Kodak Monitor Six-20
Produced between 1939 to 1948, the Kodak Monitor is one of the more sophisticated American-made, medium format, folding cameras a photographer could buy in those decades. The Monitor features a folding, optical viewfinder that includes parallax correction, in addition to a waist level viewfinder located near the lens. It also includes an automatic film advance, double exposure prevention, a top-mounted accessory shoe, and a top-mounted shutter release. Certain models also added a depth of field dial.
Kodak Monitors can be found with a couple different lens configurations. The more common variant has a Kodak Anastigmat 103mm or 105mm f/4.5 lens, mounted in a Kodamatic or Flash Kodamatic shutter. There are also a rarer version with a Kodak Special Anastigmat 101mm f/4.5 lens, mounted in either a Supermatic or Flash Supermatic shutter. It is the latter version of the Monitor that have the aforementioned depth of field dial.
Medium format folding cameras are often overlooked as viable medium format cameras, at least by photographers shopping around to get into the format, but they can offer super compact and very affordable means of making really big negatives. With that being said, the Kodak Monitor is one of the more solid and sneaky good, folding cameras out there. While it does require the use of 620 roll film, that is not a difficult hurdle to overcome for a determined photographer.
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