Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model D

This Brownie is one of the few I have decided to keep from the box of 60+ I gained recently. My decision was based on the fact I could take the front off and clean the lens, mirrors, and viewfinders. That made it very easy to use. Also, this version has a close-up lens built-in. Although, close up, means between 3-7 feet so not really close. The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of a tripod socket. With the long exposures of Brownies, there is always chance of camera shake. I find this especially true in regards to the button press versions. On the plus, there was a flash attachments and I do have the flash, but alas no bulbs.

The model D was introduced in 1946 and was in production for just over 10 years. Mine is a later version from after 1953, identified by the stripes on the front. It takes 620 film, has an f11 aperture, and a speed of 1/40th.

I put in a roll of respooled Fomapan 100 and went on a short walk to use the 8 shots of 6×9.

I loved using this camera, it was simple and just worked. There is surprisingly very little camera shake and it is sharper than any toy camera I have tried. I like the look of the resulting photos. If you are looking for a brownie, then this one is a reliable choice. As mentioned it is easy to clean and very well built. Of course being about 75 years old makes that all depend on previous owners….oh what it might have seen.

4 thoughts on “Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model D

  1. Toby says:

    Very nice results. It would be quiet easy to make a small rectangular platform for this to sit in or on and then use an old tripod mount from a old camera case so the platform could be tripod mounted.

  2. Jim Grey says:

    I shot my 1914 box Brownie over the weekend and cursed its tiny viewfinders. What I wouldn’t have given for the big bright ones on the one you showcase here. Of course, my 1914 camera takes 120 so no respooling.

    1. Peggy says:

      I am just about to write another post about a Brownie that has gorgeous bright viewfinders. It does make a big difference.

Comments are closed.