Vintage and Classic Camera Collection - Kodak Vest Pocket Special 1926-35

Kodak Vest Pocket Special 1926-35

The later version of the Vest Pocket Special built and marketed by Kodak first appeared in September 1926 and was produced until April 1935. It was available with the Diomatic shutter, or in the UK with a Compur shutter, the latter having been produced beginning 1927. These were a deluxe version of the Series III models and had upgraded lens and shutter combinations. They were marked by their black leather cover without pin-stripping that was used on the Series III models.

US Versions are listed in several sources (cf. Coe) as having been equipped with the f/5.6 or f/4.5 Kodak Anastigmat lens and Diomatic shutter. However, the example below has a Carl Zeiss f/4.5 Tessar lens which was supposedly available only in the UK version even though this camera was built by Kodak in the US a year before the UK version was available.

The camera shown is number 3912 with an f/4.5 7.5cm Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar lens, serial number 696617 which dates from 1926.

It should be noted that Kodak occasionally used the actual Zeiss Tessar lenses whose design had been licensed earlier by Kodak for production of the Kodak Anastigmat lens (also called the Zeiss Kodak Anastigmat lens for some time). The Carl Zeiss lens commanded a premium price and this VP Special sold for about $25.00 compared with $18.00 for the Series III model with the Kodak lens - equivalent to about an additional $80.00 today.