Kodak Instamatic 500
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| Kodak Instamatic 500 lens extended |
The Kodak Typ 048 Instamatic 500 was a manual-exposure viewfinder camera for 126 film cartridges - one of the high end of the Instamatic range. Identified serial number ranges are 50000 to EK 139945 and EK 700211 to EK 748159.
The body is made from two substantial cast metal blocks, with plastic facings front and rear, filled-in with leatherette. The winding lever - quirkily for a 126 camera - is recessed into the back, below the film cartridge, with a notch in the base for access using the right thumb.
Exposure metering is by a branded Gossen selenium meter, with a needle-centering display across the bottom of the viewfinder. The camera has both hot shoe and PC socket to connect a flash, and accepts 32 mm Retina filters and lens hoods. A depth-of-field indicator, tripod socket, and threaded shutter release (for a cable release) are included. The lens can be retracted into the camera body - concealing the shutter-speed scale - when not in use, and extended using a release button in the bottom plate. The lens has both a distance scale and a portrait/group/mountain distance symbols with click stops.
specifications
- Type: Viewfinder film camera
- Manufacturer: Kodak AG, Germany
- Year of launch: 1963
- Withdrawn: 1965 (1966 in US)
- Film: Type 126 film cartridge
- Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar f/2.8 38mm 4-element glass; stopping to f/22
- Shutter: Compur leaf with speeds 1/30 to 1/500 sec. plus bulb
- Aperture: 1:2.8 to 1:22
- Viewfinder: Optical viewfinder with bright frame and parallax correction marks
- Metering: Gossen selenium cell meter with exposure compensation (+/-) indicator in viewfinder
Links
- Instamatic 500 on www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
