This interesting little 620 camera was a Christmas present from my = mother,=20 who loves yard sales and second-hand stores, and knows a bargain when = she sees=20 one. I doubt she paid more than $5 for it, which is more or less what = they're=20 worth. It's somewhere between a twin lens reflex and a box camera, the = top lens=20 is just a viewer like on the Voigtlander brilliant but the f8 lens = actually does=20 focus (on this model anyway). Three aperture settings, f8, f11, and = f16.
I should point out right away that there were quite a few variations = of the=20 Duaflex and Duaflex II, both here and in the UK, and not all models had = a=20 focusing taking lens. This is as close to a top-of-the-line model as = you'll see=20 for this camera, with not only 3 aperture choices and a focusing taking = lens,=20 but a double-exposure prevention button. Oooh!
Let's see, what else... It's made of aluminum and plastic (I don't = think it's=20 actual bakelite), with molded plastic sides but leatherette on the front = and=20 film door. The film goes in the bottom in a swingout clip, takeup spool = goes on=20 top, and you advance frames with the trusty old red window method. As I=20 mentioned there is a double-exposure lock, you need to press in the tab = beneath=20 the shutter release simultaneously with the shutter release itself. = Meant for=20 Kodacolor, Verichrome, and Plus X films, as stated on the front of the = camera,=20 which would put the shutter at about 1/30 I believe.
If you couldn't tell by looking at it, the Duaflex falls into the = 'toy=20 camera' category, by virtue of its simplicity and overall... cheapness. = The f8=20 lens is very soft at the edges, especially wide open, and with some = interesting=20 distortion as well (visible in the sample). Reasonably sharp in the = middle.=20 Perfect if you are looking for that kind of effect, glad to know I have = this as=20 an option in my arsenal. Overall a fun toy.
Cleaned it up a little with Windex, it's in pretty fine shape.
The viewer is not a flat glass screen like on a real TLR but a bubble =
lens=20
like on the
620 means you need to respool 120 film onto the smaller 620 spools, = which=20 though relatively simple, is more trouble than most people think it's = worth and=20 is probably one of the reasons these are available pretty cheap. There = is=20 actually a notation inside stating that 'this camera will not accept 120 = film',=20 I think Kodak did that on purpose so you would be forced to buy their = 620 size.=20 At any rate, you will definitely need to respool (see links below), and = don't=20 forget to ask for the spool back when you drop off your film!
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