Instamatic
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| Instamatic 50 with auxiliary tele lens and finder |
Instamatic was Kodak's trademark name for their easy-load 126 cartridge film cameras, launched in February 1963 with the Instamatic 50. Later, in 1972[1] Kodak used the name Pocket Instamatic for some of their 110 cartridge cameras; other 110 models were branded Ektra or Ektralite, and for Super8 8mm movie cameras.
Frequently "Instamatic" was used in error to refer to Kodak's instant cameras. Due to the strong association of Instamatic with 126 cameras, the name was not used for Instant cameras, which were instead branded Colorburst or simply "Kodak Instant".
Instamatic cameras were manufactured in various plants across the world, in particular by Kodak in the US, by Kodak AG in Germany, and by Kodak Ltd in the UK. Kodak 126 Instamatics were a great success and sold around 60 million by 1976 - thus "Instamatic" became a generic term for cartridge-loading - or any plain point-and-shoot - cameras. Instamatic models continued until c.1988.
- ↑ Dates from Kodak's web site
Whilst most Instamatics were simple "snapshot" cameras, made of plastic with no adjustments, the range extended through designs with metal chassis, light meters or automatic exposure, rangefinders end even the Reflex SLR, with interchangeable lenses.
Early Instamatics (e.g. Instamatic 50) had a special flash adaptor for AG-1 bulbs; a few had a pop-up flash gun. Later models used Flashcubes or ("X" models) Magicubes. From 1976, 126 & 110 ('F') models were introduced to use the new Flipflash system.
Instamatic Models
126
Model numbers ending in 0 have pop-up flash gun; ending in 4 have Flashcube socket, ending in X have Magicube socket.
- Hawkeye Instamatic R4
- Instamatic 25 (UK) Jan 1966
- Instamatic 26 (UK) 1968
- Instamatic 28 (UK) Jan 1972
- Instamatic 32 (UK) 1972
- Instamatic 33 (UK, Germany) Sep 1968
- Instamatic 36 (UK) Jan 1973
- Instamatic 44 (US) Jun 1969
- Instamatic 50 (UK) Feb 1963
- Instamatic 55X (UK, Germany)
- Instamatic 56X (UK)
- Instamatic 66X (UK)
- Instamatic 76X (UK)
- Instamatic 77X (UK, Germany)
- Instamatic 100 (US, UK) Mar 1963
- Instamatic 104 (US, UK)
- Instamatic 124 (US)
- Instamatic 133 (Germany, Spain, UK)
- Instamatic 133X (Germany, Spain, UK)
- Instamatic 134 (US)
- Instamatic 150 (US)
- Instamatic 154 (US)
- Instamatic 155X (UK, Germany)
- Instamatic 174 (US)
- Instamatic 177X (UK, Germany)
- Instamatic 200 (UK)
- Instamatic 204 (UK)
- Instamatic 220 (Germany)
- Instamatic 224 (Germany) 1966
- Instamatic 233 (UK, Germany) Sep 1968
- Instamatic 233X (UK, Germany) Sep 1970
- Instamatic 250 (Germany) 1964
- Instamatic 255X (UK, Germany, Spain?) Sep 1971
- Instamatic 277X (UK, Germany) Jan 1977
- Instamatic 300 (US) Mar 1963
- Instamatic 304 (US,UK) Jul 1965
- Instamatic 314 (US) Jul 1968
- Instamatic 324 (Germany) 1966
- Instamatic 333 (Germany) Sep 1968
- Instamatic 333X (Germany) Sep 1970
- Instamatic 355X (Germany) Sep 1971
- Instamatic 400 (US) Mar 1963
- Instamatic 404 (US) Jul 1965
- Instamatic 414 (US) Jul 1968
- Instamatic 500 (Germany) 1963
- Instamatic 700 (US) Mar 1963
- Instamatic 704 (US) Apr 1969
- Instamatic 714 (US) Mar 1968
- Instamatic 800 (US) Mar 1964
- Instamatic 804 (US) Mar 1970
- Instamatic 814 (US) Mar 1968
- Instamatic 56-X
- Instamatic Reflex (Germany) 1968
- Instamatic S-10 (US) Mar 1967
- Instamatic S-20 (US) Mar 1967
- Instamatic X-15 (US) Jul 1970
- Instamatic X-15F (US) Mar 1976
- Instamatic X-25 (US) Jul 1970
- Instamatic X-30 (US) Aug 1971
- Instamatic X-35 (US) Jul 1970
- Instamatic X-35F (US) Jul 1970
- Instamatic X-45 (US) Jul 1970
- Instamatic X-90 (US) Jul 1970
110
- Pocket Instamatic 10
- Pocket Instamatic 20 (US)
- Pocket Instamatic 30 (US)
- Pocket Instamatic 40
- Pocket Instamatic 50
- Pocket Instamatic 60
- Pocket Instamatic 100
- Pocket Instamatic 300
- Pocket Instamatic 400
- Pocket Instamatic 500
- Tele-Instamatic 330 (UK)
- Tele-Instamatic 430 (Germany)
- Tele-Instamatic 608 (US)
- Tele-Instamatic 708 (US)
Super 8 movie cameras
- Kodak Instamatic M4
- Kodak Instamatic M6 (US)
- Kodak Instamatic M16
- Kodak Instamatic M30
Links
- many Instamatic models are on Sylvain Halgand's Collection d'Appareils site
- Pocket Instamatics on Pierre J's Apphotnum (English; also in French)
