April,2004.

This site is devoted to the main theme of my camera collecting hobby and that is those cameras produced between 1912 and about 1935 that used Kodak size 129 (or equivalent) roll film to produce negatives of 2X3 inches or 5X8cm. (nominal).
In the early years of roll film photography many different sizes existed and it was not until 1912 that Kodak introduced a numbering system for its films. In the following year they began to produce films to fit the Ensignette cameras made in England by Houghtons. 128 was made for the Ensignette No1 and 129 for the No2.
The Ensignette (later referred to as the No1) had been introduced in the UK in 1909 and was the first truly vest pocket size camera that used a 'daylight loading spool' in other words a roll film. It was an all metal (brass) folding strut camera and when collapsed was very compact indeed. Three years later it was followed by the No.2 which produced negatives of 3X2 inches(the first models made horizontal pictures only), for which Kodak's size 129 roll film was made,and is the format which forms the basis of my camera collection. It was the only time that Kodak made 'modern' paper backed roll films for a size of camera they did not themselves introduce or use and the Ensignettes were probably responsible for the introduction of the Vest Pocket Kodak, using size 127 , in competition with the English products. Later many more film manufacturers introduced roll films equivalent to 129 but often used their own designations eg Agfa N6 and Zeiss Ikon N.