Before we begin, I would like to announce that my new Patreon exclusive camera series is now up, with my first post talking about the Chuzhoa M1 Retro Camera. It can be viewed by either joining my Patreon or buy just buying the post for a onetime fee. I hope you will check it out, not only will you be part of an exclusive club, but you will be helping this site out.
You
can find the first post on my new series here:
Remember
to also check out my displate:
https://displate.com/artist/bfennsw?art=66e809bf952d9
Anyway,
back to the camera at hand:
Carrying on with instant
polaroid cameras, this post will be looking at another one of Kodak’s attempt
at replicating Polaroid’s success, this is the Kodak Colorburst 350 Instant
Camera.
I already went over Kodak’s
history in my 200
Color Plus and Instamatic
Pocket 10 posts, and I did go over the history of the Instant and Kodamatic
cameras made by Kodak, in my Kodamatic
980L post.
So with that I will jump
straight into the camera at hand.
Since this camera was part of
Kodak’s line of instant cameras that not only was made to wage war against
Polaroid, but also part of Kodak’s attempt to make quick cheap instant
polaroid-esque cameras (Our Own Devices 2024), there isn’t much history on it.
But what I could find is that
this camera was the last in the Instant Camera series to have the name Colorburst
and the last one to use the PR10 film (Mcny Genealogy 1999). It was also
released alongside the 250 model, and was marketed as Kodak’s two new cameras
that had “…two lenses and an electronic flash, and a new compact traditional
camera with a built-in electronic flash…” (Harvard University 2025).
 |
| Colorburst 250. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEg6uP_nbHWs5xJdD834Hx1hSlnX6lKBudKpl6elkPPkoKfwTEz6GdqDba&s=10 |
Now I would like to say that
the 350 is based off of the 300 model, but that wouldn’t be true, as the 300
model has completely different settings and the way it looks is also a bit
different, and the 300 had a leather piece on the front (probably to try and
copy the look of the Polaroid
SX-70).
 |
| Colorburst 300. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTD_6NBEjJ4aj7EB86aZ8wUlpnaQEUJ68_ODRYHRol9-w&s=10 |
But we can say that the 350, 300 and many of the other Instant cameras all share the same body, which is a lanyard style, with a flat face, which goes back all the way to the first Instant camera, the KODAK EK4 Instant Camera.
EK4 Instant Camera. Image Source:
https://farm1.static.flickr.com/118/271877085_bf13913593.jpg
Other Instant cameras, like
the Handle, was made in the style of the Polaroid Swinger and Colorpack cameras
(see my Colorpack
80 post).
 |
| Kodak Handle. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSW6FRlLwt9LYQ3ywTOZDqlbXY1OYQtGHAoubmjVQKkWfQELBPxyHjaDXJX&s=10 |
The Colorburst series seems to be the series before the cameras were renamed to Kodamatic and switched to the HS144 film. There are six Colorburst cameras, the models are the 100 (1978), also known as the EK100 (Camera-wiki 2025), the 200 or the EK200 (Halgand 2024), the 300 or EK300 (Halgand 2024) the 50 or EK160 (Halgand 2024), the 250 or EK160-EF (Halgand 2024) and the 350 or EK260-EF Subito (Halgand 2024).
Colorburst 100. Image Source:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUvuGvsL-dv7_6ARoFjXJ3auFSwoX_BpRdCcGokuMmbA&s=10
 |
| Colorburst 200. Image Source: https://i.etsystatic.com/22632359/r/il/3eb153/4295259552/il_1080xN.4295259552_c948.jpg |
 |
| Colorburst 50. Image Source: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Oi8AAOSwffBdXZys/s-l1200.jpg |
After this series came the new
renamed Kodamatic versions of the Handle copycats, such as the PLEASER II, and
the folding instant cameras (Mcny Genealogy 1999), that was probably trying to
copy Polaroid’s folding cameras, while keeping the lanyard style, (see the Kodamatic
980L post).
 |
| Kodamatic Pleaser II. Image Source: https://img.bobshop.co.za/f_auto,c_fit,w_300,h_300,d_notfound.png/https%3A%2F%2Fvintagefilmcamerashop.com%2Fimage%2Fcatalog%2Fincoming%2FVintage_Film_Camera_Shop_VP261-270_183.JPG |
 |
| Example of a folding camera, the Kodamatic 960. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVTxmIEembL4V4BYQGaNVktGsTH4ZfRLT08pAwk8cqJfhOQBNBALTqOAw&s=10 |
And even then Kodak still made
more cameras in the style of the EK4, such as the PARTYFLASH II KODAMATIC
Instant Camera in 1982, a variation of the PARTYTIME Instant Camera from 1980
(Mcny Genealogy 1999).
 |
| Kodamatic PartyFlash II. Image Source: https://img.bobshop.co.za/image/upload/f_auto,c_fit,w_900,h_900,d_notfound.png/user_images/654/2526654/170223111829_18655%20(3).jpg |
 |
| PartyTime Instant Camera. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQE88YdRjWxAtnHh81ZB0Ye0GM2mF3p9ldCVbvPunmHv42YosC-bhcyuB_&s=10 |
But the last Kodamatics I
could find were the PLEASER TRIMPRINT Instant Camera and the PARTY STAR
TRIMRINT Instant Camera, in 1984 (Mcny Genealogy 1999), before Kodak was forced
to remove their Instant cameras, (see the Kodamatic
980L post).
 |
| Kodamatic Pleaser Trimprint. Image Source: https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-7u75ylkukg/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/1643/11406/3bf1d9c4-03ed-5ec7-be7d-ec9c43460b92__26161.1699862181.jpg?c=1 |
 |
| Kodamatic Party Star Trimprint. Image Source: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/80AAAOSwznZmdYn3/s-l1200.jpg |
But I should mention that
these weren’t the last Instant cameras that Kodak made, as they released the KODAK
PRINTOMATIC and the Barbie collab, Barbie x Kodak PRINTOMATIC, both of which
use zink paper and not instant film (Kodak Photo Plus 2026). And they also
released the very unique and (in my opinion) pretty cool looking Kodakmemo,
which uses thermal printing technology and allows the user to add emojis,
stickers, texts and other customisable features before printing (Garibaldi
2025).
 |
| Kodak Printomatic. Image Source: https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5QLQG5mt8SCCJ62SmF2XAW.jpg |
 |
| Barbie X Kodak Printomatic. Image Source: https://www.kodak.com/content/images/_1680x1063_crop_center-center_41_line/kodak-printomatic-barbie-1.jpg |
 |
| Kodakmemo. Image Source: https://www.kodak.gtcie.com/2484-medium_default/thermal-instant-camera-kodak-memo-shot-era-ms100-post-it-photo-format.jpg |
Although the Instant cameras
were made cheaply and (possibly) quickly to jump in on the instant film craze
and to outflank Polaroid by making their product cheaper, I do see a lot of
consideration did go in to the camera’s conception.
I like that Kodak went with a
completely different style, even though the camera is chunky, feels bulky and
unwieldy at times, and feels uncomfortable to carry around like an oversized
lanyard around one’s neck!
And just like the Kodamatic
980L, that came in a box that was very well decorated with art that drew
your attention, the Colorburst 300 also has some wonderful decorative pieces.
Such as the leather carrying bag, which is very strong and tough and the black rainbow neck strap. And an added bonus, is that this camera still has the original manual.
But unlike the 980L, this
camera’s original box doesn’t look very good and feels bland compared to the
Kodamatic’s.
 |
| Colorburst 350 original box. Image Source: https://i.etsystatic.com/37944844/r/il/afeeed/6240861694/il_1080xN.6240861694_sysy.jpg |
But enough about that, let’s
have a closer look at the camera itself.
The Colorburst 350 was
released in 1981-1982 (Mcny Genealogy 1999), with a size of 20.7 × 14.3 × 9.4
cm (Harvard University 2025) and a weight around 1kg (Bhargava 2025).
Now for the examination,
starting with the front-
First the lens-
It is hard to find any
information on what lens type this camera has. But looking at the lens, it
appears to be a fixed plastic lens, probably a meniscus lens or something
similar (see my Instamatic
Pocket 10 post).
But according to Halgand
(2024), the 350 is the same as the 250, with the only difference being that the
350 has a close-up lens. So, with that we can deduce that the 350 and the 250
have the same lens type, which is a 100mm lens with a (possibly fixed) f/stop
aperture of 12.8 (Kodak Verzameling 2026).
Next to the lens on the right
is the viewfinder.
In this viewfinder, the user
might see a red caution light near the top in low-light, this according to the
manual (cameramanuals.org):
“…means that the shutter will
remain open for longer than 1/15 second, and that any movement of the camera or
the subject will blur your picture. To help keep the camera steady when caution
light comes on, brace the camera or yourself against a firm support, such as a
wall, table or tree, as you take the picture. Hold the shutter release fully
down until the caution light goes off, indicating that the shutter has closed.”
And underneath that is the
close-up lens control.
This switches the lens between
the normal setting of a focus range of 1.2m (4 feet) to infinity and the second
built-in lens, the close-up lens which had a setting of 0.6-1.2m (2-4 feet).
The second lens is actually a
filter that slides over the fixed plastic lens, similar to the Disc 8000,
but the key difference is that unlike the Disc 8000, the Colorburst 350 doesn’t
have a filter that goes over the viewfinder alongside the filter that goes over
the lens. Leaving the user to guess and hope that the object or subject is in
focus.
Then on the left side of the
lens, from right to left-
Is the camera electric eye,
which automatically sets the shutter speed, which is set anywhere between
2-1/300 second (Camera-wiki 2025) by picking up on the lighting conditions and
setting the speed accordingly. This should also set the f/stop, but since I
believe that this camera has a fixed aperture setting this doesn’t happen. I
can’t find any evidence that there are other aperture settings.
Next to that is the flash
electric eye, which, either sets off the red caution light in the viewfinder,
or sets the flash distance for the flash to fire.
Then lastly is the lighten/darken control, which will lighten or darken the subject in the picture, according to the manual, this control does this by either dimming the flash when darkening or making the flash brighter when lightening.
Speaking of the flash-
This is in the top left corner. This is switched on by sliding the flash unit all the way out, and to switch it off, the user slides it back in.
The camera seems to be able to
work without the flash and the flash is powered by batteries that runs the
whole camera.
This flash also has a flash
distance of 2-10 feet.
On the left side-
Is the shutter release button, which also slides the f/stop aperture in front of the shutter. This is another reason why I believe this camera only has a fixed f/stop of 12.8. The shutter seems to be an electronic leaf shutter.
Then on the right side-
Is the tripod socket.
Back of the camera-
At the top is the ready light,
this indicates when the flash is ready to fire. It usually goes on every 7
seconds when the flash unit is turned on, as 7 seconds is the time it takes for
the cycling system to reset the flash after every use.
On either side of the ready
light are the eyelets where the neck strap goes.
On the left is the viewfinder.
Next to that is the battery
compartment, which runs the whole camera and takes four AA batteries.
Under that and something I
missed in the Kodamatic
980L post, are three squares. This is where the user can add their
initials, with the stickers most likely provided by Kodak.
Luckily, this camera came with
a sheet of small stickers that are letters written in cursive. They remind me
of the stickers found on the Instamatic
X-15F camera.
And lastly, on the far right
side is the film exposure counter.
Underneath-
Is the exit slot.
Then there is the film door,
which is opened by pressing down on the film compartment latch.
And then there is the film
compartment.
This is similar to the Polaroid
SX-70, in terms of the compartment having a mirror that reflects the light
into the film pack.
In the Colorburst 350, the
pack is inserted with the film pointing to the back of the camera. And in the
back is also a mirror, this allows the light to reflect onto the instant film
slides. This is also the reason why the camera has a hump on the back, because
the mirror has to be put at an angle to reflect down into the pack. Then to
eject the empty pack you pull on the lever.
.png) |
| Screenshot from the manual. |
.png) |
| Screenshot from the manual. |
This camera came with an empty
pack of PR144-10 film and is a 150 ISO film, this film replaced the original
PR10 film. Although this camera can take the original PR10 film, but what it
can’t take is the HR144-10 film as that was made specifically for the new
Kodakamtic series, which was a 300 ISO film. It is believed that Kodak replaced
the PR10 with the PR144-10, so that the new Kodamatic line can also take and
use the PR-144-10 film (Camera-wiki 2025).
The PR144-10 pack came with 10
photos of 67 x 91 mm (Kodak Verzameling 2026). And what made it different from
Polaroid’s instant film is that Kodak’s had “…a glossy surface, while a
variation called ‘Satinluxe’ has a silky matte type finish…” (Kodak Verzameling
2026).
To learn how instant film and
film works, please see my see my 200
Color Plus and Polaroid
SX-70 posts.
And the rollers can be found
in the compartment door.
And that is that. Out of all
the Instant film cameras on this blog, I still prefer the SX-70. Then I would
place the Kodamatic 980L, then the Colorburst 350. After that the Colorpack
80 and the Model
95A.
The reason why I place Kodak’s
cameras above the other two Polaroid cameras, is because Kodak’s Instant
cameras use film packs, which are easier to use than the peel-off instant film
that the Colorpack 80 and the Model 95A use.
I would actually put the
Colorburst 350 higher than the Kodamatic 980L. I originally put 980L above the
350, because the 980L can fold up and is much easier to store away. But while
going through the carrying bag I found a name of the previous owner written in
the manual. And I also found the original slip when the camera was bought.
And fans of the blog will know
that I really like to see names attached to the cameras. Names were found on
the Instamatic
104, the Instamatic
X-15F and the Halina
X101 cameras. And while some might say that this diminishes the value, I
think it adds value. Just knowing that this camera was used and captured someone’s
fondest memories and precious moments with their family gives the camera a
quality that in my opinion makes it priceless!
Thank you for making it to the
end and as always I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did researching it.
Please
remember to check out my Patreon at: patreon.com/OnlineCurator
where you can find my first post of my new series, as well as pictures and
links to my other Fantasy Blog series.
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see the Please help this site post
on this blog, for more information.
Or
if you want to help in another way, please visit my Displate Store.
Thank you for the support.
Bhargava, M. 2025. Vintage
Kodak Colorburst 350 Instant Camera. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1201690750260692/posts/2128081800954911/
Camerasmanuals.org. Kodak
Colorburst 350. https://cameramanuals.org/kodak_pdf/kodak_colorburst_350.pdf
Camera-wiki. 2025. Kodak
Colorburst 100. https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kodak_Colorburst_100
Camera-wiki. 2025. Kodak
EK160-EF (Colorburst 250). https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kodak_EK160-EF_(Colorburst_250)
Camera-wiki. 2025.
Kodak Instant. https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Kodak_Instant
Garibaldi, K. 2025. This
Fun Kodak Instant Camera and Printer Looks Like a Roll of Film. https://petapixel.com/2025/08/09/this-fun-kodak-instant-camera-and-printer-looks-like-a-roll-of-film/
Halgand, S. 2024. Kodak
Colorburst 200. https://collection-appareils.fr/x/html/camera-3906-Kodak_Colorburst%20200.html
Harvard University.
2025. instant camera, Colorburst 350. https://chsi.emuseum.com/objects/1122/instant-camera-colorburst-350
Kodak Photo Plus.
2026. Barbie x Kodak PRINTOMATIC Instant Print Camera. https://www.kodak.com/en/consumer/product/cameras/instant-print/barbie-x-kodak-printomatic/
Kodak Photo Plus.
2026. Kodak Printomatic. https://www.kodakphotoplus.com/products/printomatic?srsltid=AfmBOor84hqqicBCCcj_m33jP9FAw3v4_27qhP9U97VWOgYcKZ30IWoL
Kodak Verzameling.
2026. Kodak Instant. https://www.kodakverzameling.nl/kodak-instant
Mcny Genealogy. 1999.
History of KODAK Cameras. https://mcnygenealogy.com/book/kodak/kodak-camera-history-list.pdf
Our Own Devices.
2024. Kodak Instant Cameras: a Failed Gamble. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnlgTDiwDiI&t=420s
