The Kodak Experimentation -- Instant Film

Lauren West
May 2, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 6, 2021

Have you ever been curious about the development of instant film? Or why you can sometimes find Kodak Instant cameras, but never any film? Or maybe you never even knew Kodak experimented with Instant film as Polaroid (and now Fujifilm) holds the monopoly. Kodak's stint with instant film is a brief one, but definitely an interesting one.

A photo of my Kodak Handle front and opened back (propped up by a battery)

Polaroid was co-founded by Edwin Land in 1932 as a company that could produce images in under 60 seconds-- a revolutionary concept as film took around a week to develop prior to that. The first Land camera -- the Model 95 -- was manufactured and sold in 1948 and sold out instantly. The camera separated the positive and negatives into two rolls, allowing the film to be developed inside the camera. These roll instant films are no longer produced today (which is rather unfortunate given the uniqueness of Land cameras, and my own selfish desperation to shoot with my Land 800...) but gave way to instant pack film which had all of the chemicals in an envelope called the Integral film model. These various chemical layers react to the light exposure and a reagent layer prevents further discoloration in the film, sealing the image into the film envelope. Part of the appeal of modern polaroid instant film is that you get to actually watch the development process take place.

Land's Polaroid: A Company and the Man Who Invented It Hardcover – September 1, 1987

Before the introduction of pack film, while instant roll film was still being produced, Kodak actually made the negative component of Polaroid's film from 1963-69. Then, Polaroid decided to make its own film. Having had several years of experience manufacturing film, Kodak began experimenting with pack film instant products in 1976. They created 26 Instant Cameras, and had both PR10/PR144 film and Trimprint HS144.

Below is a commercial for the Kodak Handle, a camera manufactured from 1977 to 1985 when the Polaroid vs Kodak lawsuit finalized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka16XG9Y3is

Kodak had some success with instant film, and with the way that the film was processed (exposed from the back without a mirror as opposed to Polaroid's which exposed the front and used a mirror in the camera to reverse the image) the film was easier to make and had a higher resolution due to the fewer steps needed to expose the negative. Coupled with the fact that Kodak didn't use batteries in their film packs, their products were also cheaper than Polaroid's. Another key difference was the photo ejection process-- Polaroid used a mechanical dispenser in the pack, whereas Kodak was able to opt for the cheaper crank handle to eject the film.

Despite these differences, Polaroid filed a lawsuit in 1976 against Kodak claiming a patent infringement. They said that Kodak illegally used their technology in their Instant products and won $909 million dollars-- $250mil in lost revenue and the rest of the award being perceived interest and royalty loss. This award was far less than the claim by Polaroid of losses exceeding $4 billion. They sought damages of $12 billion after saying Kodak caused them lost market share through unfair price competition. In 1985, courts ruled in Polaroid's favor and Kodak had to cease all production of instant products. A few decades later, in 2001, Polaroid filed for bankruptcy after being unable to compete with the digital camera innovation, and closed all factories in 2008 (save one, which was bought by The Impossible Project, now Polaroid Originals).

Ironically, after the lawsuit, Fujifilm began designing their own pack film, and based it off of Kodak's design. Instead of being met with another lawsuit, they are now partnered with Polaroid and make much of the film for Instax cameras.

While Kodak instant cameras give the vibe of being cheap plastic, they were still innovative and made for average consumers. Using the Kodak Handle as an example, a $39.95 camera in 1977 has the same buying power as $170 adjusted for inflation. By comparison, the Polaroid Pronto! B model released the same year cost $59, which would equate to about $251 today. Regardless, instant film for Kodak cameras are next to impossible to find, as even the Fujifilm equivalents ceased production around 2010. If you have one that you are willing to switch out each shot in a changing bag or darkroom, I have heard that Kodak sheet films can be used in PR-10 cameras if you have a lens filter to accommodate for the ISO difference.

Feel free to share your experiences with instant film cameras below!

Quick Facts:

- Manufactured: 1977-85

- Shutter Speed: 1/15 -- 1/300 sec

- Focal Length: 100mm

- Aperture: f/12.7

- Original price: $39.95

- Film type: Kodak pack film

- Shots per roll: ~8 shots

For more information, reference the manual:

Sources:

The Kodak Experimentation -- Instant Film

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