Ever since my son gifted me a Kodak Brownie Flashmite 20 for Christmas, I’ve been enamored with the whole Brownie line of cameras. I’ve collected a few more since then and now have five different models. It would be a safe bet that I’ll aqcuire even more.

I was browsing through a local antique shop and came across a Kodak Brownie Bullet. I picked it up for a measley $15 (box and manual included). The Brownie Bullet was manufactured from 1957 to 1964. It wasn’t sold in retail stores but instead was manufactured for third party companies to give away as a premium or promotional item.

The Bullet take 127 film. This isn’t a problem since I have aquired a wide array of various films and sizes to accomodate the variety cameras I have (and use). My first roll through this camera was only mildly successful. More than half of the roll was fogged, I’m guessing, either in the loading or unloading of the camera. I’ll be super careful next time. Totally user error. Additionally, there are horizontal black marks/lines and some undiagnosed bubbles at the top of the frame. But the photos are suprisingly sharp, especially considering the fact that this camera has the build quality of a toy with no means of setting exposure.

It would be a safe bet that I’ll aqcuire even more.

For this first outing, I chose a roll of Shanghai GP3 100 Pan B&W. It was developed in Kodak D-76 for 14 minutes at 68°. Because 127 film is such a rare size, most photo scanners don’t accomodate it. I had to buy an adapter to be able to scan these negatives.

I’m eager to give this camera another try in the near future. Next time I might try a roll of color!