![]() This review is about the Kodak 35 which was a model produced for just over a decade, from 1938 to 1951 (the non-RF model was discontinued after 1948). If you dig a little deeper and look at some of the other models that were produced, you will find that there are a couple of really interesting ones. As a collector, its very easy to dismiss anything with a Kodak name on it that’s not a Retina. It’s this intermittent and puzzling history that confuses, yet intrigues me about how the company was run. Adjusted for inflation, $700 in 1948 is equal to $6922 in 2015!įor most people in the 1940s through the 1960s, if you owned a Kodak camera, it was most likely a very basic model like one of the many Kodak Brownie, Tourist, or Pony models.ĭespite being the premiere maker of 35mm film, Kodak would exit the camera making business altogether in the late 1960s and not return until the mid 1980s and even then, Kodak would make little effort to cater to high end professional photographers. In 1948, a Kodak Ektra sold for $700 which was outrageous for the time. The Ektra sold extremely poorly because of its very complicated design and extremely high price. In 1941, Kodak would release the Kodak Ektra which was their one and only attempt at a high end interchangeable lens rangefinder camera that could compete with high end models like the Ikon Zeiss Contax and the Leitz Leica. The Ektra was the most complex and featured filled camera Kodak would ever make, and also the most expensive. The Kodak Ektra with some of it’s available lenses. The Retina Reflex would be Kodak’s only film SLR until its discontinuation a decade later, in 1967. The Retina III would be the basis for Kodak’s first SLR, the Retina Reflex of 1957. The Retina line of cameras would be one of Kodak’s most successful lines, being produced until the 1960s. August Nagel to help them design the Retina line of cameras which would be the worlds first camera to use Kodak’s 135 format of 35mm film. Kodak would run the German side of the company as Kodak AG and would continue to employ it’s founder, Dr. In 1931, Kodak would purchase Nagel Kamerawerk based out of Stuttgart, Germany. Some of their earlier folding cameras had state of the art Zeiss designed lenses like the No.1 Autographic Special or the excellent 5-element Ektar lenses in the Kodak Medalist I and II from the 1940s, but then others would have single element meniscus lenses and single speed shutters. They pioneered the concept of autographic film in 1914, but would abandon it less than 20 years later. ![]() They would occasionally make a model that would compete with their German and Japanese counterparts, but then they would abandon the design. The odd thing however, is that Kodak never really committed to being either a high end or budget company. The designs of their cameras ran the gamut from extremely basic box cameras to extremely high end cameras with state of the art features and excellent lenses. They invented 135 format 35mm film which is still sold today and has been the most popular and best selling film ever made. They invented daylight loading roll film and helped to standardize almost all formats of film in the 20th century. They released the first reloadable consumer camera in 1888, simply called the “Kodak”. They were pioneers in both film and camera design. The Eastman-Kodak company had an undeniable influence on the photographic industry of the late 1800s and early 1900s. 1 Kodamatic Leaf Speeds: T, B, 1/10 – 1/200 seconds Exposure Meter: None Battery: None Flash Mount: None Manual: įilm Type: 135 (35mm) Lens: 50mm f/3.5 Kodak Anastar Special coated 4 elements Focus: 3′ 6″ to Infinity Type: Coupled Rangefinder Shutter: Kodak Flash Kodamatic Leaf Speeds: T, B, 1/10 – 1/200 seconds Exposure Meter: None Battery: None Flash Mount: None Manual: Despite having the benefit of a better lens and shutter, plus the Kodak name, the Kodak 35 was outsold by both Argus cameras and were eventually discontinued around 1950.įilm Type: 135 (35mm) Lens: 50mm f/3.5 Kodak Anastigmat Special uncoated 4-elements Focus: 3′ 6″ to Infinity Type: Viewfinder Shutter: Kodak No. The Kodak 35 was designed to compete against the Argus A and C series cameras which were inexpensive Bakelite bodied cameras made in the USA. The earlier Kodak Retina was built in Germany by Nagel, who Kodak owned. The Kodak 35 was Kodak’s first US built 35mm camera to use its 135 format film cassette. At first glance, they don’t look much alike, but in reality they are examples of the same model, one from early in it’s life, and the other from near the end. Both of these cameras are called the Kodak 35.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |