Kodak Instamatic: 50 Years old, 50M plus sold!

[CameraQuest]

Introduced in 1963, the Kodak Instamatic celebrates its 50th anniversary with more than 50 Million cameras sold!

Yes, once upon a time when Kodak was King!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/29/instamatic-camera-50-years/2034585/

http://blog.eastmanhouse.org/2013/03/12/50th-anniversary-of-the-instamatic-1963/

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130328/BUSINESS/303280062/Instamatic-anniversary-Kodak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instamatic

Stephen

 

[ZeissFan]

1963 -- certainly a different time in western society.

The year before the Beatles arrived in America and a couple of years before hippies, the rise of civil rights and the Super Bowl. JFK was president (although only until November).

There would be some interesting cameras that took 126 film, some even made by Kodak, but also offerings from Minolta, Zeiss Ikon and Rollei.

I hope Lomo brings some 126 Instamatic film to the market, much like it's done with 110.

 

[ZeissFan]

When was 126 size film last available new in an Instamatic cartridge?

Is there any current use for the fine Schneider lenses used with the Instamatic Reflex?

I think Ferrania last made 126 Instamatic film in the last decade.

Many of the Instamatic Reflex lenses will fit the Retina IIIS and Retina Reflex, III and IV, but not the S.

Another cool 126 camera is the » Kodak Instamatic 500, which also was made in Germany.

 

[xayraa33]

I remember when the Instamatic camera and film was first introduced by Kodak.

 

[Dwig]

Here's another interesting essay keyed to the anniversary:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepa...pher/2013/04/hubert-nerwins-worst-camera.html

 

[Mackinaw]

My Dad bought me one, back in the mid-60's, that had the built-in spring motor drive. Tremendously cool.

Jim B.

 

[John Bragg]

I remember shooting Kodachrome 64 in 126 cartridges. Those were the days.

 

[Robert Lai]

A Kodak Instamatic was my first camera. It worked quite well with the Magic-Cube flash too. Too bad 126 isn't around anymore. I still have an Instamatic camera.

 

[Jan Pedersen]

Still have mine, i think it was my second camera the Diana or something similar was my first.

 

[Spavinaw]

I still have a Kodak Instamatic 500 with all that nice German lens, shutter, and meter. I think there was also a German made Instamatic 250 that was a simpler version of the 500. Also have the Rolleiflex SL26 with 40 and 80mm lenses, and the Contaflex 126 with 32, 45, 85, 135, and 200mm lenses. There was also a 20-something, 28 mm maybe, lens I could never find. I also have a bunch of the simple fixed focus ones from Brazil, England, Spain, etc. Yes, yes please bring back 126 film!

 

[RWaldron]

I've been getting into the square format with 120 and would like to see 126 come back too. I have a Kodak Instamatic Reflex sitting idle and it even has the 1.9 50mm Xenon lens mounted on it. Loved what the Xenon did on my long gone Retinas, and would love to see what it could do in the square. Could reload 126 cassettes with either 35mm or cut down 120, but it seems like a world of trouble. Probably too much trouble when I don't even shoot much 35mm anymore. Still, I saw a cheap Instamatic at the flea market today and was almost tempted to buy it just for the cassette inside.

 

[charjohncarter]

Hard to believe for me. I had a 104 in 1964, and this was taken in 1965:

I still see her every so often (EktaChrome).

 

[Tom hicks]

The Schneider glass can still be used on most cameras with an adapter. I use them on both my EOS and Nikon systems and I'm having one made for MY Ricoh GXR. Here is a shot of me and my sister with our new bike from my 104 back in 68 . and the other is from one of my kodak reflex's I reload the 126 with 35mm film .

tom

 

[Chris101]

I got a model 104 (the one with flashcubes) for my 13th birthday. I am still nostalgic about the pics from this camera:

ps, charjohncarter - I never see her any more.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

My second camera. I used it for about a year when I purchased my first 35mm. My first camera was a Kodak Jr. with a light leak in the bellows.

 

[MrFujicaman]

I still have a Kodak X-15 Instamatic...my first one was lost and I bought one off Ebay to replace it for the memories,

Near as I can recall, my first camera was a Diana my oldest sister bought me for 50 cents. I never developed any of the film from the Diana as I can recall.

It is kind of a shame you can't get 126 or 110 film anymore.....I'd love to shoot some Verichrome Pan in my X-15.

 

[MrFujicaman]

The Schneider glass can still be used on most cameras with an adapter. I use them on both my EOS and Nikon systems and I'm having one made for MY Ricoh GXR. Here is a shot of me and my sister with our new bike from my 104 back in 68 . and the other is from one of my kodak reflex's I reload the 126 with 35mm film .

tom

Tom...just a bit curious..are those bikes Shwinn's ?

 

[farlymac]

I had an X-45 back when I was in the Navy in the early seventies, and really liked the results I got with it, especially on slide film. But the winder went kablooie one day, and I did a post-mortem on it to see if it could be fixed. Everything inside that pivoted was on a plastic post that was then melted over to form a rivet. One of these posts failed on mine, which resulted in the catch pawl on the winder falling away. So I junked it. Still have the lens around here somewhere. It and the X-35 were the first in the X series that had glass lenses, and it really made a difference.

I never bought another 126 camera after that, until a couple of years ago, I came across a 250 in a West Virginia junk shop. It's in terrible cosmetic shape, and I just got it to practice on for camera restoration work. But it intrigued me enough that I bought a 500 a couple of months ago, and the meter seems to be in good working order. Then the previous owner sent me a couple of cartridges that were still unopened in the box he forgot were still lying around. So I'm kind of itching to try the camera out, but I'm also thinking about taking the one used catridge I got out of another Instamatic, and reloading it with ISO appropriate 35mm. If I can figure out the mechanics of it all. I know there are folks out there that have done this, and I may have a site in my favorites list showing how to, but it's kind of low on the priority list right now. I'll do some research later.

I think Kodak's biggest mistake with the cameras was their insistance on designing proprietary battery packs for them. Luckily, the 250 and 500 don't need no stinking batteries.

PF

 

[charjohncarter]

It is such a shame to see the excellent lens on a 104 go to waste, so I mounted one to fit a IIIf or my BessaR:

 

[lxmike]

I remember shooting Kodachrome 64 in 126 cartridges. Those were the days.

yes indeed great days, my first camera in the 1970s was an Instamatic a Kodak 177X