras in the spring of 2017, the only thing which initially appealed to me about this camera was the rich red of the leather case. The camera appears to have functional bellows, although there is light rusting inside.

Directions for this camera indicate that there should be a release button on the top of the camera which will open the bellow/lens assembly, however no such button exists on my copy. Rather I simply use the small stand and pull out! The shutter itself is ridiculously simple – and there is no variation in aperture or shutter speed available. This is of a range of inexpensive cameras which rely on the exposure latitude of the film for any chance of a successful image.

What’s So Special?

Inexpensive post war American made folder. This is an interesting camera as it is one of the few which takes 120 film (still widely available) as well as 620 film (Kodak’s use of the same film on a smaller spool, allowing smaller cameras, but is no longer available).