Kodak Signet 35

Man, this is a fun little camera!





I found this little camera in a bargain store about seven
years ago.  I didn't buy it at the time.  I looked it over, and
found it had some issues with it's inner self.




Mainly, the shutter was stuck and the rangefinder indicated
about six feet when focused at infinity.  I don't know how far
infinity is, mind you, but I reckoned it was a fair piece more than six ft.




It stayed in the store, and over the years I'd give it a glance each time I
stopped by.  Finally, a couple of years ago, I asked the store owner "how much"?
Another shopper hollered, "offer 'im six bucks", and before the owner could
speak up I made the $6 offer.  He said "seven!".  I figured for a dollar, we could
both feel like winners, so I paid my seven greenbacks and brought my treasure
home.  Later, looking it over, I found the price tag on it.  It read $35.00.
I guess the shop owner was tired of looking at it.

(In case you didn't notice, this really is a camera.  Says so right on top.)




It took me two years to fix it, mainly because I couldn't get the front element
out to repair the shutter.  I thought I was doing something wrong.  I'd come
back to it now and then, fiddle with it for a while, and return it to what was now
a baggie full of parts.
Finally, I decided to put the muscle to it, figuring if I broke it, what the heck, it
was broke when I got it.  My troubles stemmed from the fact that someone had put
the element in using Locktite.  Hey, it's a camera...not a race car.
Once I got the shutter working, I cleaned the rangefinder and swapped
the six foot mark for infinity on the focus ring.  Ready to go!




The back has a cool exposure estimator.  You set the kind of (Kodak)
film you are using on one of the sliders, and with the other you set the
lighting conditions, then transfer the data to the lens and aperture.
The shutter only has four speeds from 1/25 to 1/300 +B, and the aperture
runs from f3.5 to f22.  For a rangefinder it has an unusually close
minimum focus of two feet.  The lens is that great little Ektar 44mm job.

It's quite small, but everything is where it should be, making it fun to use.
'Course, there's the styling thing too.  Kind of a "Metal Man meets the
Chrysler Building" thing.  It's great.

I loaded up with Agfa APX 400 for it's first outing since being repaired.
When the film ran out, it got developed in Acufine and the negs were
printed on Agfa MC RC paper devved in Neutol.



Cemeteries attract a lot of people, photographers and otherwise.  This
is the Mt. Idaho cemetery, about six miles from where I live.  I don't
know how long it's been here, but there are a lot of 100+ year old markers here.




Born in Ireland, ended up here in 1897.




Well, it's a Chevy.




This is called teasel, here abouts.  It grows like a weed.




This old piece of tree has been resting on the hillside near my house
for many years.  It changes a little every year, and one day it will be
gone.  It's a "go-to" thing.  I go to it when I don't have any ideas.
Sometimes it helps.



Thanks for checking in on my Signet.
Now, go get one.


deansphotographica.com

deansofidaho.com

deanw@bmi.net

5-05

© 2005 Dean Williams