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In the 1960s, there was a battle between two corporate giants for the photographic mass market. One was the Eastman Kodak Company which had been targeting said market ever since it began with its Box Brownie cameras, the other being instant photography pioneer Polaroid. Since Polaroid already held the market for those who insisted on seeing their photographs (regardless of image quality) within minutes of being taken, Kodak's approach was to simplify the process of loading the film into the camera. Their solution was the 126 Instamatic film cartridge, whose negatives were the same width as 35mm but with square frames, and to design simple point-and-shoot cameras to accept this cartridge. The square frame also meant that the photographer did not have to decide between shooting the picture in landscape (wider than tall) or portrait (taller than wide) format. Kodak made this technology available to other film and camera manufacturers ostensibly so consumers could still use Kodak film in competitors' cameras and/or competitors' film in Kodak cameras whereas Polaroid's technology remained proprietary (similar to Microsoft Windows vs. Apple MacOS today). Upon my "graduation" from elementary school, I was given a Kodak Instamatic 134 which not only used the drop-in 126 cartridge, but also the new-fangled flashcube (which gave you four flashes before you threw it away), and a simple built-in exposure meter (which only told you when to use a flashcube). During my middle school years, I gained an even deeper interest in photography when I also learned how to use a darkroom to process my own black-and-white photographs and about much more sophisticated cameras than mine (namely the single-lens reflex or SLR). It didn't take long for me to develop (so to speak) a desire to own an SLR camera ... indeed I wanted to own several! At the time, Kodak even had a 126 SLR: the Instamatic Reflex (click here to see its review from the Modern Photography's December 1971 issue). It had interchangeable lenses like other SLRs (though the focal lengths were limited) and could not not only use flashcubes but the more high-tech (for the time) electronic flash or "strobe." In 1990, I attended my first camera equipment swap meet during which I tried to get rid of my father's old Bolex 155 Super 8 movie camera. After several failed attempts, I finally came to a dealer on whose table sat a used Kodak Instamatic Reflex camera body along with a compatible Schneider-Kreuznach 135mm f/4 medium telephoto lens (with protective bubble case!). After some negotiation, he offered to take the Bolex in trade for any item on the table. Naturally, I swept up the Kodak and aforementioned lens and thus began my second era in 126 photography. I acquired more lenses and accessories at subsequent swap meets and have toted this camera (alongside my Nikon F3HP and N8008) around for serious photographic trips since then. Instamatic film, though only available in ISO 200 color negative form in the '90s, was plentiful and cheap since it wasn't much in demand anymore (indeed Kodak finally discontinued the 126 format forever in 1999 though an overseas manufacturer continues to produce this film today). These pages exhibit just a small sample of the many photographs I have taken with this great little camera. Now that I have gone digital, I don't make much use of my film cameras anymore. But come my next "serious" photography trip, that will change. Since I still have a stockpile of 126 cartridges (as well as 35mm rolls) in storage in my refrigerator, I will be making some more squarer images until the final frame is advanced. |
