MTFCA Forum

And the Kodak was produced for the masses. They would both appeal to those interested in new technology. Interesting to know if the sales of one effected the other. (Don't be afraid, I understand what your thinking)

By 1900, Kodak introduced a line of medium format Brownie cameras for cheap. The simple design allowed everyone to be able to take their own photographs, although it was still slightly pricey. The Model T and Kodak were part of the industrial revolution with mass production. It wouldn't have been uncommon for people with cheap cameras taking photos of their cheap (but reliable) cars.

To expand on what John said, roll film, and mail in or local film developing made photography easy and affordable to the masses. The famed box brownie camera became the standard and were used up through the sixties, before newer designs finally slowed their use! There are millions of them still out there, and if you really want to, you can still get film for them! A simple shutter system, that stayed reasonably accurate speed wise, and a fixed focal length lens with decent depth of field gave good results. Sadly Kodak is out of the film business and even the last film sold under their name was made by Fuji, who bought the film business. The black and white photos will last forever, but most color photos fade and discolor within years of printing. The old Tri-X and Pan-X black and white film were great, and can still be bought through specialty makers. They are fine grain films that are very versatile to use. Digital may look similar but will never duplicate film!

When we got married in 1958, we used an old Kodak camera with a bellows on it. You adjusted the distance setting by how far out the lens was from the film. The negatives were the size of a post card, so did not need to be enlarged. We also had another newer camera with a flash bulb. We set the two cameras side inside the room and the Kodak was set for time exposure. When the picture was shot there was a count down and the bulb was squeezed on the Kodak and a split later the other camera was used. Then the bulb was released on the Kodak. The same flash bulb was used for both pictures. This same camera had been used by my grandparents for Thanksgiving day in 1938, 20 years earlier. I am the kid in the high chair.
Norm