Kodak Signet 40

The Kodak Signet 40 is a 35mm camera. It is a rangefinder camera. The Eastman Kodak company produced it from 1956 to 1959. It is the successor of the Kodak Signet 35 and part of the Signet series. The Signet 40 cannot compete with its predecessor in robustness. So the housing is partly made of bakelite, which among other things made a lower price for the camera possible.

The lens of the 35mm camera cannot be replaced. The lens is called “Kodak Ektanon 46mm f/3.5”. The focal length is 46mm, the maximum aperture is f/3.5 and it is lumenized. Thorium oxide, a radioactive substance, was used for this lens. Some models were also delivered with an “Ektanar 46mm f/3.5”.

The camera has no autofocus. Therefore you have to focus by hand using the coupled rangefinder. The closest focusing distance of this lens is 61 cm (2 feet).

The Kodak Signet 40 has no built-in light meter. The correct exposure settings must therefore be determined with an external light meter. The Kodak Synchro 400 manual shutter allows shutter speeds from 1/400 second down to 1/5 second. Additionally it has a bulb mode. In this mode the shutter remains open as desired.

The camera has a thread for a tripod and cable release. No batteries are needed for taking pictures. An external flash can also be used with the Signet. On the left side there is a Kodalite connector.

Films for the Kodak Signet 40

What films does the Kodak Signet 40 need? 35mm format films are used. For this film format there is a good selection of material for color and black-and-white images. A good choice for color images is Kodak Portra 160*. If you want to stay monochrome, the Ilford FP4 Plus* is not bad. The film in the camera has to be rewound manually by the photographer.

You will find the camera only used. The value of the Kodak Signet 40 depends on the condition of the camera. In the 50s, the price of a new camera was 65 US dollars, which today would correspond to about 622 US dollars. For a used working copy you will have to pay about 30 to 70 US dollars today. In Europe it is more difficult to find a suitable model, because the buyers of the Signet 40 were in the USA.