Kodak Duo Six-20 II With CRF

<p>I own what I suspect might be a rare version of this camera. It has the following unusual features<br>

1. The back just says "Kodak Duo"<br>

2. The lens is a Schneider Xenar f3.5 7.5cm<br>

3. The shutter is a Compur, rather than a Compur Rapid<br>

4. The camera SN is 306637K The Lens SN is 1410924 and the Shutter SN is 0014622<br>

Other than the above it appears to be a complete Duo Six-20 II with CRF<br>

Does anybody have any information about this Camera<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>A lens collectors vade mecum list of Schneider serial numbers shows 1400000 as Nov 1938 and 1600000 as Sept 1939.</p>

<p>You have quite an uncommon camera. I have, and have just been using, the non-rf version that was built from 1937-39. The RF version was made from 1939-40 in quite small numbers.<br>

The Duo's used Kodak anastigmat, Zeiss Tessars and the Schneider Xenar that you have. Like all Nagel cameras from that period, they all are nicely built, and very pretty to boot.I don't have a current valuation, but my somewhat outdated McKeowns lists my camera from $55-85, yours at $300-450...so you have a good one!</p>

<p>Please post a picture.. Tony too so we can see how the different models look! </p>

 

<p>There is a duo list on yahoo - the moderator, Pete Naylor, knows much about these cameras and there is quite an extensive listing of serial numbers verses camera type on the list. You might get your camera on the list.</p>

<p>Chuck, here is mine.</p><div></div>

<p>And with it's big brother.</p><div></div>

<p ><strong>Hi, Jeffrey always nice to hear from anybody who’s just acquired a Kodak Duo 620 – and congratulations on joining our world-wide community! Shame that ‘fresh’ 620 reel film isn’t that easy to acquire these days, without forking out a fortune for it. The alternative of modifying 120 film by respooling it onto original 620 spools isn’t that easy either, but it can be done.</strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>I’m still scratching my head about your Duo 620 CRF’s ‘vital stats’, because it appears to be the very earliest one we’ve come across going by its body s/no of 306637K. Its Schneider Xenar lens s/no is also typically early. BTW, it’s also the only one we have on record with a ‘Compur’ shutter, rather than a ‘Compur Rapid’.</strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>Jeff, you really need to think about joining our Yahoo Duo 620 Group, the link for which is here:</strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong> <a href="https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/duo620/photos/photostream">https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/duo620/photos/photostream</a></strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>The Group is a ‘Restricted’ one, which means you’ll have to apply to the Group Moderator to join. However, that’s no big deal because I’m the Moderator! We had to go the ‘Restricted’ path because we began to get spammers joining, and clogging up our various files with their annoying crap.</strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>You’ll find a lot of interesting stuff in our files, such as scans of original sales brochures, ‘road tests’, price lists, adverts from around the world and so on. There are also helpful features on how to respool 120 onto 620. We also run databases for each of the three main Duo 620 models, so you can see from the Duo 620 CRF database that yours is clearly so far #1 date-wise. Once you’re joined, please add your camera’s details as the more details we have, the clearer the picture gets over dates, production figures etc.</strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>I’ve tried to email you a pdf document of the US-printed instruction booklet of the Duo 620 CRF, just in case you don’t already have it. It’s a bit on the large side pixel-wise at 5 MBs, but worth it for the detail. Unfortunately, your ISP keeps rejecting my emails to you. Do you have any alternative email address? </strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>One thing you’ll notice is that in regard to the shutter, it only mentions the ‘Compur Rapid’. So, does that mean your camera was maybe an early prototype? Hard to tell, because the earlier Duo 620 (Non-CRF) model was available with both Compur and Compur-Rapid shutters. With the CRF model clearly being intended as the ‘Top-Of-The-Range’ model when it came out in 1939, you’d have thought Kodak Germany would surely have gone for the Compur-Rapid shutter for it from Day One. However, hindsight is a wonderful thing and always 20/20 ……………….. !</strong></p>

<p ><strong> </strong></p>

<p ><strong>Lastly, I should mention that I was fortunate to acquire that original Duo 620 CRF IB on Ebay USA, in the rather strange circumstances that it came with a fairly basically configured earlier model non-CRF Duo Series 11. I didn’t really need another Duo like that, but an original IB for the CRF model was a real find. It actually took me several years after that, to get my mitts on a kosher camera in nice condition to go with the IB. (Pete In Perth)</strong></p>