Vintage Kodak Duaflex II Camera (1950s)
Viridian Eclection
The Camera
A Kodak Duaflex II, the pseudo twin lens reflex made by the Eastman Kodak Company for the family snapshot market of the early 1950s.
The body is metal and Bakelite with chrome trim. Two lenses are stacked vertically in the manner of a true twin lens reflex, but only the lower one exposes the film. The upper element is a viewing lens for composition alone.
The finder is a waist level reflex finder, looked down into from above in the way a photographer would use a professional twin lens camera such as a Rolleiflex. The taking lens is the Kodet, a basic meniscus of fixed focus, with limited aperture and shutter speed options. The camera takes 620 roll film and produces six by six centimeter square negatives, the format of snapshot photography in those years.
History & Provenance
The Duaflex series was introduced in 1947 as a bridge between the simple box camera and the more advanced twin lens reflex. It offered the look and the waist level handling of the professional instrument without its cost or complexity.
The Duaflex II was the second in the line and was made from 1950 to 1954. It was marketed as a family camera, affordable, lightweight, durable and easy to use, and it was especially popular among amateur photographers of the post war years. Kodak advertised it as giving big, sharp pictures without the complexity of professional gear.
In the 1950s photography was becoming accessible to ordinary families, and Kodak's marketing pressed the point with the line You press the button, we do the rest. The Duaflex fitted that philosophy exactly, a stylish reflex style body at a fraction of the price of professional equipment.
Many American families through the 1950s and 1960s recorded birthdays, holidays and vacations on cameras of just this kind. The model stands for the democratization of photography in the postwar boom.
Product Details
| Maker | Eastman Kodak Company |
| Model | Duaflex II |
| Era | Production years 1950 to 1954. Duaflex series introduced 1947 |
| Form | Pseudo twin lens reflex with waist level reflex finder |
| Materials | Metal and Bakelite body with chrome trim |
| Lens | Kodet, basic meniscus, fixed focus, limited aperture and shutter speed options |
| Film | 620 roll film, six by six centimeter square negatives |
| Dimensions | To be confirmed |
| Condition | To be confirmed |
Why It Belongs in Your Home
The Duaflex has one of the most recognizable silhouettes of American amateur photography, squared off, chrome trimmed, with the hooded finder open at the top. It photographs well and it displays well.
On a bookshelf, a desk or a cabinet it anchors a group of postwar objects, and against Bakelite black and bright chrome it needs nothing else around it to read clearly.
Dealers and designers use cameras of this period as small sculptural weights in a room. This one carries the additional interest of the pseudo reflex design, a piece of Kodak's argument about what an ordinary household could be sold.
Every piece is packed with professional-grade materials: multiple foam layers, double-boxing, directional and fragile handling labels. For large furniture we use custom timber crating. We photograph packing before dispatch and can provide images on request.
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Local pickup is available at Viridian HQ (Reno, NV) with 2–4 days notice. Contact us to arrange. Private viewings also available.
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Antiques are irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind. Carrier handling is outside our control once a piece has left our facility, and major carriers including FedEx do not insure antiques. We do everything within our power to ensure safe transit, but cannot accept liability for carrier damage. If damage occurs in transit, we will provide full documentation to support your carrier claim.
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