Kodak Instant

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Satinluxe instant film image by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson (Image rights)

Kodak manufactured Polaroid's instant film products from 1963 to 1969.

Polaroid decided to manufacture its own. Since Kodak has a lot of experience

manufacturing Polaroid's film the original plan was to create packfilm type

instant products. There were many prototypes and test runs of the film with

many private demonstrations to their board. Plans changed when Polaroid in

1972 released the integral type film with the introduction of the SX-70

system. Kodak decided to scrap the plans for packfilm release and focus on an

integral type process. Kodak continued to use highly modified versions of

Polaroid packfilm cameras as prototypes to test their integral products.

A few years later Kodak introduced its own instant film products in 1976, which

was different from Polaroid's in several ways. Kodak instant film was exposed

from the back without a mirror, the opposite of Polaroid's film which was

exposed from the front with a mirror to reverse the image. This has several

advantages; first the instant film is much less complicated compared to

Polaroids which has the front layer that has to be transparent during exposure,

opaque after the chemical spread and transparent after a development time.

Kodak's method uses the chemical reagent as a light shield during development.

The instant film in this process is capable of higher resolution compared to

Polaroid's system since light does not have to travel as many layers to reach the

negative. Other advantages include being able to use a matte finish on the face of

the photo. The release of the higher ISO Trimprint series of instant products in

the early 1980 also made it easy to remove the instant photo from the

development pod. Without a mirror the camera are not as complex and less

expensive to produce. The film path being much simpler also allow the use of a

simple mechanical crank to spread and eject the film print instead of a electronic

motorized unit in Polaroids.

On the other side of the pacific, Fujifilm also wanted an instant photo system.

Though not identical, it was primary based on Kodak's instant film technology.

For more see Fujifilm instant photography.

Unlike Polaroids integral film packs, Kodak's did not contain a battery, along

with conventional batteries, the use of a flat J sized 4LR61 batteries were also

common in the cameras. This decision was made because it would cost less per

pack and because Polaroid had a long history of technical problems with

batteries in film packs which led to them manufacturing their own.

Upon introduction of Kodak instant products, Polaroid filed suit against Kodak

in 1976 for patent infringement. The case dragged on for years. Kodak lost the

dispute, after the ruling in 1985, Kodak announced the discontinuation of their

instant photo products.

Cameras

Kodak EK4 image by Steve Harwood (Image rights)

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/49656291@N00/6665411401/in/pool- camerawiki/ ] The Handle image by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson (Image rights)

Kodak Instant PR10/PR144 EK4 (1976) EK6 (1976) EK8 (1977) EK2 / The Handle (1977) EK160 / Colorburst 50 (1979) EK100 / Colorburst 100 (1978) EK160 EF / Colorburst 250 (1979) EK20 (1979) EK22 / The Handle 2 (1979) EK200 / Colorburst 200 (1978) EK300 / Colorburst 300 (1978) Pleaser (1977) / Happy Times (1978) Partyflash (1980) Colorburst 350 (1981) Partyflash II (1982) Partytime / Fiesta (1980) Partytime II (1982)

Kodamatic Trimprint HS144 Kodamatic 930 (1982) Kodamatic 940 (1983) / Trimprint 940 (1984) Kodamatic 950 (1982) Kodamatic 960 (1982) Kodamatic 970L (1982) / Analyst (1985) Kodamatic 980L (1982) Party Star Kodamatic (1983) / Party Star Trimprint (1984) Pleaser II Kodamatic (1982) Champ Kodamatic (1982) / Trimprint 920 (1984)

Film

PR144-10 image by clicks_1000 (Image rights)

The original Kodak Instant line of cameras uses a ISO 150 instant film. They

came in 10 photos per pack. The main version PR10 has a glossy surface, while a

variation called "Satinluxe" has a silky matte type finish. Upon release of the 300

ISO Kodamatic Instant system the PR10 was replaced with the PR144, stating

compatibility differences.

Kodak Instant ISO 150 film

• PR10
• PR10 Satinluxe a matte finish film
• PR144-10 (replaced PR10)

Kodamatic Instant ISO 300

• HS144-10 Trimprint
• AVS 144-10 Instagraphic slide film
• AVP 144-10 Instagraphic print film
• ID 144-10 -2 Readyprint ID system

Alternative Kodak instant film

While Kodak instant films have been discontinued, Fuji's instant film for the

Fotorama system had been available in Japan since the 1980s and is very similar

to Kodak's. The pictures are the same size, the cartridge is almost the same, with

some easy plastic modifications; the Fuji Fotorama FI-10 series films can be

made to fit. It was closest to the Kodak with the ISO at 160, if required many of

the camera's brightness controls can be adjusted to work with the different ISO;

However, the FI-10 films was discontinued in the 1990s. The faster ISO 800

instant films from the System 800 and instant ACE will work as well but would

require the use of a filter either on the film cartridge or lens. While the ACE film

will require the additional step of transferring of the picture elements into a

compatible Kodak or modified Fuji 800 cartridge pack. In 2010, Fujifilm

discontinued both the System 800 as well as the Instant ACE film.

Links

• Kodak Instant picture cameras at

Kodak Classics

• [http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/faqs/faq0098.shtml Instant

camera settlement FAQ] at Kodak