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Instamatic was Kodak's trademark name for their easy-load 126 cartridge film cameras, launched in February 1963 with the Instamatic 50. Later, in 1972[1] Kodak used the name Pocket Instamatic for some of their 110 cartridge cameras; other 110 models were branded Ektra or Ektralite, and for Super8 8mm movie cameras and projectors. Kodak 126 Instamatics were a great success and sold around 60 million by 1976; thus "Instamatic" became a generic term for cartridge-loading - or any plain point-and-shoot - cameras, irrespective of manufacturer.

Frequently "Instamatic" was used in error to refer to Kodak's instant cameras. Due to the strong association of Instamatic with 126 cameras, the name was not used for Instant cameras, which were instead branded Kodamatic, Colorburst, EK or simply Kodak Instant.

Manufacturing

Instamatic cameras were manufactured in various plants across the world, in particular by Kodak in the US, by Kodak AG in Germany, and by Kodak Ltd in the UK. Kodak. SA Spain. Instamatic models continued until c.1988.

  1. Dates from Kodak's web site

Description

Whilst most Instamatics were simple "snapshot" cameras, made of plastic with very few, or no, adjustments, the range extended through designs with metal chassis, light meters or automatic exposure, rangefinders and even an SLR with interchangeable lenses. There were also add-ons such as teleconverter lenses, viewfinders etc.

Early Instamatics (e.g. Instamatic 50) had a special flash adaptor for either AG-1 bulbs or (later) Flashcubes; a few had a pop-up flash gun. Later models used Flashcubes or ("X" models) Magicubes without an adaptor. From 1975, 126 and 110 models were introduced to use the new Flipflash system.



Instamatic Models

126 Cartridge

Model numbers ending in 0 have pop-up flash gun; ending in 4 have Flashcube socket, ending in X have Magicube socket. Models ending in F have Flipflash




|- |Instamatic 132 |Argentina | ||- |Instamatic 132 |Argentina | ||- |Instamatic 132 |Argentina |

|
NameManufactureIntroducedWithdrawn
Hawkeye InstamaticUS19631967
Hawkeye Instamatic IIUS 19691975 
Hawkeye Instamatic R4US19651971
Instamatic 11 Brazil1969 
Instamatic 22 Argentina    
Instamatic 25 UK, Spain, ArgentinaJan 19661971
Instamatic 26UK, Argentina19681972
Instamatic 27 Argentina    
Instamatic 28UKJan 19721974
Instamatic 32 UK19721973
Instamatic 33UK, GermanySep 19681973
Instamatic 36 UKJan 19731974
Instamatic 44 US, CanadaJun 1969Oct 1973
Instamatic 50 UK, USAFeb 1963Jan 1966
Instamatic 54xArgentina  
Instamatic 55XUK, GermanySep 19711972
Instamatic 56X UK, Germany, ArgentinaSep 19721977
Instamatic 66XUKDec 19731977
Instamatic 76XUK1977 
Instamatic 77X UK, Germany, ArgentinaJan 19771984
Instamatic 100 US, UK, AustraliaMar 1963Jun 1966
Instamatic 104 US, UK, Australia, GermanyJul 1965Sep 1968
Instamatic 124USJul 1968Apr 1971
Instamatic 133 Germany, Spain, UK, ArgentinaSep 19681970
Instamatic 133X Germany, Spain, UKSep 19701971
Instamatic 134USJul 1968Jul 1971
Instamatic 150USAug 1964Jul 1966
Instamatic 154USJul 1965Jan 1969
Instamatic 154X Argentina  
Instamatic 155X UK, Germany, Brazil, ArgentinaSep 19711977
Instamatic 174USJul 1968Apr 1971
Instamatic 177XUK, Germany, ArgentinaJan 19771984
Instamatic 200UKJan 19651966
Instamatic 204UKJan 1966Nov 1968
Instamatic 220Germany19651966
Instamatic 224Germany19661968
Instamatic 233UK, GermanySep 19681970
Instamatic 233XUK, GermanySep 19701971
Instamatic 250Germany19641965/1967 US
Instamatic 255X UK, Germany, Spain.Sep 19711977
Instamatic 277X UK, Germany, Spain, ArgentinaJan 19771985
Instamatic 300USMar 1963Jun 1966
Instamatic 304 US,UKJul 1965Apr 1969
Instamatic 314USJul 1968Apr 1971
Instamatic 324Germany19661967/1968 US
Instamatic 333GermanySep 19681974
Instamatic 333XGermanySep 19701971
Instamatic 355XGermanySep 19711977
Instamatic 400 US, UK?Mar 1963Jun 1966
Instamatic 404USJul 1965Apr 1969
Instamatic 414USJul 1968Apr 1971
Instamatic 500 Germany19631965/1966 US
Instamatic 700 USMar 1963Jun 1966
Instamatic 704USJul 1965Apr 1969
Instamatic 714USMar 1968Sep 1970
Instamatic 800USMar 1964Jul 1966
Instamatic 804USJul 1965Mar 1970
Instamatic 814 USMar 1968Aug 1970
Instamatic Reflex Germany19681970/1974 US&UK
Instamatic S-10 USMar 1967Mar 1970
Instamatic S-20USMar 1967Apr 1971
Instamatic X-1 Brazil    
Instamatic X-15 US, CanadaJul 1970Mar 1976
Instamatic X-15F US, CanadaMar 19761988
Instamatic X-25USJul 1970Jan 1974
Instamatic X-35 US, CanadaJul 1970Mar 1976
Instamatic X-35FUS, CanadaJul 1970Jan 1974
Instamatic X-45 USJul 1970Jan 1974
Instamatic X-90USJul 1970Aug 1973

110 Cartridge

See also Kodak, Kodak AG, Kodak Ltd. for other Kodak 110 cameras, not called "Instamatic"

NameManufactureIntroducedWithdrawn
Instamatic 91 Nov 1974Jan 1976
Instamatic 92 Sep 1974Jan 1976
Instamatic 125 Sep 1974Jan 1978
Instamatic 130UK, GermanyJan 19761978
Instamatic 192UK, GermanyJan 1975Jan 1976
Instamatic 230UK, GermanyJan 19761978
Mini-Instamatic S 30 GermanySep 1976Jan 1978
Mini-Instamatic S 40 GermanySep 1976Jan 1978
Pocket Instamatic 10 USMay 1973Sep 1976
Pocket Instamatic 20USMar 1972Jul 1976
Pocket Instamatic 30USMar 1972Apr 1976
Pocket Instamatic 40 USMar 1972Nov 1975
Pocket Instamatic 50USMar 1972Apr 1976
Pocket Instamatic 60 USMar 1972Sep 1976
Pocket Instamatic 100UK, GermanySep 1972Dec 1974
Pocket Instamatic 101UKJan 1974Nov 1974
Pocket Instamatic 200ArgentinaSep 1972Dec 1974
Pocket Instamatic 300  Sep 1972Aug 1976
Pocket Instamatic 400 Sep 19721976
Pocket Instamatic 500 Sep 19721976
Tele-Instamatic 330 USSep 19751978
Tele-Instamatic 430 GermanySep 19751978
Tele-Instamatic 608 USApr 1975Jun 1979
Tele-Instamatic 708USMar 1976Jun 1979
Trimlite Instamatic 18USApr 1975Jun 1979
Trimlite Instamatic 28USApr 1975Jun 1979
Trimlite Instamatic 38USApr 1975Jun 1979
Trimlite Instamatic 48USApr 1975Jun 1979

Super 8 movie cameras

  • Kodak Instamatic M2
  • Kodak Instamatic M4
  • Kodak Instamatic M6 (US)
  • Kodak Instamatic M12
  • Kodak Instamatic M16
  • Kodak Instamatic M18
  • Kodak Instamatic M22
  • Kodak Instamatic M24
  • Kodak Instamatic M30

Books

  • Coe, Brian, Kodak Cameras: The First Hundred Years, pp.223-260, Hove Foto Books, Hove, East Sussex, UK: 1988.

Source for some of the model names, and many of the dates.

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