gvarner wrote:
I’m just curious. What settings could you use on a DSLR that would be equivalent to those on a Brownie Hawkeye? I’ve read that the shutter speed is between 1/30 and 1/60 second but I’m not sure what the aperture, ISO, and focal length should be. Do 120 and 660 films denote what their ASA is? I’d like to experiment with some compositions given those parameters. Thanks for you help.
First, there is a Brownie Hawkeye group on Flickr. Interestingly, there are some people that flip the lens around for close-up work.
The camera has a fixed focal length, fixed aperture, fixed shutter speed, and fixed focus. Exposure is varied by using different speed film. There was a close focus adapter made for the camera, and there was an ND filter attachment.
There doesn't appear to be an actual published specification for the camera, but many sites do some measurement and analysis, and these are the consensus specs I've seen. Note that these seem to vary between camera models, so there probably is no accurate value.
Aperture: f15
Focal Length: 80mm
Shutter: 1/40
Focus Distance: listed as 5' to infinity
FF Crop Factor: 0.4 for vertical.
The Brownie was square format, so crop factor should be calculated for image height, not the typical image diagonal or width. Thus, full frame equivalent values for aperture and focal length are f6 and 32mm
Focus distance was fixed; the question is at what distance? It was probably designed so that focus distance was set at the hyperfocal distance. Using f6.3 and 32mm for full frame, the hyperfocal distance is about 18 feet, and the hyperfocal near limit is about 9 feet.
The Brownie is reportedly very soft at 5-10 feet, and works best with subjects between 15 feet to infinity. That is consistent with a focus distance at the hyperfocal distance.
So, my recommendations for a full frame DSLR:
Aperture: f6.3
Focal Length: 32mm
Focus Distance: 18 feet
Shutter Speed: 1/40 second
Set ISO to an appropriate value. The Brownie Hawkeye seems to have been designed for use with ASA50 film, and overexposed 1-2 stops in bright daylight with ASA125 film. That is consistent with a SUNNY8 rule.
Key to using a DSLR to mimic the Brownie is to use a fixed ISO. Remember, ASA was not a setting that you changed during a session; it was fixed by the film used.