James's Camera Collection: Kodak 35

Kodak 35 rangefinder USA Other Kodak Cameras 35mm cameras
Kodak 35
Camera type: 35mm rangefinder
Dates of manufacture: 1940 - 1951 (mine is 1941)
Approx. street value: low

This was Kodak's answer to the Argus C3. They made several different versions over the years. The first version was a non-rangefinder with a collapsible lens so it fit nicely into a purse or large pocket, but that only lasted a couple years.

Then they added the rangefinder, and built it for a decade (the span includes the war years, where it wasn't actually in production), then retired this camera and redesigned it as the Automatic 35, and finally the Motormatic 35.

I'd seen these from time to time but never picked one up because they were overpriced (in my mind); this is the first time I've seen it with the matching flash gun, so I bit the bullet. Somewhere I've got the cord that goes between the lens and the gun, but I haven't come across it yet.

I haven't run any film through it and don't intend to do it, so I can't comment on its quality. The lens is a Kodak Anastigmat ƒ/3.5, which was good for the day. I do like the split-image rangefinder. I find it a lot easier to use than the superimposed types.

According to Wikipedia, the serial number engraved into the lens ring can be decoded to determine the year of manufacture. The code word is CAMEROSITY, and you assign numerals to each letter in sequence, where C is 1, A is 2, M is 3, and so on through Y, which is 0. My serial number is EC, which translate to 41.

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