The Kodak Six-16 Camera: A Vintage Photography Icon

The Kodak Six-16 is a folding camera for 616 roll film, produced from 1932 to 1936, and sold for $40. It was the first camera to use the slimmer 616 film spool. The Kodak Six-16 is an Art Deco design, featuring an octagonal faceplate, red highlights, and angular shapes. The camera has two viewfinders and a Kodak Anastigmat f/6.3 lens.

The Kodak Six-16 was introduced in 1932 and produced until 1936

The Kodak Six-16 was a folding camera with a self-erecting bellows feature, allowing for faster set-up. It could be held horizontally or vertically, and framing was achieved through a hinged brilliant finder that could be swivelled for portrait or landscape shots. The camera also featured a gunsight-type viewfinder attached to the body. The Kodak Six-16 utilised a 126mm f/6/3 Kodak Anastigmat lens and a No. 1 Diodak shutter, which fired at 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 sec, as well as T and B settings.

The camera was originally priced at $40 and offered panoramic photographs with a size of around 4¼ x 2½ inches (11 x 6cm). While the Kodak Six-16 had limited shutter speed options and required a steady hand or a tripod for slower speeds, it was praised for its beauty, ease of use, and decent image quality. Its Art Deco design and innovative use of smaller film formats made the Kodak Six-16 a significant camera in the history of photography.

The Kodak Six-16's production ended in 1936, after which it was redesigned and reintroduced as the Model C. The Model C featured some differences in its design elements, such as plain struts instead of the ornate chrome struts of the original.

It was the first camera to use the 616 film spool

The Kodak Six-16 was the first camera to use the 616 film spool. The camera was introduced in 1932 and was produced until 1936. The Kodak Six-16 was a folding camera with an Art Deco design, featuring angular shapes and an octagonal faceplate with red highlights. The 616 film spool was created by shrinking the spool and end flanges of the older 116 film format, resulting in smaller, lighter, and more portable cameras.

The Kodak Six-16 was a significant innovation in the history of photography, as it offered a more compact option for photographers. The camera used a 126mm f/6/3 Kodak Anastigmat lens and a No. 1 Diodak shutter, which fired at speeds of 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 sec, plus T and B. It had two viewfinders: a small "brilliant" type attached to the lens assembly and a gunsight type attached to the camera body.

The Kodak Six-16 was also notable for its art deco design, with its octagonal faceplate, red highlights, intricate chrome struts, and angled body with nickel and black enamel sides. The camera retailed for $40 when it was new and was considered a striking and stylish option for photographers.

The 616 film itself was 70mm wide and produced 63.5mm x 108mm negatives, similar in size to postcards. This large negative size eliminated the need for an enlarger to make contact prints. While the 616 film format was used in other cameras, such as the Kodak Brownie Junior and the Kodak Target Six-16, its popularity waned in the 1930s as film resolution improved and photographers favoured smaller film formats.

The Kodak Six-16 is a folding camera

The Kodak Six-16 is a US model with an iconic Art Deco design. It features an octagonal faceplate with red highlights, ornate chrome struts, angled ends to the body, and black enamelled side panels with nickel lines. The camera body is covered in pig-grained leatherette. The Kodak Six-16 is a medium format folder camera, with a 126mm f/6.3 Kodak Anastigmat lens and a No. 1 Diodak shutter. It has a waist-level and folding pop-up viewfinder, with a self-erecting bellows feature.

The camera was priced at $40 when new and is considered a landmark in the history of photography. It is known for its striking Art Deco design and ease of use. While the shutter speeds are quite limited, with the fastest being 1/100th of a second, the camera compensates with its beauty and ease of use, and it is capable of producing decent image quality.

The Kodak Six-16 remains a sought-after item for collectors and enthusiasts, with working models occasionally appearing for sale.

It was sold for $40 when new

The Kodak Six-16 was sold for $40 when new. It was produced between 1932 and 1936, with the Kodak Six-20 being produced for an additional year until 1937. The Kodak Six-16 was the first camera to use the 616 film spool, which was introduced in 1932 alongside the 620 film. The 620 film is the same as the 120 film that is still used today. The Kodak Six-16 and Six-20 were nearly identical in design, with the Six-16 being the larger of the two. The camera is known for its Art Deco design, with an octagonal faceplate, red highlights, intricate chrome struts, and angled body with nickel and black enamel sides. The Kodak Six-16 was a landmark camera in the history of photography, known for its innovative use of the 616 film format and its striking Art Deco aesthetics.

The Kodak Six-16 had a self-erecting bellows feature, which made it faster to ready the camera for use. It could be held horizontally or vertically at waist level, and the framing was made via a hinged brilliant finder that could be swung to either orientation. The camera had limited exposure options, with the fastest shutter speed being 1/100th of a second. However, it was admired for its beauty, ease of use, and decent image quality.

The Kodak Six-16 used a 126mm f/6/3 Kodak Anastigmat lens and a No. 1 Diodak shutter, which fired at 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 sec, plus T and B. The camera had two viewfinders: a small "brilliant" type attached to the lens assembly and a gunsight type attached to the camera body. The Kodak Six-16 was a folding camera, and its angular body shape distinguished it from other folding cameras of its era, which typically had rounded ends.

Today, the Kodak Six-16 is considered a vintage or antique camera and can be found for sale on websites like eBay. The value of the camera can vary depending on its condition and the inclusion of original accessories such as cases and manuals. Some listings offer the camera for around $75, while others may go up to $125 or more. However, it is important to note that the information on the pricing and availability of the Kodak Six-16 may change over time, and interested buyers should refer to the latest sources for the most up-to-date information.

The Kodak Junior Six-16 is a variation of the camera

The German-built design of the Kodak Junior Six-16 features a round shutter faceplate and straight struts, with a 12cm f/7.7 Kodak Anastigmat lens and a leather case. It has two viewfinders: a folding finder incorporated into its housing and a small brilliant finder near the shutter. It also includes a quick-release bar that releases the self-erecting bed.

The British-built design was in production from 1933 to 1940 and is almost identical to the German model, with a round face, straight struts, and a leather case. The main difference is that it features a Twindar lens. Like the German version, it also has two viewfinders and a quick-release bar for the self-erecting bed.

The American-built design, styled by Walter Dorwin Teague, was produced from 1935 to 1937. It differs from the European models with its "N"-style struts and embossed leather body. This model is known to have either a round or octagonal-faced shutter and either a focusing f/6.3 Kodak Anastigmat lens or a fixed-focus f/11 doublet lens.

The Kodak Junior Six-16 Series II lacks the ribbing on the body leather but retains the dual viewfinders and "N"-style struts. It is known to have either a round or octagonal shutter, including a fixed-focus model with a simple instant/time shutter.

The Kodak Junior Six-16 Series III has straight struts, a single folding viewfinder on the body, and a scale focusing f/8.8 or f/6.3 Kodak Anastigmat lens. The shutter faceplate is distinguished by its wide silver rings.

Frequently asked questions