Flat Folding Kodak (1894)

This is a very rare camera that was marketed only in England during 1894-1895 (or 1896). Just 400 were made. It is a folding camera for darkroom loaded rollfilm, with a capacity of 48 pictures of 4 x 5 inch (10 x 12,5 cm) on one spool. The Flat Folding Kodak cost £ 7.

 Why this camera was not sold in the U.S.A. I can only guess. Maybe it was a try out for a new design, but it was already obsolete before the end of 1895, when daylight loading film and cameras began to replace the darkroom loading spools and instruments. When the Flat Folding Kodak appeared its most appealing feature was its small size. Other 4 x 5 inch Kodaks were about twice as big. Its picture/bulk ratio is 55.7%, much better than the No. 4 Folding Kodak with its 37.7%. The new element in its design was the place of the spools to the left and right of the bellows instead of behind the plane of focus, making it less bulky than the contemporary No. 4 Folding Kodak.

The Flat Folding Kodak has a built in rollholder that is attached to the back panel. A brass exposure counter and winding key are placed on the underside. Its settings are very simple: the shutter can be set on Time and Instantaneous. The speed of the Instantaneous setting can be changed a bit by moving a lever on front of the lensboard. The lens has a dial with waterhouse stops. Focussing is done with the help of a distance scale on the drop bed. The little reflex finder can be turned for horizonal pictures. There is no provision for shift of the lensboard or tilt of the back. Lacking all the more complex settings means that this camera was meant for amateur photographers who just liked to take a few snapshots. In ads it was called "The Cyclist and Tourist's Comrade".
With the introduction of the daylight loading film the Flat Folding Kodak became obsolete. The design was abandoned and replaced with the No. 4 Cartridge Kodak that was based on daylight loading cartridges, hence the name 'Cartridge Kodak'.