Product of the Kodak Pony 135 Model C

A couple of months ago, I wrote about a recent flea market find, a couple of Kodak Pony 135 Model C cameras (here). After arbitrarily choosing one to run a roll of film through first (because there's only one good film door between the two of them). I put the Pony in my car with guarded optimism...but even that was too much. Something appears to have gone awry with the focus mechanism in the last 50+ years. So film has gone into the second of the two Ponies...with dwindling hope.

Pond in Gardendale evidencing the focus issues exhibited by the first Kodak Pony 135.

Flea Market Find: Kodak Pony 135, Model C

Kodak Pony 135, Model C Cameras

While visiting a flea market, mostly by happenstance, which has always been an empty well for me in the past, I came upon a booth with a plethora of Kodak cameras of this ilk. Aside from the two Pony 135s pictured here, there were also Pony II and Pony 828 models, most of which appeared to be non-functioning. But when I picked up these two and ran them through their paces, they seemed to be in good order. As I write, the first of these has a roll of film that is waiting to be finished, in order to verify functionality.

Like many lower-end cameras of its era, the Pony 135 has a Bakelite body. The Model C was in production from 1955-1958; it has 4 shutter speeds ranging from 1/25s to 1/300s, plus B; however, ony my sample, only the 1/300s appears to be timely. The 44mm Kodak Anaston lens is wide open at f/3.5 and closes down to f/22.

With volumes of these able to be found on the used market, their value is quite low, so if it turns out mine have inoperable problems, I guess they'll just make for some antique-ish paper weights.

Kodak Pony 135 Model C Camera, Anaston 44mm f/3.5 lens