Continuing the occasional series featuring my eclectic collection of cameras, here’s the

Jiffy Kodak VR Art Deco Camera

This fascinating little camera came into my possession when some of the remaining possessions of my wife’s late grandfather Sam Scott were being sorted through, quite a while after his death.

This folding camera was made by Kodak Eastman (made of bakelite) during the Art Deco period, around the middle of the 1930s. It folded up neatly into a compact little article that was extremely portable, and for that reason came known as a ‘vest pocket’ camera. Apparently a favourite with soldiers during the 2nd World War, easily carried and quickly made ready for action, hence the name ‘Jiffy.’

When the camera came into my possession, it was still in its original box, which adds to the novelty value; the vintage packaging is typical of the era.

This is the VR camera. It has a pop-up viewfinder on the opposite side to the winder lever, – which, essentially means that the viewfinder is on the BOTTOM of the camera! The lens folds out from the body on a scissors mechanism. The shutter speed is 1/50th sec, and there are two aperture options, f/11 and f/16. The lens has a focal length of 70mm, and focussing is fixed with a range of 10ft to infinity.

The ‘Jiffy’ takes 127mm roll film, a compromise between 35mm and medium format, and usually allows 8 exposures per roll. (127 film is still available from some outlets, made by a Chinese company.)

The manual is available HERE.