Instamatic

Instamatic is the system name for a 1963, introduced by Kodak 35mm film cassette system, a portmanteau of the words instant ( dt: immediately) and automatic. "Immediate" refers to a lightning-fast film loading.

Photographing around 1960

If you wanted to take pictures with a handy camera before the introduction of the Instamatic system, you had to rely on the miniature film. This properly place in the former cameras, was not easy in any case. At that time offered only special camera manufacturer Minox to a miniaturized cassette format for micro Films, which was used in the 8x11 cameras.

Hubert Nerwin, the former director of the development department of Zeiss Ikon, patented Kodak film cartridge that you just had to insert it into the camera and then transport until the counter window, a "1 " indicated. When you reach the end of the film, it took turn to carry only a few times, then appeared on "/ / / / / / / / " pattern in the window, and you could remove the cartridge. Everything was so constructed that on the one hand, got along with simple as possible camera technology and on the other hand, the user most comfortable photographing was made possible.

Technology

The Instamatic cartridge, also briefly called 126, is made of thin black plastic and connects film cartridge, image plane ( pressure plate ) and take-up spool into one unit. The disposable film transport has already been observed in the roll film before. As disposable cassette had to be broken up for development and could not be refilled.

The film is 35 mm wide, with the usual 35 - mm camera film, however, not compatible. He has served on only one side of each image an elongated hole, which serves for a sensor in the camera to stop the film transport and thus accommodates a simple camera as possible construction. The narrower perforation allows it with 28 mm (exactly 28.5 mm ) greater picture. The square format (ie 28 × 28 mm ²) has been chosen in view of single cameras: In single-lens lenses, the image quality falls back to edge very strong, the edge is in a square format but less far away from the center. Compared with the small screen size and picture image area are reduced by about 9%. From mm slide projectors angle and light output are accordingly largely exploited.

As with the roll film, the film is fused to the rear by a black paper on which frame numbers are imprints behind that are visible through a window in cassette and camera back. You could also detect the label of the film cassette through the rear window. About mechanical scanning of certain tabs on the cassette of the camera information can be given about the film speed.

The " bonus picture" was a format-specific marketing campaign from Kodak that required a certain effort when printing: Each color print on 9 × 13 cm paper wore on white frame background an 8 × 8- cm screen and to the right of the top an approximately 3 × 3 cm small bonus picture, separable by buckling of a perforation.

Cameras and films

For this system (eg Rolleiflex SL 26 ) were offered very different camera models from various manufacturers of simple fixed-focus cameras to isolated SLRs with interchangeable lenses. Likewise, nearly all film producers participated licenses for this movie system, so that there were a number of films on the market.

The type 126 was also available as a slide film, where he was presented with special frames in ordinary small format projectors. To this end, it recommended, however, to use a camera with metering as this material must be exposed generally more accurate. However, selected amateurs who worked with slide film, mostly the small picture film. The film speed you could not adjust to the Instamatic cameras usually: All movies were just about the ASA value of 80/20 °.

The usually kept very simple cameras, the relatively high cost of film, the low range of usable films and their limited to 20 or 24 pictures number of shots limited the photography with the Instamatic format strong. Also, the built- in cameras and low- optics design-related problems with the flatness of the film she made beyond pure beginners photography soon uninteresting.

Market significance

Instamatic cameras have been mainly sold in the price range to about 120 DM: The simple models had only two exposure settings, usually marked with sun and clouds, and a flash cube recording, slightly better three or four exposure settings. In this market segment, the Instamatic film reached an extremely high market share, making this film became a huge success - over 150 million cameras were sold worldwide. First Agfa tried his senior competitive system Agfa Rapid to re-establish itself, but relatively unsuccessful, then you also upgrade to the Instamatic cartridges. Kodak, however, could just as successfully expand his concept with Super 8 film cameras and then once more with Pocket film on 16mm cameras. Used for Super-8 and Pocket Kodak cameras the term " Instamatic " also.

The Instamatic system remained until the early 1980s. Then allow the advanced mechanics to build miniature cameras with automatic film loading and transport, so that could just as easily use it now. This Instamatic lost its raison d'être and fell into oblivion. Another Kodak cassette system, the disc film, were unsuccessful.

Until about 1988 still relevant cameras were produced. Kodak itself has dropped out in 2000 from the production of Instamatic movies, shortly thereafter Agfa. The last manufacturer, the Italian company Ferrania, ceased production in April 2007.

Gallery

Kodak Instamatic 255 X ( 1976)

Kodak Instamatic 224