Kodak Vigilant Jr.


Aunt Mils' camera

Actually the full name is Kodak Vigilant Junior Six-20.  I don't know how old this one is. 
The earliest patent on it says 1932, but it could have been made much later than that. 
This one has been in my family since it was new.  A great aunt of mine gave it to
me in the early sixties.  She, and to some extent this camera are responsible for me being
a photo/camera nut.This was my first "adjustable" camera, and my only one until
she gave me an Argus C4 about a year later.  I've never been the same. 
But that's a good thing...



 
Closed it's like a big fat wallet.  It probably won't fit in your pants
pocket, but will go in a coat or the pocket in your bib
overalls, if that's your style.  On the top you see the flip-up
finder.  It's handy when you're out taking action shots,
like Jai alai or the Indy 500.  That's what I use mine for, anyway.




It has the typical Dak single speed shutter with bulb and time options.  This is definitely
an outdoor camera.  The aperture is shown wide open (f 12.5).  You'd have a hard time
getting anything bigger than a pea through that hole, and it treats light the same
way...just a little at a time, please.  There is no provision for a flash, but if you have
 the time, you can use the "T" setting for night exposures.  Just push the shutter release
 and it will stay open. Go get a cup of coffee, do the laundry, or whatever.  When you come
 back, push the shutter again, and it will close.


For the photos on this page, I re-spooled some JandC Pro 100 onto a
620 spool and headed up to Saint Gertrudes monastery.  You get eight shots
on a roll for some nice big 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 in negatives.  These were developed in
Rodinal 1+25 and printed on Agfa RC paper.




-St. Gertrudes-

The monastery from the large front yard.  It's a
beautiful old building, and frankly deserves
better than the old Vigilant can deliver.  It's a 
timeless look though, I think, with soft edges and
corners.  Somewhat less soft toward the center, but
by no means sharp.  You only get so much from a
single element lens! 
Getting a clear shot of the monastery is a challenge
with so many trees around it.  I've seen old photos
of it surrounded by Model T Fords.  There were
no trees back then.





The front yard has numerous statuary items.  Here
an angel watches over a young fisherman.  Hard
to tell, but there is a fishing pole in his hand, and a
pond directly in front of him.  It's drained for the winter.





Another statue and part of the main building.

The Benedictine Sisters came to the US from
Switzerland in 1882, and worked in many northwest
locations.  They came to area where the monastery
is located in 1907, primarily as teachers.





Here you can really see how soft
that old Kodet lens is.  Check out the
windows in the upper right and left
corners.

This is the entrance to the main part
of the building.  The twin domed
structure seen in the first photo is
attached to the right of this building.





Construction of the monastery began in 1919.  The
building seen here was completed and dedicated
in 1924.  The stone was quarried from a hill  behind
the monastery.  All hand chiseled.
The two domes are the bell towers and the bells are
sounded three times a day.

On a tech note, I used a tripod for these photos.
This camera is slightly clumsy to use because of
the way you have to hold it, and the shutter
isn't given to a nice smooth release, so I needed
a crutch.  I took along a light meter, and it suggested f11
at 1/30.  Sounds funny, but the lens isn't that fast.
It's not often that I consider f11 to be one of the
faster stops!
One day, when its blindingly bright outside, I'll try this
again using f32 to see if the photos are a little sharper.
Or, I could use a faster film...


deansphotographica.com

deansofidaho.com

deanw@bmi.net

1-05

  copyright 2005 Dean Williams