Photographing with a Hawkeye

I'm having trouble using the "brilliant" finder on a Brownie Hawkeye. The camera appears to be in mint condition and I cleaned up the viewfinder (the optics are in A-1 condition) but it seems difficult to bring images in to focus. Is there a trick to mastering this camera?

Hi, John,

As long as you're the proper distance away from your subject (about 5

to 6 feet), getting your pictures into proper focus should be a no-

brainer. Are you moving the camera slightly when you take the

picture? This can cause a fuzzy picture. The manual suggests that

you hold your breath slightly when taking a picture - as old-

fashioned as it sounds, this method for keeping the _photographer_

still, still works!

 

<p>

 

If you cleaned up the viewfinder but not the lens, Charles Clemens

has a really useful article on cleaning the Hawkeye. You can find it

thru Chuck's "Gallery of the Brownie Shooters" section.

 

<p>

 

If you don't have the manual for your Hawkeye, go to my picturetrail

gallery for "various Kodak Manuals" (you can access it thru Chuck's

website) and find it there. Feel free to copy and save it, and print

it out at your convenience. Best of luck!