If I polled the world’s camera collectors, I’ll bet most of them would say they have owned a Kodak Pony 135. Further, I’ll bet most of them would say they didn’t plan to buy one, but they found one for a few dollars and they couldn’t resist.
Kodak made a lot of Ponies from 1949 to 1961 in several different versions, all of which followed the same basic formula of all-manual control with a somewhat-better-than-entry-level lens and shutter. The Pony was a pretty good snapshot camera for someone who was ready to move up from a fixed-focus box camera.
I succumbed to Ponymania this year when I scored this Pony 135 for about $10. Kodak made this model from 1950 to 1954, and an amateur photographer needed to scrounge up $34.75 to own one. That was a pretty big investment (equivalent to at least $325 today), especially given that the contemporary fixed-focus Brownie Hawkeye cost $7!
Kodak made judicious construction choices to keep the cost low. The Pony 135 is made of plastic with aluminum details. Its 51 mm f/4.5 Anaston lens, a step up in quality over what Kodak put in its box cameras but certainly not a high-end lens, stops down to f/22. It is mated to a four-speed (1/25 to 1/200 sec) Flash 200 shutter, which has a simple two-leaf design.
It’s not obvious how you open a Kodak Pony 135. There’s a little button in the aluminum plate on the camera’s right side (as you look at the back). Press your fingernail into the button and slide the plate down. It’s a little tricky – I can’t do it without using both hands and pressing the camera into my body to hold it steady.
The Pony’s most unusual feature is its collapsible lens barrel. To extend it, twist to the left, pull, and twist to the right until it locks in place. The shutter won’t fire unless the barrel is extended.
The Pony is simple enough to use but it does have a couple quirks. You set the aperture and shutter speed atop the lens barrel. You focus by guessing distance and twisting the ring at the end of the lens barrel accordingly. Then you frame the shot in the viewfinder, pull the cocking lever down (it’s on the lens barrel, left of the aperture and shutter speed settings), and press the shutter button on the top plate. To wind to the next frame, you pull a little lever on the back of the camera (just below and right of the viewfinder) and then twist the wind knob until it stops.
By the way, I’ve also shot a couple later Ponies: the Pony 135 Model B (here) and the Pony 135 Model C (here). Also check out my review of the similar Argus A-Four (here). Also check out every camera I’ve ever reviewed here.
I loaded up my Pony with some Fujicolor 200 and went out to shoot. When I saw the scans, I learned that the camera leaks light badly. Scotty! One larkspur plant to beam up.
I was surprised by how far back I had to step to fit my subject into the viewfinder. Then I was frustrated by how what I see in the viewfinder (first image below) is so much less than what the lens sees (second image below). I’m not above cropping a photo, but I do like it when what I frame in the viewfinder is pretty much what I get back from the processor.
Undaunted, I loaded another roll of film into the Pony and sealed all seams with black electrical tape. The camera still leaked light (grumble!!), but not as badly. Do you see the faint streak across this red door?
But I was pleased with the colors I got. Look at how well the Pony 135 caught these rays of light – my eye didn’t see this many rays!
While this shot isn’t very well composed, it shows that you can get a little depth of field with the slow f/4.5 lens. I’ve taken tons of photos of my petunias this year with several of my cameras, and only the Pony rendered the shadows this shadowy and the greens this dark. I like the effect.
I took the Pony on a walk through the neighborhood. I’ve always appreciated how this neighbor keeps her home so tidy. I also appreciate how well the Pony captured all the detail here.
This neighbor parked a 1971-73 Ford Mustang in his carport only briefly. It was there, and then a couple weeks later it was gone. But I had the Pony along so I wouldn’t forget it.
I set exposure using the Sunny 16 method, which worked well enough thanks to Fujicolor 200’s wide exposure latitude. I was able to level off any slight misexposures in Photoshop. The Monon was an Indiana rail line. For more information and lots of historic photos, check out the excellent Bygone Places of the Monon site. In central Indiana, the right-of-way is now a pedestrian trail. This tunnel passes under Interstate 465.
See my Pony 135 gallery here.
I wish this camera didn’t leak light so badly, because it renders color and detail so well. And despite it offering no focus or exposure help, it was pleasant to use. I haven’t felt that way about all of my manual-everything camerass. I never would have guessed that the lowly Kodak Pony 135 has such personality.
If you like old film cameras, check out all of my reviews here!
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