My letter to KODAK, will reply with response. Please consider doing the same.

[BrianShaw]

Maybe Kodak would license their name to such a camera venture... if someone wants to do the footwork and take the risk.

 

[AgX]

I'm lost. Kodak hasn't made good cameras of any kind for decades. They're a much better film company than camera company. And even though they practically invented the digital camera, they never made a decent one. So why write to Kodak to try to convince them to get back into the camera game? They're a company that isn't doing great financially (though a lot better than they were, for sure), so why would they make the investment to go into a whole new market that has so little potential for success? That'll send them right back into bankruptcy. You'd be better off writing to Nikon, Canon, Ricoh, or other digital camera makers and trying to convince them to make film cameras. At least they still have all, or most, of the necessary equipment and experts still on hand to produce such things.

You overlook that Kodak in 2016 announced that they intend to bring a new camera to the market:

https://www.kodak.com/consumer/products/super8/super8-camera/default.htm

 

[faberryman]

It not necessarily about making a great camera. We are all thinking in an old fashioned way. We need something that captivates the next generation. Something they can just chuck in their bag, take pictures, and then easily share with their mates. A camera that is a stepping stone, something that inspires them.

You mean like an iPhone.

 

[afriman]

You mean like an iPhone.

No, the point is precisely that they learn that there is an alternative to an iPhone, something different, fun in its own way - and educational.

 

[afriman]

A camera that is a stepping stone, something that inspires them.

Exactly. And if it does catch on, one could possibly look at a range of cameras from very basic to more advanced.

 

[faberryman]

Kodak makes these: https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-FunSaver-35mm-Single-Camera/dp/B00001R3W3. My guess is that they are not exactly flying off the shelves.

 

[Chan Tran]

Old cameras are great for enthusiasts like us. To win over more of the younger generation, a new, simple to use, nicely packaged and well marketed camera could help a lot. I see no reason why Kodak could not partner up with a manufacturer to bring such a camera to market.

We have plenty of cameras from simple to complex. What kind of features do you have in mind?

It not necessarily about making a great camera. We are all thinking in an old fashioned way. We need something that captivates the next generation. Something they can just chuck in their bag, take pictures, and then easily share with their mates. A camera that is a stepping stone, something that inspires them.

So what do you have in mind? What is it like? A hybrid?

 

[Luckless]

N*O*N*E
N*O*N*E
N*O*N*E
There are plenty of Hasselblad replacements and parts.
E*N*O*U*G*H*!*!

So the box full of inoperable cameras that a friend offered me doesn't exist, and all of those cameras in it actually work perfectly?

In the next 50 years, all those cameras, the ones already broken and not working, will magically continue to work without issue or require servicing? In the next 50 years, all those Hasselblads will continue to function flawlessly with an endless supply of spare parts (which you won't need, because cameras will always function for an infinite amount of time without damage or loss)?

The Mamiya TLR lens with the broken shutter blade, that was quoted at nearly three times what I paid for it for repair, is fine and doesn't need service?

 

[afriman]

Kodak makes these: https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-FunSaver-35mm-Single-Camera/dp/B00001R3W3. My guess is that they are not exactly flying off the shelves.

Disposable cameras have been around for decades. They're toys, what I'm talking about are real cameras.

 

[afriman]

So the box full of inoperable cameras that a friend offered me doesn't exist, and all of those cameras in it actually work perfectly?

In the next 50 years, all those cameras, the ones already broken and not working, will magically continue to work without issue or require servicing? In the next 50 years, all those Hasselblads will continue to function flawlessly with an endless supply of spare parts (which you won't need, because cameras will always function for an infinite amount of time without damage or loss)?

The Mamiya TLR lens with the broken shutter blade, that was quoted at nearly three times what I paid for it for repair, is fine and doesn't need service?

And the knowledge and experience to work on these old cameras won't be around forever, either. Can Sirius really be serious?

 

[removed account4]

This would be an example of what I'm thinking of. Perhaps they could bring out new versions of the Brownies, Instamatics and other Kodak cameras of the past - complete with a history of those cameras. I'm just talking about a broad concept here, and throwing in some ideas. Of course the specifics would have to be well considered and be accompanied with thorough market research.

naaah they don't need to release an army of stuff
just ONE simple lo fi, box camera, nothing fancy.
MILLIONS Of holgas have been sold
they are basically brownies with a focus and fake f-stops ..
people who are starved for something fun and hip and yeah, FUN
don't care about a history thesis, they can follow a link on the box
to get the old fashioned advertisements of women wearing a bustle
and a bonnet and someone holding a parasol while they KODAKED.
and since there are no mom-pop labs left send them back to kodak
just like they ORIGINALLY DID ... maybe they can send them round prints too ..
box cameras are as simple as it gets cheap, 2¢ planoconvex lens
choked to f10 and a self cocking blade shutter with a T button and pull out yellow filter
.. it would cost them probably 1$ to make ... the only problem is they would have to advertise ...
maybe they could have ads painted on buildings ...

Disposable cameras have been around for decades. They're toys, what I'm talking about are real cameras.

disposable cameras aren't toys, they are about as real as it gets ...
doesn't have to be fancy to be real

 

[MattKing]

To the OP:
Thanks for the effort.
I might have sent your letter to Kodak Alaris instead, because Eastman Kodak is likely prohibited by the terms of the bankruptcy settlement from doing what you want it to, but that might be just a technicality. It is, of course, Kodak Alaris (not Eastman Kodak) who are in the market to sell still film.
To the naysayers in the thread who complain but don't have any constructive suggestions - bah humbug (it is the season, after all).

 

[chris77]

kids and teenagers in the western world do have smartphones. and i dont think they should all start dumping hydrochinon and fixer down the drain.
a kid likes to take pictures and might be talented to make photographs? great. buy him a second hand camera (without being a*al about shutters being slightly off) and the basic tools (tons available second hand) and some film. teach them to use it properly. mobe on from there.
if film photography would go viral in youth culture, it would be a catastrophy for the environment! and a waste of countless kilometers of film.

 

[Craig75]

Any camera I want I can find and find easily. More cameras are available than money I have to buy them. Given an unlimited budget I'd buy the following:

Contax G2
Contax RTS III
Mamiya 7
Contax 645
Fuji GA645Wi
Fuji Klasse S

All of these can be found easily and those are rather high end. If I just want a simple 35mm camera there are dozens of models that are available for giveaway prices.

Probably the most breakable, least repairable list of cameras possible. I use Contax G system but I'm fully aware working bodies are going to dry up over next 5-10 years with no parts or techs left to repair them.

 

[Motiv]

You overlook that Kodak in 2016 announced that they intend to bring a new camera to the market:

https://www.kodak.com/consumer/products/super8/super8-camera/default.htm

That's one of the reasons I thought of Kodak. That's a super 8 video camera. Their recent projects seem to make me think that they would potentially consider making a 35mm with modern features.

We have plenty of cameras from simple to complex. What kind of features do you have in mind?

So what do you have in mind? What is it like? A hybrid?

I think it would need to be a product that gives the user the choice of how involved they get. I guess the question comes down to what would inspire the next generation. How can we bring film into the future? We are of the generation that remembers film, it's nostalgic, but to the next generation its alien. Why would you shoot film, when you have digital? Well we need to show them, that it is fun and exciting. Something artistic, and fresh in an iPhone age. Something that takes a bit more effort, but is challenging and rewarding. Perhaps a hybrid, it's just need to bridge the gap enough to keep them engaged to see the real benefits.

 

[BrianShaw]

Probably the most breakable, least repairable list of cameras possible. I use Contax G system but I'm fully aware working bodies are going to dry up over next 5-10 years with no parts or techs left to repair them.

That’s a real shame. I was always smitten by the Contax cameras but too cheap to buy because my Nikons wouldn’t die.

 

[keenmaster486]

Twelve years ago, I wrote a similar letter to Sony/RCA begging them to restart production of vinyl records.

I was only a child at the time, but had I been an adult I would have been laughed at in the same way the OP has been in this thread.

But now behold the changes that can come about in a mere decade:

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/30/news/sony-music-brings-back-vinyl-records/index.html

 

[Motiv]

To the OP:
Thanks for the effort.
I might have sent your letter to Kodak Alaris instead, because Eastman Kodak is likely prohibited by the terms of the bankruptcy settlement from doing what you want it to, but that might be just a technicality. It is, of course, Kodak Alaris (not Eastman Kodak) who are in the market to sell still film.
To the naysayers in the thread who complain but don't have any constructive suggestions - bah humbug (it is the season, after all).

Someone on Reddit brought my attention to this too. Just printed one out for them. Thanks.

 

[jim10219]

I tell you what. You buy all the used cameras you want. You fight with the ebay scammers and everyone else who is more then happy to sell you their junk as you try to sort through the dross and find your cheap, high quality, used cameras.

I have played that game for a very long time. I have sent any number of these high quality cameras you speak of for repairs. Even the quality cameras are getting hard to keep running, and they are getting much more expensive to fix.

I'm tired of using everyone else's hand me downs. It was fun for awhile but now I want new cameras. I want to shoot film without worrying about when the shutter dies or the film transport breaks, or whatever. I'm pretty sure there are others that would like new cameras as well.

Because new stuff still breaks. Because stuff made today is not made to last like the old stuff was. At least not at the price points that compete with used gear.

I haven't had the problems you speak of. Whenever I've purchased a camera that was claimed to be in "like new" condition, it was. One of the good things about eBay is they will back you up if you encounter a spammer. I've ran into two over the last decade. Both times, eBay gave me my money back with no hassle. It's been a really safe and enjoyable experience for me.

They do still make new 35mm film cameras, if you refused to go the used route. Check B&H out. They typically run about $800-6,000 for the body only. You can buy a lot of used, professional level cameras and lenses, and have them fully restored for that kind of money. Lomography also sells a few for a couple of hundred dollars. But they have bad quality lenses, light leaks, and poor shutters so they're not much different from buying a used cameras, other than having it repaired to "like new" condition won't make it any better.

 

[afriman]

naaah they don't need to release an army of stuff

No, "an army of stuff" would be extreme. I'm thinking of at most a handful of different types of cameras.

just ONE simple lo fi, box camera, nothing fancy.
MILLIONS Of holgas have been sold

I think it should go beyond lo-fi. That field has been covered by the Holga/Lomo crowd. I'd like to see a younger generation discover the fact that film can actually be a serious photographic medium. By all means START with something as basic as a box camera (or even a pinhole), but also provide the opportunities for those who want take it further.

people who are starved for something fun and hip and yeah, FUN
don't care about a history thesis

No thesis necessary. Just some entertaining, interesting and easily digestible info. Let's consider those who want to be more than mindless button-pushers and mouse-clickers. People who want to think just a wee bit about what they're doing.

disposable cameras aren't toys, they are about as real as it gets ...
doesn't have to be fancy to be real

Of course. You know what I mean. A pinhole camera is also "as real as it gets" and can be a wonderfully creative tool. You have to contextualize what I say.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... We need something that captivates the next generation. Something they can just chuck in their bag, take pictures, and then easily share with their mates. A camera that is a stepping stone, something that inspires them.

Currently the Fuji Instax has captured the attention of young people, though it may not inspire a desire for a re-introduction of new film cameras.

 

[faberryman]

Disposable cameras have been around for decades. They're toys, what I'm talking about are real cameras.

Then, features and price point?

 

[Motiv]

Because new stuff still breaks. Because stuff made today is not made to last like the old stuff was. At least not at the price points that compete with used gear.

I haven't had the problems you speak of. Whenever I've purchased a camera that was claimed to be in "like new" condition, it was. One of the good things about eBay is they will back you up if you encounter a spammer. I've ran into two over the last decade. Both times, eBay gave me my money back with no hassle. It's been a really safe and enjoyable experience for me.

They do still make new 35mm film cameras, if you refused to go the used route. Check B&H out. They typically run about $800-6,000 for the body only. You can buy a lot of used, professional level cameras and lenses, and have them fully restored for that kind of money. Lomography also sells a few for a couple of hundred dollars. But they have bad quality lenses, light leaks, and poor shutters so they're not much different from buying a used cameras, other than having it repaired to "like new" condition won't make it any better.

At the moment I can't see real incentive for a company to create a quality new camera, it would be limited to a very small market (as you said it would have to compete with the used market). You need to captivate people. People who would not have considered buying a film camera. Give them a product they want, something that is different. If the market can be stimulated, quality and competition will come.

People talk about all the quality used cameras that we have, however electronic components will fail. Some parts are going to be difficult to source, and prices are rising.

I don't want to wait 20 years to find out that we left it too late.

 

[afriman]

They do still make new 35mm film cameras, if you refused to go the used route. Check B&H out. They typically run about $800-6,000 for the body only. You can buy a lot of used, professional level cameras and lenses, and have them fully restored for that kind of money. Lomography also sells a few for a couple of hundred dollars. But they have bad quality lenses, light leaks, and poor shutters so they're not much different from buying a used cameras, other than having it repaired to "like new" condition won't make it any better.

All of which confirms that there's a gap in the market. Introducing or resurrecting more film only makes sense if that gap can be filled.

 

[Chan Tran]

At the moment I can't see real incentive for a company to create a quality new camera, it would be limited to a very small market (as you said it would have to compete with the used market). You need to captivate people. People who would not have considered buying a film camera. Give them a product they want, something that is different. If the market can be stimulated, quality and competition will come.

People talk about all the quality used cameras that we have, however electronic components will fail. Some parts are going to be difficult to source, and prices are rising.

I don't want to wait 20 years to find out that we left it too late.

We don't get any where near that point yet but we get very close to the point where people don't want to use film even if they have plenty of excellent film cameras. If your question is how to get young people to use film which I want to also but then I really don't have an answer. A new camera isn't the answer in my opinion.