Tag Archives: kodak

Barbie x Kodak collab gives instant photo printing a splash of pink

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Although it was never really gone, the Barbie franchise recently got a resurgence of popularity thanks to a fun yet odd live-action film. The toy has changed dramatically over the decades, but what has always stayed the same is its spirit of fun, whimsy, and connecting with loved ones. Oh, and the overabundance of the hot pink color. Just in time for the Barbielicious renaissance, Kodak and Mattel have joined hands to create a special limited edition instant camera and photo printer that embody those qualities, encouraging people of all ages and genders to shoot and share those special moments with big smiles and very pink accessories.

Designers: Kodak x Mattel

Instant cameras in the vein of the iconic Polaroid have very limited uses and printouts, but it’s that scarcity and rarity that have actually endeared these products to people, including the younger generation who may be hearing about the idea for the first time. There’s just something exciting about the thought of pressing a shutter button and instantly printing out a photo that you can share or treasure, knowing that that exact moment and that exact photo will never happen again. There’s a huge market for this retro camera design, and what can be more retro and more fun at the same time than Barbie?

The KODAK Printomatic Barbie Edition pours a splash of pink on the instant camera and scribbles the iconic toy line’s name all over the surface. The instant camera uses ZINK technology to print out those lively colors without the dangers of spilling ink in your bag or even your pocket. The 5MP sensor, while sounding like a bummer, lets you also have a retro-quality photo that you can save on a microSD card for future viewing or, better yet, reprinting.

Yes, it might feel like a bit of a cop-out, but you don’t have to sacrifice versatility just to get that nostalgic photography experience, at least not if you also grab the Barbie-themed KODAK STEP Slim Instant Photo Printer. Connected to a smartphone, you can easily print images on that same 2×3 inch instant photo paper format, from the photos you took using your smartphone, to photos you save from the Kodak Printomatic Barbie Edition camera as well. It’s the best of all worlds, allowing you to experience the instant joy of printing photos while still leaving the option to share that over and over again.

The Kodak x Mattel collab is a fun nod to the iconic Barbie brand and could give fans and collectors alike something to vie for when the products do launch. Unfortunately, availability details have yet to be disclosed, but the windows of opportunity to launch Barbie-themed products, like the HMD Barbie phone, are getting smaller.

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Kodak digital film scanner lets you preserve your analog film negatives

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As someone who took a lot of pictures back in the good old days of film cameras and also took up photography classes in my film major university days, I used to have boxes of films in my room. Of course eventually they became useless and I had to throw them away since there was no easy way to scan and preserve them. Now I am regretting that decision since there are devices that can make it easy to digitize these rolls of films.

Designer: Kodak

One such easy-to-use and relatively affordable devices is the Kodak Slide N Scan Digital Film Scanner. Basically it’s almost the size of a regular camera and its main function is to view, edit, and convert your old negatives. It is able to do that for both color and b&w negatives with 135, 110, and 126mm sizes and it can also convert 50mm slides in those sizes as well. You can also adjust everything into a gallery, edit date and time stamps, and transfer them to your computer or hard drive.

You can get one that has a 5-inch or a 7-inch LCD, depending on how small or big you want that screen to view and edit your film strips. It uses a quick-feeding tray technology so you can have a continuous loading action and also comes with the adapter for the different sizes. It can also help you resize and convert the photos with an easy scan button. You can also do some basic editing things like adjust brightness, enhance, crop, and adjust the quality of the images as you digitize them.

I also discovered that a lot of Gen Z kids are going back to film cameras to preserve their memories. So this device will be useful for the older generation who experienced the heyday of film cameras and to the younger ones who are discovering their joys. Both would want to preserve these images and a portable film scanner is the best way to do so.

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Kodak Super 8 film camera revival is finally happening but there’s a huge catch

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The Super 8 film camera has become an important part of photography history, particularly when it comes to cinematography. The distinctive design of the camera and its unique format inspired many amateurs who would later become industry veterans, and that legacy is fondly remembered and even commemorated in a 2011 movie bearing the camera’s very name. Not long after that film was released, Kodak, whose name has become closely associated with the camera, announced a new version of this beloved camera that sticks true to its unique analog experience while adding a few digital conveniences. Almost 8 years later, that camera might finally be ready to roll, but it seems that very few fans will actually be able to get their hands on it.

Designer: Kodak

The Super 8 camera can probably be credited for giving birth to home movies that are now made using smartphones. Making motion picture cameras more accessible to the masses helped aspiring moviemakers get started without having to burn through their savings. Although Super 8 cameras are actually still available today, they are already considered vintage by today’s standards, especially because of their use of physical film. That said, a faithful Super 8 successor won’t be able to win hearts unless it also stays true to that format and medium.

That’s exactly what Kodak was going for when it revealed plans to upgrade the Super 8 camera back in 2016 at CES. It would still be a film camera like its predecessors, but it would add a few convenient features taken from digital cameras. The new Super 8 would also retain the same basic shape, especially the gun-like pistol grip that has become iconic of the camera’s design. There’s an addition of a top handle with an integrated run button for more difficult angles. It does modernize the aesthetic, though, adopting a more industrial appearance with plenty of flat planes and sharp angles. It is a look that’s both fresh and new yet still unambiguously Super 8.

As for those modern conveniences, it sports a 4-inch LCD swiveling viewfinder, similar to all video cameras today. It comes with a detachable wide-angle 6mm 1:1.2 C-mount lens, so you can actually use any other C-mount prime lens or adapters, depending on what you need. There’s an SD card reader for recording audio directly into storage, as well as a micro HDMI port for connecting an external monitor. Ironically, despite all the new hardware, the camera still charges with an old and slow micro USB connection. And yes, it still shoots on analog film, so you’ll need to make sure to have a stock of KODAK’s Super 8 cartridges at hand.

Given how long ago the announcement was, there were perhaps some doubts about whether Kodak would actually be able to pull this off at all. The good news is that Kodak has finally opened up sign-ups, with shipping expected to start next month. The bad news is that, in addition to limited availability, the price tag for this new Kodak Super 8 film camera is a whopping $5,495, more than twice the announced SRP back in 2016. This immediately puts it out of the reach of all but the most dedicated collectors, a rather disappointing U-turn for a camera that originally catered to amateurs and aspiring moviemakers.

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