A week or so ago, when I was looking for another camera to write about in my weekly camera blog, I looked up on the shelf above my desk, and one camera stood above the rest. Maybe that's because I have it on a small tabletop tripod, and it literally was above many of the other cameras on my shelf. The camera is one of my favorite designs, the Kodak Chevron camera.
My Kodak Chevron camera
I've owned the Kodak Chevron camera for many years. I remember buying it at a camera show early in my camera collecting years. It caught my eye because the design, along with the look and feel, is just wonderful. The camera is large, striking in design, and a medium-format camera with wonderful optics.
The Chevron, produced between 1953 and 1956, mirrors the post-war American era. Its design philosophy echoes the American auto industry of the time, reminiscent of the large, sturdy, and well-crafted automobiles by Chevrolet, Ford, and Cadillac. The Kodak Chevron is a testament to the classic cameras of this era.
The Company:
I don't believe I've ever written about one of my favorite companies. The Eastman Kodak Company, known to many as Kodak, was founded in 1888 by George Eastman, a visionary who revolutionized photography by making it accessible to the general public. Before Kodak, photography was an elaborate and expensive process that required significant expertise. Eastman's innovations in camera design and film processing transformed the photography industry.
A wonderful ad showing the benefits of the Chevron camera
George Eastman, a former bank clerk in Rochester, New York, initially became interested in photography as a hobby in the late 1870s. Frustrated by the cumbersome process of wet plate photography, which involved heavy equipment and complicated chemical preparations, Eastman sought to simplify the process. In 1880, he patented a dry-plate coating machine, which allowed for the mass production of photographic plates, and soon opened the Eastman Dry Plate Company.
Eastman's breakthrough came when he shifted focus from plates to roll film. In 1884, Eastman and businessman Henry A. Strong, who would later become the company's first president, formed a partnership to expand the business. They developed a flexible roll film, which replaced glass plates that had previously been used. This was a significant innovation because it created simpler, more portable cameras.
In 1888, the company launched its first Kodak camera, a compact box camera preloaded with enough film for 100 exposures. The marketing slogan, "You press the button, we do the rest," succinctly captured Kodak's appeal. After taking pictures, customers would send the entire camera back to Kodak for developing and reloading, eliminating the need for users to handle the film or chemicals themselves. This ease of use democratized photography and made it accessible to amateur photographers for the first time.
Eastman chose "Kodak" because he wanted a distinctive and memorable trademark that was not associated with any existing words. He believed the letter "K" had a solid and unforgettable sound, so he experimented with various combinations of letters before arriving at Kodak.
Kodak continued to innovate through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, producing increasingly sophisticated 35mm cameras like the Kodak Ektra and Retina lines, along with many medium—and larger-format cameras used during international conflicts. All the while refining its film development processes.
Eastman built Kodak into a dominant force in the photography industry by introducing flexible film and creating simple, user-friendly cameras.
My Camera:
The Chevron camera is a rather large, heavy, and, some say, "bulky" camera that measures 6.25" wide, by 4.5" tall, by 4"deep, and weighs in at a whopping 2 lbs. 9.9 oz. without film loaded. I like how the camera feels. It's taller and wider than the Medalist, after which this camera was made. The Kodak Medalist is a marvel for its time, but when I hold the Medalist, the body feels too "fat" in my hands, although I do like the 6x9 format the Medalist has, whereas the Chevron is a proper 6x6 square format camera.
Some people discuss cameras in a much more technical manner, which I genuinely enjoy reading. There are times when I don't understand many of the technical "hows and whys," but that allows me to learn new things, which I enjoy. I prefer to talk about using the camera and my personal experiences.
To load the camera, you can open the back from the left or right side, which I like. You can take the whole back off if you want to. The empty spool will go onto the camera's left side, as the film advance lever is on the left. You put the fresh roll on the right, which is counterintuitive for many photographers, but it didn't bother me when using the camera. Before you load the film into the camera, the frame counter is on top of the camera, which you need to set to "N." The camera is supposed to have an automatic film advance stop when the film reaches the next frame. My auto-stop camera wasn't working, so I just used what was normal to me and looked at the red window on the back of the camera to get to the next frame. Here is the Chevron Camera Instruction manual. Thank you, M. Butkus, for your service in supplying manuals.
Now that I have film in the camera, it's time to take photos. To focus the camera on the subject, the rear viewfinder has two windows. The top window is used to frame your subject, and the bottom is to use the rangefinder, which uses a magnified split image to focus on the subject. Both windows are very close together, and for me, who wears glasses was a bit more challenging to use, but once I got used to it, it wasn't difficult. This is the same rangefinder system used in the Medalist and Ektra cameras.
One of the most delightful aspects of this camera is its exceptionally smooth focus ring. It's not so loose that it slips, like some lenses that feel very sloppy. Instead, it's a perfect balance of smoothness and precision, making the process of focusing a joy. It's a testament to the high-quality design and construction of the Kodak Chevron, and it's a feature that I find truly fabulous to use.
It's time to set the shutter speeds and aperture to create the proper exposure. The shutter speeds are located on the far outside ring around the lens. They go from a fantastic speed of 1/800 sec on the top end to "B", going down by half to get the "B" setting, so 1/400, 1/200, 1/100, etc.
The lens is a Kodak Ektar 78mm f3.5 lens. The aperture settings are set by a bar on the bottom of the lens. Sliding the bar over to the next setting is smooth and easy. The setting also has click stops, so there is no getting it if the aperture is set correctly. A visual setting is on the bottom by the bar and on top of the lens, which you can see with a red arrow. The aperture indication is just behind the arm you cock the shutter.
I've yet to make an image, the film advance was very smooth to move the film to the next frame. I would advance the lever four times to get to the next frame. The red window is on the back of the camera to check where you are advancing the film. The red window has a blackout bar, which you slide up to view the film inside. Being right-handed, it was easy to hold the camera, slide the bar up with my right hand, and advance the film to the next frame with my left hand.
One of the advantages Chevron offered was the ability to shoot 828-size films. The 828 film accessory kit consisted of a film mask for 828 film, 2- 828 film spool holders and an 828 spool. This would have been purchased as an accessory. To use the 828 adapter, the photographer needed to do a couple of things to adapt to the film format. First, a switch from the regular 620 to 828 film is on top of the camera. You take a coin and turn the "finder" settings to 828. Then, a switch at the back of the camera changes the viewfinder from the standard 620 film to the smaller 828 film. By using the 828 film, there is a magnification factor of 1.5x.
My results:
Recently, at a local camera show, I purchased about 50 rolls of Agfa ISS 620 film, which I have for sale on my eBay store. I wanted to test the film to see how usable it was, so I loaded it into the camera and went to the local farmers market to take photos. Here are some of the results from the camera, along with the film I have for sale.
My Conclusion:
WOW!!!! What a fun camera to use. The camera fits very nicely in my hand; the focus is smooth, and I prefer using it over many of the folders and TLR cameras I've used. The Chevron camera outperformed my expectations. It felt similar to what a Mamiya Seven feels like in your hand. While it didn't have the capabilities of interchangeable lenses or TTL viewing of the Mamiya Seven, the camera handled great.
The only downside to this camera is the small viewfinder and rangefinder window. There were times when I was walking around the market and just pre-focused, especially when I wanted to be somewhat inconspicuous when shooting. The light was fairly dim, too, so my shutter speed was generally 1/50, and my aperture was wide open.
I also understand that due to the low number of cameras made, especially compared to the very popular Medalist and Medalist II cameras, they are selling at a premium price on the used market.
Thank you for taking a few minutes from your day to read my post on this lovely camera. I plan on shooting with it more often, especially since I have many rolls to shoot with.
Until next week, please be safe.