Eastman Kodak
No. 3B Quick Focus Kodak, 1906-1911
| As photographers became more skilled and desirous of new features in
the early 1900s, Kodak created this unusual box camera in hopes of
keeping them happy. The Quick Focus took postcard sized images (3½ x
5¼ in.) on size 125 rollfilm. It is a deceptively large box camera,
measuring over 8 inches long by 7 inches tall.
The unique feature of the Quick Focus is suggested by the camera's name. The photographer would set the distance to subject via the wheel shown near the front of the camera in the picture above. After that, he would press a leather-covered button just ahead of and below the distance wheel, and as a result, the front of the camera would "pop out" to the correct distance for the exposure. Following the exposure, the photographer had to push the front standard back in until it caught, or else take a picture with the same distance-to-subject as the previous photo. The Quick Focus was made in this one size only, and did not sell very well. Factory records indicate that approximately 8,000 were manufactured between 1906 to 1911 in Models A, B, & C, and while it is not a rare camera today, it is uncommon to find one in such nice condition.
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