Kodak Duaflex – Toronto-made – Fun or Fad?

Close to my birthday near the end of 2024, a friend of mine gave me box full of “old photography stuff” he had lying around, asking me if I would have use for it. Never saying ‘no’ to anything free, especially if it relates to photography, I happily accepted and took the box home. In there, amongst an old projector, some flash modules, a bunch of cables and other trinkets, were two old Kodak box cameras – and one appeared to be made right here in Toronto. My interest peaked.

Taking a good look at the two it appeared they were in cosmetically good condition, but the design of the Toronto Duaflex was just a bit more striking than the other one (a Duaflex II). I love this kind of styling – sleek and timeless (to a point). The glass looked good, the viewfinder looked…interesting and the innards were near mint. Score! Look at how bright that viewfinder is – it’s really a joy to shoot with. The camera looks like a toy camera but feels like something a bit more upscale, not flimsy at all and most likely due to the sturdy aluminum used in its construction. This particular Duaflex appeared to have been made in Toronto, somewhere between 1947 and 1950, and according to this website only 882 were made. I was elated holding a piece of local history in my hands.

The camera sports a 75mm, f/15 single-element, fixed-focus Kodet lens set in a leaf shutter that probably operates somewhere between 1/30 and 1/60 seconds. There’s also a Bulb mode but I have not use that (yet). And did I mention the huge viewfinder?

But now what to do. On the top it clearly states “USE KODAK FILM 620” – what the heck is that? Afraid I just got myself a dud requiring some ancient out-of-production film format I started up the googol machine I quickly found that 620 is he same as 120 film but spooled onto a different pin. Okay, this is getting better now. Then I found that the people over at Flic Film were kind enough to re-spool some B/W film onto this ‘620’ pin and sell it in a nifty little box. We’re in business.

The business-end of things had to wait until the early summer of 2025, when I found an opportunity to use this little box in some lieu time during a Dragon Boat Race on the Toronto Islands. I didn’t shoot any dragons nor sank any boats but used the opportunity to walk around the sizeable main island in search of some snapshots. I quickly found that cameras like these should really be able to hold extra long film rolls so one isn’t limited to 12 shots; 38 or 46 would be much preferable. It’s so easy and quick to use (for lack of focussing and that easy ‘glance and click’ viewfinder). An hour or two later I was out of film and on my way back to the races. Fun fact: there were around 5,000 participants that day, not counting spectators – yet at times I felt almost alone on the island. It’s a great place to be in summer.

Wiki-interject: the Toronto Islands are 15 man-made structures which originated as sand-bars from the deposition of sand from the Scarborough Bluffs by Lake Ontario currents, and were since the 1790s build up to accommodate a lighthouse, summer retreats for the wealthy and a water treatment facility for the mainland. Nowadays, you can find ferry and water taxi services, an international airport, a nude beach, a marina, an entertainment park, disc-golf courses, leisure parks and other beaches there, as well as residents living on-island year-round with a church, restaurants and bars. And notably: no cars, but plenty of kayaks and bicycles and depending on where you are, the stunning backdrop of the Toronto skyline. And yes, that part of the lake freezes over during a -20C winter weather spell so good luck to you if you forgot your BBQ sauce.

Then there’s the film. The box simply states 100ASA film, but I have no idea which it is. Could it be Fomapan Classic 100? Who knows. What I do know is that I don’t like it, not one bit. Granted, the camera didn’t help: there are flares, mega-soft corners, and an overall glaring lack of contrast. Not that I was expecting miracles from this tiny box, but I had higher hopes. Perhaps, if I could get my hands on some colour 620 film…

And there you have it. I am grateful for this gift and all in all I’d recommend grabbing this camera or one just like it if you can. It’s a lot of fun to use. But if you’re crafty -unlike me- and you are able to re-spool film yourself, why not use some Vision3 or Ektachrome (and give me a call).

Thanks for reading!

…just get closer on sneakerzoom.ca

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