Kodak EK4 Instant Camera circa 1976

Kodak EK4 instant camera. Comes in original box. Made in USA. Uses KODAK Instant Print Film. (1976) The Kodak EK4 instant camera was introduced in 1976 and advertised heavily during the late 1970s holiday seasons. It was launched alongside the motorized EK6 model as Kodak's entry into the instant film market.Camera Overview and Launch FactsRelease Year: 1976Discontinued: 1978 (production stopped due to patent lawsuits by Polaroid)Operation: Manual hand-crank to eject the film (unlike the motorized EK6)Film Type: Kodak PR-10 instant print filmVintage Print Ads and MarketingAd Campaigns: Print advertisements heavily featured the Kodak EK4 alongside the EK6 in magazines throughout late 1976.Holiday Messaging: Famous 1976 holiday print advertisements used taglines like "Give a crank for Christmas photos," demonstrating how users turned the manual crank on the side of the camera to expel the film.Pricing Strategy: Advertised as a lower-cost option compared to Polaroid's competing instant cameras at the time. Kodak instant film (1976 – 1986) Kodak launched two instant film cameras in 1976, the EK4 and EK6, along with an integral instant film pack, the PR10, containing 10 exposures. Kodak’s new film was similar in some respects to Polaroid’s SX-70 film that had been launched in 1972. Kodak had manufactured instant film for Polaroid in the 1960s when it was making pack film (where the negative part is thrown away) and Kodak began to develop an integral instant film after the launch of the SX-70 system. Unlike SX-70 film, Kodak’s instant film pack didn’t contain a battery, and the images it produced were rectangular rather than square. Kodak’s film was exposed from the back making the film less complicated and allowing for a higher resolution. Like SX-70 film, passing the film through the rollers of the camera (either by a hand-crank on the EK4 or by electric motors on the EK6) caused a chemical pod to burst and spread the chemicals under the surface of the photo. Kodak’s PR10 (later renamed PR144-10) instant film was initially ISO 160, but with the introduction of HS144-10 for the new Kodamatic range in 1982, ISO increased to 320. In 1984, the Trimprint feature (available on both types of film) allowed the backing to be removed after development along with the chemical reservoir, to make the print thinner. A range of Kodak instant cameras were available over the lifetime of the film, and proved popular. However, Polaroid filed a lawsuit against Kodak in 1976 for patent infringement, and Kodak eventually lost the case. In January 1986 an injunction was issued to prevent Kodak selling their instant cameras and film, and customers were to be compensated through a settlement scheme that began in 1988.