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After 7 years of radio silence, Kodak opened a "Sign up to buy" link for their Super 8 Camera. However, the price will be a big hurdle...
Today, Kodak is advertising the MSRP for this camera to be $5,495 USD, a tenfold increase from the first estimate. Let’s see how the price has evolved over the years.
Initially, they announced the camera in 2016 with a price tag of $400 to $750. Where they also mentioned a less expensive version, set to be released in 2017.
A few years later, in 2018, they updated the pricing to be $2,500 to $3,000. This was already a big jump for most. However, there was still quite a bit of interest, and most expected this price increase would result in a better-quality camera with more features.
With the price being this high, you’d think they would see the professional market using this camera. Alas, there are no professional features on this camera.
The camera will include a 6mm C-mount lens, however, if you’d like to have some more focal lengths, you’ll have a struggle finding any reliable new lenses.
These are still being manufactured, but they are almost exclusively being used for industrial purposes and are not very user-friendly. You will, however, be able to find loads of C-mount lenses secondhand, but you’ll be gambling on their quality.
Regular Super 8 cartridges will be used, however the camera has a 14:9 extended gate, where most unmoded old school cameras would capture a 4:3 image.
Framing is done on a 4″ flip-out monitor; however, it does have a micro HDMI for an additional monitor. Although, there is no way to add the second monitor as the only screw thread is located at the bottom. With some luck, we’ll get a nice cage from a third-party manufacturer, for some well needed mounting points.
The camera will be able to record at 18, 24, 25 and 36 FPS
Power is provided by an internal battery and would be charged via micro USB.
The full package includes a pelican style case, the camera, a 6mm f1.2 lens, Pistolgrip, cleaning cloth, the battery and a pack of Tri-X Black-and-white film
It seems we will not be seeing this camera, on set, any time soon. The product is so niche and has so many technical hurdles that it’s unlikely a rental house would ever buy it.
Let’s hope this is able to at least revive interest in a new professional 8mm ,16mm or even 32mm camera from a high-end manufacturer.
