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KODAK Ektra

FrantzM

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This from Quora.com (mods if not allowed, please remove), emphasis is mine.

Thierry Guerrant, a stranger among strangers
Written Mar 22, 2014
Originally Answered: Are Kodak cameras still around?
The company dropped the consumer side of its business as part of salvaging itself from bankruptcy. It licensed its brand name to J.K. Imaging, which sells superzooms, compacts and waterproof video cameras under the Kodak name, so you'll still find newly manufactured cameras identified as Kodaks.

For actual Kodak-made cameras still in the retail stream, Kodak promised to honor all warranties (good for one year after the purchase date).

The company says it now concentrates on commercial printing, packaging, functional printing and professional services.
 

amirm

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Interesting. What they need to show is side-by-side images against other camera phones.

Garmin tried a GPS focused camera and it failed. I suspect regardless of performance, same will happen to this if the phone part is not as good as the best of the breed.
 

Sal1950

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Love Kodak. They're invention of the Instamatic was a huge addition to my sex life back in the day. Everyone wanted to be on camera. :D
Want to see? :eek:
 

RayDunzl

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Dad became a Polaroid "Pictures in a minute" fan. So, I had access to this Pathfinder 110A:

upload_2016-10-20_22-1-34.png


I have no idea why there is a 35mm film pack next to it, since it used a proprietary (and no longer manufactured) film pack. Maybe for scale.

A video...

After watching that, and thinking back, I still have no idea how the film got exposed in the camera. I don't see how the light got to the emulsion. I'll have to look that up, I guess.
 
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Sal1950

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I still remember the day my Dad bought a polaroid. It was complete magic that you could see pictures in a few minutes. They were horrible in quality but still, a miracle it seemed.
I'm quite surprised by the stability of the prints.
I have a number of Insta prints going back to the early 70s that have held their color well.
And photo lab prints from the same time that are badly faded.
Both stored away in boxes and not exposed to UV?
 

iridium

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I still remember the day my Dad bought a polaroid. It was complete magic that you could see pictures in a few minutes. They were horrible in quality but still, a miracle it seemed.

Do you remember the odor?

iridium.
 

Sal1950

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iridium

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Kind of a ammonia type odor wasn't it?

Not sure if ammonia, but if I smelled it, I would be wracking my brain for the memory if we had not written about it.

iridium.
 

Sal1950

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Not sure if ammonia, but if I smelled it, I would be wracking my brain for the memory if we had not written about it.

iridium.
I remember it being quite pungent and very peculiar.
 
OP
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I still remember the day my Dad bought a polaroid. It was complete magic that you could see pictures in a few minutes. They were horrible in quality but still, a miracle it seemed.
I was astonished recently to see some kids taking a photo with a peculiar looking camera that ejected a print, and them 'shaking' the resulting photo until the picture appeared. I think it may have been this:
https://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/instax/p/instax-mini-70

And in case you are thinking that it is just a small inkjet printer or whatever (as I would have), here is the spec for the film:
https://www.fujifilm.eu/fileadmin/product_migration/generic/files/files/instax_mini_datasheet_06.pdf

FUJIFILM INSTANT COLOR FILM instax mini is an ISO 800 credit-card-size integral daylight color film designed for use with Fujifilm instax mini cameras. This glossy film yields superb results under both daylight and electronic flash conditions...
...Avoid opening a film pack or loading a camera under direct sunlight. After opening the film, do not leave it in a bright place. Load it into the camera as soon as possible.

On a similar theme, I was surprised to find that local schools are into "analogue" photography, with darkrooms!
 
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Sal1950

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I was astonished recently to see some kids taking a photo with a peculiar looking camera that ejected a print, and them 'shaking' the resulting photo until the picture appeared. I think it may have been this:
https://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/instax/p/instax-mini-70

And in case you are thinking that it is just a small inkjet printer or whatever (as I would have), here is the spec for the film:
https://www.fujifilm.eu/fileadmin/product_migration/generic/files/files/instax_mini_datasheet_06.pdf



On a similar theme, I was surprised to find that local schools are into "analogue" photography, with darkrooms!
Well I be danged, what's old is new again.
It is a modern version of the old instamatic process.
They even have stand alone portable "photo printers" to plug in your smartphone.
 

davidB

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Instamatic was a film cassette sytem, 28mmsq format on perfed-one-edge 35mm film. You would ask for 126 film(as opposed to 120,135,127,620,etc). Kind of a quick-load. I'm trying to remember the name of the instant system Kodak had, Ektamatic, maybe? Anyway, the camera owners were left high and dry after a patent-infringement lawsuit by Polaroid, and Kodak stopped providing the film. Fuji just paid for the patents, and has continued making peelapart pack films. Their Instax is their own process, much better than the 600 and sx70 Polaroid stuff they resemble. The little ones(business card size) are popular at weddings,etc. The larger Instax is quite good. It's much cheaper than the 600/sx70 film was 20-30 years ago. The Impossible Project is an outfit making films to fit many old Polaroids(they even made a batch for the old, old roll film versions). New55 is an outfit making 4x5 instant film that gives you a usable negative as well as a print. They have actually improved the quality over the stuff Polaroid used to make. 8x10 and 20x24 Polaroid are still available.
Some traditional materials are cheaper than 30-40 years ago, like colour paper(the price is the same or lower, and the money, well, you know). B&W paper is about the same as 20-30 years ago(the price 30-70% higher,but..). The real cost and trouble today is the availability and cost of chemistry.
The colour paper is made in nearly the same quantity as 20 years ago, as when you send your files to be printed they are printed by laser onto it. This assures that your kids will find a print in your drawer when you are gone, as 'archival' for an inkjet or 'laser' print not the same standard as for more traditional media. The wonderful thing about not using traditional materials when taking snapshots is that we no longer waste vast resources making those original images. We just use electrons, and snap away. You only have to print something when you want/need to. And we can make our own short-to-moderate life prints at the touch of a button(which can even be a virtual button, which saves on buttons). When you want a large or durable(or better, if we buy our printers for other qualities than colour gamut) print we can choose between electromechanical and electro/photo/chemical processes.
Kodak has in the last year made its first batch of Ektachrome in about 15 years.
And the oldest photochemical company in the world, Adox, is still developing new products. For over a century, Adox came up with stuff and licensed/sold the patents and processes to folks like Agfa, Kodak,etc. They have reeled in their rights, and are now producing their own products for the most part. After a long journey, even the name of Rodinal, the oldest developer still produced(the 'new' recipe dates from about ww1). How's that for a stab from the past? I have a funny story about Rodinal- Rodinal was for years sold in glass bottles, with a rubber plug under the cap. It is diluted for use from 1:50 to 1:300, so to keep air out, one would extract it through the plug with a hypodermic needle. Well, Bill Pierce, a Chicago press photographer,went into a pharmacy in the '60s and explains why he needs a new syringe. The tiny old man behind the counter looks over his glasses, looks him up and down(long hair,old army fatigues,etc), and says,"sure you do, hippie boy".
I'll talk about how photochemical and electronic processes are complementary, not oppositional another time.
I am still teaching darkroom techniques when time allows. If anyone on this forum finds an old camera with film in it, leave it as it is and contact me. I can help you make test shots with any empty frames, then you have a chance of saving a forgotten picture. I bought a camera a few years ago off craigslist, it was the fellow's father's, and it contained a roll with pictures of his father and family- his father died when he was eleven. Happy serendipity.

Oh by the way, that smell? Ammonium thiousulfate, the fixer used.
 
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amirm

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After a long journey, even the name of Rodinal, the oldest developer still produced(the 'new' recipe dates from about ww1). How's that for a stab from the past?
Past indeed. Last time I heard that word Bee Gees were still a group and producing songs. :)
 

davidB

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Hey Sal,
Your faded prints were badly washed and/or not stabilised. If the latter, you can regenerate the dyes which have oxidised. Like any human endeavor, corners are often cut.
 

Kal Rubinson

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I still remember the day my dad bought and brought that Polaroid home. It was like seeing a flying car!
I bought mine at a flea market about 7-8 years ago just because............................ Still works.
 
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