Staying
within the realm of Kodak Instamatic, this post will be looking at Kodak’s
earlier Instamatic series, the Kodak Instamatic 104 Camera.
I
will mostly be focusing just on the camera in this post because I went over the
history of Kodak in my Kodak 200 Color Plus Film post and my KODAK Pocket
Instamatic 10 Camera post (where I also briefly went over Kodak’s camera and
Instamatic camera series’ history).
As a
start, I want to briefly indicate Kodak’s reasoning for the introduction of the
Instamatic cameras. Interestingly, the Instamatic series was first introduced
in 1963, when Kodak manufactured the 126 film, which was self-contained and
focused on Kodak’s ideas to make consumer-focused cameras that anyone can use.
This also helped get rid of many problems amateur and novice photographers
where facing, such as: “1) having to thread film onto the take-up spool of
a camera, 2) setting the film speed on the camera, and 3) trying
to determine when they had properly advanced to the next frame. All three of
these things were cared for automatically by the 126 cassette. It was just
drop-in and go! And if the camera back somehow was opened accidentally, only
one frame would be lost as the previously-exposed frames were safely contained
inside the light-tight cartridge.” (Odenbach 2017)
The first Instamatic camera was the Instamatic 50, but this camera was only available in the UK (Science Museum Group), but a month after the 50 was released, the USA saw the release of the Instamatic 100 (Kinsley 2020), which looks and works exactly like the Instamatic 104.
 |
| Instamatic 100 camera. Image Source: https://filmphotography.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/kodak-instamatic-100-front.jpg |
The
difference between the 100 and the 104 is that the 104 “featured a connector
for the new flashcube, instead of the Instamatic 100's holder for single
flashbulbs…” (Hilliard Ohio Historical Society 2024)
 |
| Instamatic 100 camera with single use flashbulb. Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Kodak_Instamatic_100.jpg/640px-Kodak_Instamatic_100.jpg |
.png) |
| Instamatic 104 camera with flashcubes. Image Source: https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2016/08/instamatichead.jpg |
The
Instamatic 104 was released in 1965 (MODiP 2024), alongside the flashcube which
also came out in 1965 for “the need for greater safety and simplicity urged the
Flashcube into existence…” (Harriss 2021). The Instamatic could be the third or
fourth Instamatic camera in the series and was an improvement on the Instamatic
100 with this new addition.
This
idea to keep the design of the 100 and just change the flash mechanism makes
sense. The Instamatic 100 was one of Kodak’s “lowest-end and most popular model
of the first such cameras was the Instamatic 100, which listed for $16. Five
years of planning and teamwork (under the secret-design code name of Project
13) went into the Instamatic system of photography. News accounts said experts
worldwide were involved in the planning and called it the most integrated of
all programs in the history of Kodak coordination.” (Morrell 2016)
It
makes sense that since the 100 was so popular that introducing a brand new
camera with a new system that would probably make it more expensive to make and
sell. After all the “Kodak Instamatic 104, produced in the 1960s, is a small
rectangular camera made from injection moulded polypropylene and metal.” (MODiP
2024)
Meaning
it was easy for the company to reproduce and make quickly. Also from a
marketing prospective this also makes sense. According to Harriss (2021): “Eastman
Kodak’s invention of the Flashcube also emerged from the company’s specific
wish to offer a flash that would work with its newly ubiquitous amateur
photographers’ cameras, made popular by the white middle-class families
targeted in 1960s advertising campaigns. Partnered with Kodak’s Instamatic
camera, the Flashcube’s adaptability, portability, and ease of use made
interior photography possible for the masses, without prerequisite skill or
expertise.”
Basically
Kodak took a camera that is already so easy and convenient to use and made it
even easier and more convenient with a flash that can take four photos back to
back. Which is probably why they named it 104, the 4 meaning that it can take
up to four flash photographs in a row, while still maintaining the familiar
look and feel of the 100’s internal design, which according to Douglass Collins
(the writer of The Story of Kodak), is “a ‘marvel’ of industrial engineering.”
(Morrell 2016)
Now, let’s have a look at the camera itself.
As
mentioned this camera was manufactured in 1965 of which the production was discontinued
in 1968 (MODiP 2024). It is made in a mould from metal (which was stamped aluminium,
according to Andrew (2014)) and polypropylene (MODiP 2024).
The
camera has the dimensions of “104 mm (Width), 56 mm (Depth), 61 mm (Height)” (Museums
Victoria Collections), making it small enough to fit in most jacket pockets and
easy to store and keep in a bag without taking up too much space. The only
accessory that I can find that came with the camera is the strap.
The
front of the camera…
…Is
where you can find the lens, which is a 43mm fixed prime lens, with an f/stop
of 11 (Little Kodaks 2022). This is the same as the KODAK Pocket Instamatic 10
Camera (if you want to know more about this f/stop and how it affects the focus
of the camera please see this post). The lens is also most likely similar to
the Instamatic 10, that it has a Meniscus lens plastic lens (see KODAK Pocket
Instamatic 10 Camera post for more details).
Above
the lens is the viewfinder. This camera is mirrorless and the user can’t
directly see what the lens or sensor see, but it does give the general idea.
And the fact that it is above the lens make it better than even the Instamatic
10 (see post and also the Sounex YN-9000 Re-usable Camera post and the Sinpo
PQ-3 Point and Shoot Film Camera post) and avoids some of the problems faced
when it comes to viewfinders that are next to the lens.
Then
in the bottom right is the flashcube eject button. It is pressed to well eject
the flashcube when it is used.
Then
in the upper left is the shutter release, which has an interesting design.
Instead of a traditional button, the shutter release is an L shaped piece of
metal. This is probably because it has a shutter leaf mechanism (Wagner 2024).
To
explain this, I will direct you to Parkhurst’s (2017) article, What Is A Leaf
Shutter?
https://improvephotography.com/44427/what-is-a-leaf-shutter/
Because
it is a complicated, long and fascinating piece of engineering. And if you are
interested, here is a link to Jordan’s (2017) article, Focal-Plane Shutter:
What it is and how it affects your photos:
https://improvephotography.com/44172/focal-plane-shutter-affects-photos/
If
you want to learn about the Focal-plane shutter that is associated with SLR and
more modern cameras.
The
shutter, much like the Instamatic 10 has two shutter speeds. 1/90 second and
1/40 second with the flashcube (Wagner 2017). The camera changes this speed
automatically. The reason for this is exposure. The camera has a slower shutter
speed without the flash so that it can absorb as much light as possible to
capture the image and is faster with the flash as to not over expose the film
because of the access of light.
Speaking
of which, the flashcube socket can be found on top of the camera. This works
almost the same as the Instamatic 10, except that the Instamatic 104 moves the
cube in a clockwise direction and takes a different type of flashcube.
.png) |
| Flashcube. Image Source: https://compote.slate.com/images/ba31b9d7-0c6d-43a0-8c12-cbf79ee3eb89.jpeg?crop=3379%2C2253%2Cx0%2Cy0&width=840 |
The
difference is that the magicube of the Instamatic 10 has a square attachment hole
and the Instamatic 104 has a circular attachment hole.
 |
| Magicube square attachment. |
 |
| Flashcube circular attachment. Image Source: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50029198756_7b14ae7c19_h.jpg |
This is because the magicube is an improved version of the Flashcube and has a different firing mechanism that doesn’t require batteries (Blue Moon 2024) and thus the attachment hole was made square to stop people from using it on older camera models like the Instamatic 104. This is also why on the Instamatic 10 is explicitly indicates “USE ONLY MAGICUBES”. (See KODAK Pocket Instamatic 10 Camera post)
To
learn more about this wonderful cube please check out my KODAK Pocket
Instamatic 10 Camera post. And if you want to go deeper, check out Harriss’
(2021) article The Obsolete Object That Gave Every Boomer a Case of Redeye to
learn all about the flashcube.
On
the side of the camera…
…Is
the film advance lever, to move the film to the next frame when a photo is
taken.
And
underneath that is the latch that has to be pushed upwards to open the film
compartment.
On
the back…
…Is
where the user can find said film compartment. This camera takes a film cartage
called 126 film, which is the older brother of the 110 film (see Minolta 110
Zoom SLR film camera post and KODAK Pocket Instamatic 10 Camera post for more
information). The name comes from its dimensions: “the negatives’ (of the 126
film) dimension of 26.5 mm square” (Lomography 2024).
.jpeg) |
| 126 Film front. Image Source: https://cdn.assets.lomography.com/8d/91c00bb82f1070b3d26cf207ccff7ec30e28cc/864x576x2.jpg?auth=13c7938c9dd5fb258b11204287d599fbf8057edd |
 |
| 126 Film, back. Image Source: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iYMAAOSwI9le3SIz/s-l1200.jpg |
And
like the 110 film, the number of frames is on the cartridge and can be viewed
through the window on the back of the camera.
Basically
in a nut shell, the 126 film cartage is a 35mm film in a capsule that even
non/amateur photographers can use without struggling to insert the film or
accidently exposing it. Or as McCafferty (2024) puts it: “This ingenious
re-usable adapter (imported from CameraHack, Italy) allows you to spool 35mm
film into the adapter so you can shoot with your favorite 126 camera.”
 |
| 126 Film. Image Source: https://filmphotographyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/126reload_770x_-300x161.jpg |
For
further information, please read McCafferty’s (2024) article 126 Instamatic
Film – History and Status, for the full scope and history of this film type.
https://filmphotographyproject.com/126-instamatic-film-history-status/
And
if you want to know how a camera and film captures images through a process
known as Photochemistry, please see my Kodak 200 Color Plus Film post.
Above
the film compartment is the viewfinder. Although I said that this viewfinder is
a bit better than the Instamatic 10, because it is right above the lens, I
would still rather use the Instamatic 10, just because the viewfinder on the
Instamatic 104 is very small and makes it hard to see clearly.
Then
lastly is the bottom of the camera, where the battery compartment is. This is
used to power the flashcube. As mentioned flashcubes need batteries to fire
whereas magicubes don’t. This works with two AAA batteries.
The
Kodak Instamatic 104 model that I have in my possession, is an interesting
camera and what makes this camera more interesting is that it has the name “McLean”
scratched on it and is chipped on the front. Now depending on the type of
collector or camera lover you are this might degrade the camera’s value, but to
me it adds value.
Looking
at all the dents, scratches and name etched on the camera, tells me that it was
once loved and used. The stories this camera could tell about the beautiful
moments and family vacations it has captured must be endless and (hopefully)
full of wonderful Kodak moments in photos of “McLean”.
Thank
you for making it to the end and as always, I hope you enjoyed reading this as
much as I did researching it.
If you want to help this site out, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/OnlineCurator
Please see the Please help this site post on this blog, for more information.
List of sources:
Andrew. 2014. NOT
MUCH TO LOOK AT, BUT A HUGE SUCCESS- THE KODAK INSTAMATIC 104. https://shootfilmridesteel.com/not-much-to-look-at-but-a-huge-success-the-kodak-instamatic-104/
Blue Moon. 2024. Magicubes
Flash Cube. https://bluemooncamera.com/shop/product/AAA0124%7CMAGICUBE/magicubes-flash-cube#:~:text=While%20Magicubes%20look%20very%20similar,of%20cube%20your%20camera%20needs.
Harriss, H. 2021. The
Obsolete Object That Gave Every Boomer a Case of Redeye. https://slate.com/technology/2021/12/the-kodak-flashcube-history-how-the-object-changed-domestic-photography.html
Hilliard Ohio
Historical Society. 2024. Kodak Instamatic Camera Model 104; 1960; Rochester
NY; 022019060016. https://ehive.com/collections/8747/objects/1020187/kodak-instamatic-camera-model-104
Kinsley, F. 2020. The
Kodak Instamatic Camera Range Around the World. https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/17038
Little Kodaks. 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRtLlw1Zcrw
Lomography. 2024.
What is 110 film? https://www.lomography.com/school/what-is-110-film-fa-ame1qreg
McCafferty, O. 2024. 126
Instamatic Film – History and Status. https://filmphotographyproject.com/126-instamatic-film-history-status/
MODiP. 2024. Kodak
Instamatic 104 camera. https://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-06644
Morrell, A. 2016. Whatever
Happened To ... Instamatic cameras? https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/rocroots/2015/12/31/whatever-happened-kodak-instamatic-cameras/78142968/
Museums Victoria
Collections. 2024. Item HT 53443 Camera - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Instamatic
104, 1965-1968. https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/2249583
Odenbach, C. 2017. Kodak:
From Instamatic to Disc (1963 - 1988). https://www.678vintagecameras.ca/blog/kodak-from-instamatic-to-disc-1963-1988#:~:text=In%201963%2C%20Kodak%20introduced%20the,a%20new%20proprietary%20film%20format.
Science Museum Group.
Kodak Instamatic 50 camera. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8210887/kodak-instamatic-50-camera-pocket-camera-cartridge-camera
Wagner, D. 2024. Shooting with the Kodak 104 Instamatic. https://www.danwagner.com/shooting-with-the-kodak-104-instamatic#:~:text=Mechanical%20leaf%20shutter,sec%20(with%20a%20flashcube%20attached)
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