I have been waiting yeeeears for this update! Funny thing, this week I found my self thinking "what happend to the instax-old kodak film guy?" and a while ago you uploaded this video! 😂 Thank you!!
I currently have an "incompatable" and very dirty model I got for FREE. [Party Time; looks like E4]. 》That is how I found you; online articles. Now that I know you have suceeded I may eventually acquire better model editions for this. ALSO: 》YES PLEASE!!!!《 dive deeper into the *electronics mod* that would be amazing!!!! Not enough afforable MANUAL instant cameras!!!!
This is FASCINATING. And I'm discovering this just a DAY too late! 🤣😭 I was coming back from a vacation, and stopped in at a farmers market sort of thing and someone was selling a brand new, in box, Kodak EK4. Absolutely pristine. I googled what kind of film it took, and discovered it's long discontinued. The guy offered it to me for 10 bucks. I was SO tempted, but thought "As cool as this is, what am I ACTUALLY going to do with it? I don't need another decorative piece of vintage tech, my apartment is filled to the BRIM already.." and I left it behind. I am now REALLY wishing I grabbed it! EXCELLENT work man, what a cool project! 🧡
They're stupid at Kodak for not just making the damn film themselves. Shouldn't need a 3D printer just to use a camera. (Polaroid isn't the same polaroid as back then anyways so that lawsuit is in the garbage, Kodak can just do it and everyone would love it.)
Very cool. My collection is mostly centered around Kodak's roll film cameras because I want to use the cameras in my collection. But I did pick up a Trimprint 920 recently to have at least one example of a Kodak instant camera. Now I'll have to look into this era of cameras more seriously.
@TheKodakCollector @JoshGladstone does it directly work with the newer Kodamatics too? I bought a totally unused 950 yesterday and wasn't into this whole topic until today. It got me with a blink of an eye. Greetings from Austria (close to where the 950s where originally produced.
@@raab.himself I don't know since I've been shooting with roll film for an exhibit I'm putting together for next March. I haven't had time to try to hack my instant camera yet.
You think this would work on a pleaser 1? my grandma had one and i was given it after she passed, could'nt find film for it anywhere and it's been a paperweight for a while now
I've been having some trouble printing this, also on a P1s. There's a lot of friction in the arm and base assembly that prevents it from sliding smoothly, and even after sanding it down it still feels like something's stuck. It also doesn't seem to be hitting the instax cartridge enough to catch on anything. Would you be willing to share a screenshot of your print settings? I tried what you've got listed on the thingiverse page (0.08 layer height and supports as the big ones) and I'm not sure what I've got going wrong at this point.
Sorry you're having trouble! It's pretty much the default 0.08 Extra Fine profile with Default Snug supports. I changed the support x distances to make it easier to remove, but that's pretty much it, and that wouldn't affect the print. Someone else also told me that they printed it and it didn't move smoothly. I just printed/measured this calibration print (www.printables.com/model/164261) to make sure my printer isn't off, and it looks pretty dimensionally accurate, so I'm not sure what the issue could be.
@@JoshGladstone got it! I was running on the default high quality but I’ll give it a shot on extra fine to see if that makes a difference. thanks for responding!
A question that came to my mind for which I could not find an answer is why, throughout their history, photography companies have not produced cameras that shoot photographic or instant cinematic films of the 35mm, 16mm, or 8mm category, since you shoot the film and the film comes out immediately ready, as we saw on video, and we can then watch it as slides, or Animated images using a projector, without the need for development via a developer and installation. Does anyone have an answer?!
For the main spring in the adapter, I used a .6 x 7 x 20mm 10 lap spring that was then stretched to be about 35 or 40mm. For the spring back plate adapter, I used a .6 x 7 x 10mm 6 lap spring. There's a link in the description to the exact set of springs I used.
Hello, will it be possible for you to design two springs setup instead of one for the back pressing parts? I found that PLA bars bent too easily, thus can not apply force evenly across the Instax pack, only in the middle where the spring is. When the back press bar bent, they did not provide sufficient pressure, especially close to the side where the picker is, thus my picker constent fail to do its job. Thank you.
On second thoughts, I think my problem originates from the springs. I can not get the? exact springs you have, so I just use 0.6x7x10mm and 0.6x7x30mm instead. They might be too bouncy, especially the 0.6x7x10mm, they may push on the pack too hard so that no sheets will leave the cartridge. I'll try smaller diameter 0.5 0.4 and 0.3 in the coming days.
This is so cool! I have the Kodak Handle, but there's one thing concerning me: should the picker arm and counter move when you turn the handle, even if you don't have battery inserted? Because mine only moves the rollers...
@@remvaizor3522 there's a little lever inside the film compartment that needs to be held down for it to function. Inserting a cartridge presses it down
Holy fuck, I need more of this shit now!!! I just bought the Kodak pleaser today, and I'm so fucking excited to use it, and this is going to be such a fun project for me and my friend to do!!
Thank you Josh!! I was just a few weeks from having your first model printed and the you release this just in time for me get the updated model. Appreciate your work 👍🏻
@@wujiali1117 Kodak made some first party electronic flashes for their instant camera line, as did third party companies. This is a "Magicflash" by a company called ITT. They also made third party flashes for Polaroids and other cameras. You should be able to find a small variety of electronic flashes for Kodak instant cameras on ebay. I chose the ITT because I liked the design and it has an integrated flip down diffuser which is neat. Note: if you're going to get a flash on eBay, make sure it fits your specific model, there are a few different ones
Please please please get the mini adapter working well This is so cool and it would be rad to be able to just be able to go to a local place and pick up mini Instax rather than having to order square Instax off of Amazon or something Thank you for your work here This is so cool!
oh well - spent the weekend and... it works mechanical 🙂 yesss but it seems that the light meter on the ek4 is broken - at least the battery test button doesn`t make the led turn on and the sheets are over exposed. battery is new and still goog - tried to clean the contacts scratching them. any ideas how to fix that? any sources on that available? mmmh - help is welcome 🙂 I also do have a ek8, but I guess the adapter (the pickup) needs to be modified. are there infos on which camera the pickups work? (beside the ek4-one)
Only works on the large Handle type cameras att the moment. I uploaded the latest version I made for the ek4 but it's not super reliable. Might be a good starting point for tinkering though, if someone is interested. As far as why your ek4 might not be working, the number one reason would be corrosion. Do you notice any blue-green battery corrosion anywhere in the battery compartment? People leave batteries in there for decades and leak into the camera internals. I had this happen to a Handle camera, but I was able to take it apart and soak everything in vinegar to remove the corrosion and free up the shutter, and then I had to repair a couple of traces on the circuit board with some wire. Which did fix it. Not sure how to fully disassemble the ek4 at the moment though.
Hi John, I have just sent your files to a company that does 3D printing to produce your adapter for using Instax cartridges in old Kodak cameras, but I’m having trouble finding the right springs. I found springs that are .65x7x20mm and .65x7x10mm; could these work instead? Thanks.
I've just got the 3d print, unfortunately i didn't noticr that in the files there is only one one of the two tensioners in back. Could i make it work with just one instead of two? The factory use nylon top mechanical and the picker arm doesnt slide smootly. Do you think that i sand sand it down a little bit?
Good question! I'm not sure. I know the Kodak Instant and Fotorama formats are extremely similar, but I'm not sure if they are 100% compatible, and also I'm not sure how robust the Fotorama internal mechanisms are. So it might be possible to use this or alter it to work with Fotorama cameras, but unfortunately I don't own any so I can't say for sure. And I wouldn't really recommend trying unless you're willing to break a camera or two.
I'm not really planning on selling them mostly because I wouldn't really want to take money for something that I can't really guarantee will work 100% consistently and won't damage people's cameras and stuff. There's a bit of DIY jankiness involved. That said, there are 3d printing services out there. I can't speak to how much they might cost or even if they would necessarily work with this project, but that could be an option.
I wonder what would happen if you took a brayer roller to the film after you exposed it? Would it push the chemicals into the corners and develop those areas? If I do this mod, I will have to give it a try!
Thanks for the 3D file. So, I planned to resurrect Mr. Handy Fotorama. it uses Fujifilm FI-800 (System 800). I do not know that the adaptor will work for mr. handy since I do not know Fujifilm's FI-800 cartridge. is it the same cartridge as Kodak or they have slight different?
Hello, thank you for the great work. A question, after assembled, I found that the main spring has to be 30mm long not 20mm described on thiniverse website, to get the result shown on your video. I put the 10mm and 20mm together. Am I wrong or missing something?
@@JoshGladstone Ok I understand now. So my setup will be more bouncy than yours. But it won't matter too much on crank model camera, right? Since the spring compression is done by hands. As you said the crank cameras are more robust internally. Am I understanding correctly?
I have the Pleaser Instant Camera, my dad gave it to me a couple months ago, I really want to use it, of course the Kodak PR-10 is no longer made, so I wanted to find alternatives; do you think is possible to adapt it to this model or any recommendations?
I used to use the Kodak instant camera system. I don't care in the slightest about the cameras. They were okay, but not really hugely better than Polaroid. I personally prefered the SX70. BUT the big difference is the photographs. They were night and day better than Polaroid. They were also better than Instax. Instax might use some Kodak technology, but it still makes a shiny image that looks a lot like Polaroid. Kodak instants were much less shiny, and had the look of a normal photograph enlarges on photographic paper. Polaroid and Instax have a shiny plastic look about the image that I find unpleasant. Kodak had much better colors than Polaroid and Instax as well, and was not as contrasty. They were simply much better photographs. I never forgave Polaroid for what they did in exterminating a superior instant technology. May every decision maker and lawyer at Polaroid enjoy their special place in heck. Until the day someone decides to make real Kodak instant film again, I fail to see the point in using the cameras to shoot sub-standard films in them. I find that disturbing, and a constant reminder of what we lost when Polaroid won in court over a technicality.
Oo! I don't know anyone who was actually a user so your perspective is very interesting! The trimprint feature seems like it was really cool too and isn't anything I've ever seen from Polaroid or Fuji either
@@JoshGladstone Even back then, there were few of us shooting Kodak instant compared to Polaroid, but we made up for our smaller numbers with our love of the Kodak instant prints. I remember when Polaroid was demanding we hand-in our Kodak cameras. There was a store credit/partial refund in place or something like that. I returned mine because the film was no longer available, but plenty of people refused to. Stores were ordered to destroy existing stocks of the film so it very quickly disappeared. Polaroid really were A h*les about how they did things. A good company would have used the opportunity to improve their product so it was as good as the Kodak one, but no, they just kept on making the same second rate consumer film as they always had. I should note that pro-Polaroid was much better. I loved their 4x5 and 8x10 color film, and enjoyed using PolaChrome 35mm slide film, but I refused to use SX-70 film after they screwed my Kodak instant. I was quite pleased when Polaroid eventually went bankrupt, despite some of the good things the company did in its earlier years. The company was never the same after Dr Land left the company in 1982 over the failed PolaVision products, and we have to believe that he might have been more sensible about Kodak after Polaroid won, compared to the corporate bean counters that ran the corporation into the ground after Land left. It was all very unjust. The two patents that Kodak infringed were found to be invalid, and the one patent Polaroid sued over that was valid, Kodak was found to have not infringed. However, in the years when Kodak was trying to develop their process, the engineers couldn't figure out a way to avoid that patent, so an executive wrote a memo saying basically "go ahead and infringe and let them sue us." The engineers, however, eventually did work out how to avoid infringing that patent, and the product reached the market with no actionable patent infringements. However that memo was discovered by Polaroid, and they used it to suggest that Kodak intended to infringe, and that technicality won them the case. They should never have won it, and it was a big surprise for everyone. How could a memo trump the fact that the patent was not infringed in the cameras that were sold? It was unforgivable when they immediately started destroying Kodak cameras and film. The 1 billion dollars that Kodak was ordered to pay wasn't enough for them. They had to try to take our cameras off us. They wiped out decades of goodwill toward the company in that brutal act. There was a lot of anger at the time.
@@aldoadasme4668 I've put my files up for the adapter arm for these types of cameras, but I really wouldn't recommend it. First, because I wasn't ever able to get it to work reliably with this type of camera. But more because the cameras with automatic film ejection have very brittle gear mechanisms that tend to disintegrate if they come up against any resistance. So it'd be hard to work with them without replacing those gears or something like that
I don't have a 3D printer but love this project! These old cameras have way more features than Instax cams now... Would you be able to do an image comparison with modern Instax cameras? Would be interesting to see how the old lenses stack up.
Can you please briefly describe how you take apart the handle style camera from the front? I didn't see any screws. I got two handles but unfortunately the light meter doesn't work. I'd like to open them up to see if I can fix them. Thank you.
Probably not at the moment. The cameras with automatic ejection have plastic gears that become very brittle over the years, and any resistance tends to cause them to break apart. It's possible that the gears could also be 3d printed and replaced, and that might make it feasible, but I haven't really looked into it.
There are 3d printing services out there. I can't speak to how much they might cost or even if they would necessarily work with this project, but that could be an option.
@@JoshGladstone I'll attempt to check that out, but I would be willing to pay up to about $150 for an official one. This would be a dream of mine. I love Instax Square and I want to pick up a Kodak Pleaser II. I'm assuming Wide was too wide?
No, unfortunately the ek4 has a different picker arm mechanism, so it needs a slightly different adapter, and I haven't been able to design one that works reliably enough. Yet.
@@JoshGladstone can you share your ek-4 design even though it may be a Work in progress? Maybe I can help you improving the design, I have a 3d printer an 3d design skills
Awesome video! By chance will you sell any of your prototypes? I dont know the first thing about 3d printing and I would love one if these since I live right next to the Kodak factory and collect Kodak Cameras.
Thanks! I'm not planning on selling any just because I wouldn't really want to take money for something that I can't really guarantee will work 100% consistently and won't damage people's cameras and stuff. There's a bit of DIY jankiness involved. But that said, since you're a Kodaky person, and it would be kinda cool to know someone in Rochester was using it, feel free to DM me on Instagram and maybe we can figure something out.
Amazing work. 100% keen to see the arduino project at the end come to fruition. Perhaps it could be adapted to other cameras too, especially if you choose to release it open source 🤩
dude people like you are so damn cool. I love this type of stuff. ive converted a few 600s to I type and im hooked on modding and using these dinosaurs. what are some entry level 3d printers you recommend?
Bambu Lab has really come along in the past few years and really gained a lot of trust for their reliability and quality at reasonable prices. I don't know many people who are unhappy with theirs. So I'd look at the A1 and A1 mini. Also not sponsored or anything, I'm just happy with mine it works great.
After i saw your video i tried to make the adapter myself after like 17 prototypes i gave up , my adapter worked but it never worked on my friends cameras or printers Also i have made gears for some models of later automatic cameras its available on thingiverse and printables, its so cool that you got it mostly working and released it ,also looking foward to seeing the arduino manual mod
Yeah it wasn't easy and I went through a lot of film and broke a couple cameras in the process, but I've used it on two or three cameras and it's worked fairly reliably so I figured it's good enough to release. I'll have to look up your gears on thingiverse, I've broken a couple of those cameras too! 😬
@JoshGladstone it appers as Gear for a kodamatic 960 instant camera cant share the link yt is problematic with links , also to me the ek4 and the kodamatics 960 were the models i like the best , also had good luck with "the handle" and party flash model
Yeah it's a really fun camera. I uploaded my ek4 picker arm design to Thingiverse, so maybe someone can come up with a more reliable design. I also haven't given up on it quite yet! 🤞
@@AndyTanguay Definitely it could. I've got some Arduino pro micros lying around so I might just use those, although maybe pi picos are a better choice... 🤔
I'm very excited to see this. Thank you. Probably due to the peculiarities of the printer I'm using, the parts aren't quite fitting, but that's why files and sandpaper exist. 😊
@@JoshGladstone Still working on this -- a few more pieces to print -- but what I have pieced together (frame, picker, spring, plug) actually functions in the camera. So far, so good! Thrilled.
@@JoshGladstone I'm having trouble getting the picker to push the photo up into the rollers -- I may have filed it down a bit too much -- but I was able to make a test exposure I fed through the rollers manually (everything in a dark bag, of course).
@@JoshGladstone That's nothing a little diluted coke on a brush can't fix! Plus if you only put the tape on one roller it should still pull it through I would think.
I just saw this in my feed. If I got one of those kodak cameras I would need to find a place to buy the adaptors. I don't know anyone with a 3 d printer so.. Harold and Maude. Great movie.
3d printers have been getting cheaper and better lately, but it's also a whole thing to get into so it's definitely not for everyone. Many of cities also have makerspaces or libraries that have 3d printing facilities for public use. But again, not necessarily everybody's cup of tea.
I’m in the process of moving into a new house right now, so I can’t do anything, but I almost want to contact OP and work out a licensing thing, just to crank a few hundred of these out and sell them. I’ve been in the position of not having a 3D printer and seeing things I REALLY wanted. Living in the middle of nowhere, nearest maker space to me being like 16 hours away. Hate that shit, work out something with SOMEONE, they print and sell, you get a 20% passive kickback for being the designer, they deal with printing and shipping and all that shit, and get 80%. That’s what I’d do, anyway. Or, if nobody’s doing this in a few months when I’m all settled in, I might just send you a DM.
Its working. I'm on my second pack currently. I did switch the springs to get the backplate to apply pressure. I used the .6x7x10 but didn't cut them in half. It's working better in the pleaser 2 I have. I also notice my top corners are larger than yours. I'm not sure if I can post a picture in these comments
@@MrMofophill It’s cool but pointless because the image quality does not look as good as an Instax Square camera. The Kodak instant film was far superior to anything you can get now and it really is a shame these cameras can’t be used as originally intended.
@@teleaddict23 while the instax square cameras can look better ( i have a lomo instant square glass and love it) , sometimes just using a different camera is a fun novelty. its a shame the old kodak film isnt available anymore but we arent gonna get that back anytime soon unfortunately.
![Kodak Instant Film, Shooting A Rare Extinct Film Type [Instant Shoots]](/img/1.gif)
I have been waiting yeeeears for this update! Funny thing, this week I found my self thinking "what happend to the instax-old kodak film guy?" and a while ago you uploaded this video! 😂 Thank you!!
I currently have an "incompatable" and very dirty model I got for FREE. [Party Time; looks like E4].
》That is how I found you; online articles.
Now that I know you have suceeded I may eventually acquire better model editions for this.
ALSO: 》YES PLEASE!!!!《 dive deeper into the *electronics mod* that would be amazing!!!!
Not enough afforable MANUAL instant cameras!!!!
Thank you so much for all the time you've put into this. It is greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure, many others!
Thanks! :)
This is FASCINATING.
And I'm discovering this just a DAY too late! 🤣😭
I was coming back from a vacation, and stopped in at a farmers market sort of thing and someone was selling a brand new, in box, Kodak EK4. Absolutely pristine. I googled what kind of film it took, and discovered it's long discontinued. The guy offered it to me for 10 bucks. I was SO tempted, but thought "As cool as this is, what am I ACTUALLY going to do with it? I don't need another decorative piece of vintage tech, my apartment is filled to the BRIM already.." and I left it behind.
I am now REALLY wishing I grabbed it!
EXCELLENT work man, what a cool project! 🧡
Aww
They're stupid at Kodak for not just making the damn film themselves. Shouldn't need a 3D printer just to use a camera.
(Polaroid isn't the same polaroid as back then anyways so that lawsuit is in the garbage, Kodak can just do it and everyone would love it.)
This will bring so many cameras back from the dead!! Thank you!!
🤞🤞
Very cool. My collection is mostly centered around Kodak's roll film cameras because I want to use the cameras in my collection. But I did pick up a Trimprint 920 recently to have at least one example of a Kodak instant camera. Now I'll have to look into this era of cameras more seriously.
@TheKodakCollector
@JoshGladstone
does it directly work with the newer Kodamatics too?
I bought a totally unused 950 yesterday and wasn't into this whole topic until today. It got me with a blink of an eye.
Greetings from Austria (close to where the 950s where originally produced.
@@raab.himself I don't know since I've been shooting with roll film for an exhibit I'm putting together for next March. I haven't had time to try to hack my instant camera yet.
You think this would work on a pleaser 1? my grandma had one and i was given it after she passed, could'nt find film for it anywhere and it's been a paperweight for a while now
So many of these cameras can be used now!!! That’s amazing!! 🎉🎉
Man, I just found an old Kodak Ek4 and I really want to use it soon!
I've been having some trouble printing this, also on a P1s. There's a lot of friction in the arm and base assembly that prevents it from sliding smoothly, and even after sanding it down it still feels like something's stuck. It also doesn't seem to be hitting the instax cartridge enough to catch on anything.
Would you be willing to share a screenshot of your print settings? I tried what you've got listed on the thingiverse page (0.08 layer height and supports as the big ones) and I'm not sure what I've got going wrong at this point.
Sorry you're having trouble! It's pretty much the default 0.08 Extra Fine profile with Default Snug supports. I changed the support x distances to make it easier to remove, but that's pretty much it, and that wouldn't affect the print.
Someone else also told me that they printed it and it didn't move smoothly. I just printed/measured this calibration print (www.printables.com/model/164261) to make sure my printer isn't off, and it looks pretty dimensionally accurate, so I'm not sure what the issue could be.
@@JoshGladstone got it! I was running on the default high quality but I’ll give it a shot on extra fine to see if that makes a difference. thanks for responding!
Now, to see if an adapter can work with a Polaroid Spectra
I've been working on adapters myself off and on for the last few months now, so this is amazing to see!! You are a hero
A question that came to my mind for which I could not find an answer is why, throughout their history, photography companies have not produced cameras that shoot photographic or instant cinematic films of the 35mm, 16mm, or 8mm category, since you shoot the film and the film comes out immediately ready, as we saw on video, and we can then watch it as slides, or Animated images using a projector, without the need for development via a developer and installation. Does anyone have an answer?!
They tried! Look up "Polavision" on Wikipeida
@@JoshGladstone ok thanks.. 😊
may i ask which springs exactly did you use?
For the main spring in the adapter, I used a .6 x 7 x 20mm 10 lap spring that was then stretched to be about 35 or 40mm. For the spring back plate adapter, I used a .6 x 7 x 10mm 6 lap spring. There's a link in the description to the exact set of springs I used.
Hello, will it be possible for you to design two springs setup instead of one for the back pressing parts? I found that PLA bars bent too easily, thus can not apply force evenly across the Instax pack, only in the middle where the spring is. When the back press bar bent, they did not provide sufficient pressure, especially close to the side where the picker is, thus my picker constent fail to do its job. Thank you.
On second thoughts, I think my problem originates from the springs. I can not get the? exact springs you have, so I just use 0.6x7x10mm and 0.6x7x30mm instead. They might be too bouncy, especially the 0.6x7x10mm, they may push on the pack too hard so that no sheets will leave the cartridge. I'll try smaller diameter 0.5 0.4 and 0.3 in the coming days.
This is so cool! I have the Kodak Handle, but there's one thing concerning me: should the picker arm and counter move when you turn the handle, even if you don't have battery inserted? Because mine only moves the rollers...
@@remvaizor3522 there's a little lever inside the film compartment that needs to be held down for it to function. Inserting a cartridge presses it down
Holy fuck, I need more of this shit now!!! I just bought the Kodak pleaser today, and I'm so fucking excited to use it, and this is going to be such a fun project for me and my friend to do!!
Cool! Let me know if you get it working!
Thank you Josh!! I was just a few weeks from having your first model printed and the you release this just in time for me get the updated model. Appreciate your work 👍🏻
Extraordinary! I have the EK-20 but doesn't the camera need a very odd battery in order to work? I'm surprised you didn't mention that 😮
@@lobomella128 it is an odd battery, but you can get them on Amazon for pretty cheap so they're still readily available
Hello, in 7:55 what kind of flash is that? I only find filp-flash, not reusable like yours. Thanks.
@@wujiali1117 Kodak made some first party electronic flashes for their instant camera line, as did third party companies. This is a "Magicflash" by a company called ITT. They also made third party flashes for Polaroids and other cameras. You should be able to find a small variety of electronic flashes for Kodak instant cameras on ebay. I chose the ITT because I liked the design and it has an integrated flip down diffuser which is neat. Note: if you're going to get a flash on eBay, make sure it fits your specific model, there are a few different ones
Please please please get the mini adapter working well
This is so cool and it would be rad to be able to just be able to go to a local place and pick up mini Instax rather than having to order square Instax off of Amazon or something
Thank you for your work here
This is so cool!
@@McNastehP I'm not sure if they all do, but my local Best Buy does stock Instax square film
oh well - spent the weekend and... it works mechanical 🙂 yesss
but it seems that the light meter on the ek4 is broken - at least the battery test button doesn`t make the led turn on and the sheets are over exposed. battery is new and still goog - tried to clean the contacts scratching them. any ideas how to fix that? any sources on that available? mmmh - help is welcome 🙂
I also do have a ek8, but I guess the adapter (the pickup) needs to be modified. are there infos on which camera the pickups work? (beside the ek4-one)
Only works on the large Handle type cameras att the moment. I uploaded the latest version I made for the ek4 but it's not super reliable. Might be a good starting point for tinkering though, if someone is interested.
As far as why your ek4 might not be working, the number one reason would be corrosion. Do you notice any blue-green battery corrosion anywhere in the battery compartment? People leave batteries in there for decades and leak into the camera internals. I had this happen to a Handle camera, but I was able to take it apart and soak everything in vinegar to remove the corrosion and free up the shutter, and then I had to repair a couple of traces on the circuit board with some wire. Which did fix it. Not sure how to fully disassemble the ek4 at the moment though.
This is so cool, thank you!
ok, arduino bonus got me really excited, I look forward for this episode 😁😁
:)
Hi John, I have just sent your files to a company that does 3D printing to produce your adapter for using Instax cartridges in old Kodak cameras, but I’m having trouble finding the right springs. I found springs that are .65x7x20mm and .65x7x10mm; could these work instead? Thanks.
@@Federico84 should be alright, but you'll have to try to know for sure
I've just got the 3d print, unfortunately i didn't noticr that in the files there is only one one of the two tensioners in back. Could i make it work with just one instead of two? The factory use nylon top mechanical and the picker arm doesnt slide smootly. Do you think that i sand sand it down a little bit?
Cool! Will this adapter work with a Kadak EK2?
I believe the EK2 is the same as The Handle, so yes it should work
@@JoshGladstone Hi,
Yes this is true. The EK2 is the handle. Thank you for this.
will this adapter works on fotorama system as well?
anyway thanks for sharing❤
Good question! I'm not sure. I know the Kodak Instant and Fotorama formats are extremely similar, but I'm not sure if they are 100% compatible, and also I'm not sure how robust the Fotorama internal mechanisms are. So it might be possible to use this or alter it to work with Fotorama cameras, but unfortunately I don't own any so I can't say for sure. And I wouldn't really recommend trying unless you're willing to break a camera or two.
Really interesting thanks for posting this. Can the adapter be purchased for those of us that do not have a 3-D printer?
I'm not really planning on selling them mostly because I wouldn't really want to take money for something that I can't really guarantee will work 100% consistently and won't damage people's cameras and stuff. There's a bit of DIY jankiness involved.
That said, there are 3d printing services out there. I can't speak to how much they might cost or even if they would necessarily work with this project, but that could be an option.
Okay. Thank you.
thanks for doing this! we need more! subscribed!
Thanks!
What's the difference with the pleaser and the other handle camera?
@@FrankAndPhotoTutorialsFilm speed. The Pleaser II expects ISO 320 film, while the other Handle cameras expect ISO 160 film.
I wonder what would happen if you took a brayer roller to the film after you exposed it? Would it push the chemicals into the corners and develop those areas? If I do this mod, I will have to give it a try!
Thanks for the 3D file.
So, I planned to resurrect Mr. Handy Fotorama.
it uses Fujifilm FI-800 (System 800).
I do not know that the adaptor will work for mr. handy since I do not know Fujifilm's FI-800 cartridge.
is it the same cartridge as Kodak or they have slight different?
Amazing work! I just purchased an EK4 and EK6. I am very interested in your adapter for the EK4. I hope to see more content soon!
Hello, thank you for the great work. A question, after assembled, I found that the main spring has to be 30mm long not 20mm described on thiniverse website, to get the result shown on your video. I put the 10mm and 20mm together. Am I wrong or missing something?
@@wujiali1117 For the main spring in the adapter, I used a .6 x 7 x 20mm 10 lap spring that was then stretched to be about 35 or 40mm
@@JoshGladstone Ok I understand now. So my setup will be more bouncy than yours. But it won't matter too much on crank model camera, right? Since the spring compression is done by hands. As you said the crank cameras are more robust internally. Am I understanding correctly?
I have the Pleaser Instant Camera, my dad gave it to me a couple months ago, I really want to use it, of course the Kodak PR-10 is no longer made, so I wanted to find alternatives; do you think is possible to adapt it to this model or any recommendations?
@@DanielaGarciaBalderas-g8t yes this works for the Pleaser camera, but the exposure might be a little off. You can still get good pictures though
@@JoshGladstone Thank you so much!
I used to use the Kodak instant camera system. I don't care in the slightest about the cameras. They were okay, but not really hugely better than
Polaroid. I personally prefered the SX70.
BUT the big difference is the photographs. They were night and day better than Polaroid. They were also better than Instax. Instax might use some Kodak technology, but it still makes a shiny image that looks a lot like Polaroid. Kodak instants were much less shiny, and had the look of a normal photograph enlarges on photographic paper. Polaroid and Instax have a shiny plastic look about the image that I find unpleasant. Kodak had much better colors than Polaroid and Instax as well, and was not as contrasty. They were simply much better photographs. I never forgave Polaroid for what they did in exterminating a superior instant technology. May every decision maker and lawyer at Polaroid enjoy their special place in heck.
Until the day someone decides to make real Kodak instant film again, I fail to see the point in using the cameras to shoot sub-standard films in them. I find that disturbing, and a constant reminder of what we lost when Polaroid won in court over a technicality.
Oo! I don't know anyone who was actually a user so your perspective is very interesting! The trimprint feature seems like it was really cool too and isn't anything I've ever seen from Polaroid or Fuji either
@@JoshGladstone Even back then, there were few of us shooting Kodak instant compared to Polaroid, but we made up for our smaller numbers with our love of the Kodak instant prints.
I remember when Polaroid was demanding we hand-in our Kodak cameras. There was a store credit/partial refund in place or something like that. I returned mine because the film was no longer available, but plenty of people refused to. Stores were ordered to destroy existing stocks of the film so it very quickly disappeared. Polaroid really were A h*les about how they did things. A good company would have used the opportunity to improve their product so it was as good as the Kodak one, but no, they just kept on making the same second rate consumer film as they always had.
I should note that pro-Polaroid was much better. I loved their 4x5 and 8x10 color film, and enjoyed using PolaChrome 35mm slide film, but I refused to use SX-70 film after they screwed my Kodak instant.
I was quite pleased when Polaroid eventually went bankrupt, despite some of the good things the company did in its earlier years. The company was never the same after Dr Land left the company in 1982 over the failed PolaVision products, and we have to believe that he might have been more sensible about Kodak after Polaroid won, compared to the corporate bean counters that ran the corporation into the ground after Land left.
It was all very unjust. The two patents that Kodak infringed were found to be invalid, and the one patent Polaroid sued over that was valid, Kodak was found to have not infringed. However, in the years when Kodak was trying to develop their process, the engineers couldn't figure out a way to avoid that patent, so an executive wrote a memo saying basically "go ahead and infringe and let them sue us." The engineers, however, eventually did work out how to avoid infringing that patent, and the product reached the market with no actionable patent infringements. However that memo was discovered by Polaroid, and they used it to suggest that Kodak intended to infringe, and that technicality won them the case. They should never have won it, and it was a big surprise for everyone. How could a memo trump the fact that the patent was not infringed in the cameras that were sold? It was unforgivable when they immediately started destroying Kodak cameras and film. The 1 billion dollars that Kodak was ordered to pay wasn't enough for them. They had to try to take our cameras off us. They wiped out decades of goodwill toward the company in that brutal act. There was a lot of anger at the time.
thank you sir ,but i think we can use instax wide👍
I don't think so, Instax Wide is 4.25" wide, and Kodak Instant film was 4", so Instax Wide won't fit in the camera
Hi i have a EK160 , can i use your cartridge conversion?? Or i need a used one for the converssion? Thanks
@@aldoadasme4668 I've put my files up for the adapter arm for these types of cameras, but I really wouldn't recommend it. First, because I wasn't ever able to get it to work reliably with this type of camera. But more because the cameras with automatic film ejection have very brittle gear mechanisms that tend to disintegrate if they come up against any resistance. So it'd be hard to work with them without replacing those gears or something like that
@@JoshGladstonebut maybe will work on it? Just the gear its your con, ?
thats brilliant - I will give it a try 🙂 - do you mind also sharing the pressure adjustment bracket für ek-4?
Sure, I've added it to the Thingiverse page
@@JoshGladstone thanx
How did you remove the front bezel?
The metal faceplate pops off, there are a couple screws to remove, and then the cover slides off.
I don't have a 3D printer but love this project! These old cameras have way more features than Instax cams now... Would you be able to do an image comparison with modern Instax cameras? Would be interesting to see how the old lenses stack up.
Can you please briefly describe how you take apart the handle style camera from the front? I didn't see any screws. I got two handles but unfortunately the light meter doesn't work. I'd like to open them up to see if I can fix them. Thank you.
So I can't use it in a Kodak ek 200 or yes
Probably not at the moment. The cameras with automatic ejection have plastic gears that become very brittle over the years, and any resistance tends to cause them to break apart. It's possible that the gears could also be 3d printed and replaced, and that might make it feasible, but I haven't really looked into it.
this is great, i just grabbed a new in box ek2 (the handle for euro markets) for $5
How can non-3-D printers buy one of these?
There are 3d printing services out there. I can't speak to how much they might cost or even if they would necessarily work with this project, but that could be an option.
@@JoshGladstone I'll attempt to check that out, but I would be willing to pay up to about $150 for an official one. This would be a dream of mine. I love Instax Square and I want to pick up a Kodak Pleaser II.
I'm assuming Wide was too wide?
I have a happy times camera for ya! Hmu
Can I purchase this off someone?
I guess it works in a EK-4, right? Thanks for sharing!!!
No, unfortunately the ek4 has a different picker arm mechanism, so it needs a slightly different adapter, and I haven't been able to design one that works reliably enough. Yet.
@@JoshGladstone can you share your ek-4 design even though it may be a Work in progress? Maybe I can help you improving the design, I have a 3d printer an 3d design skills
@@VirtualTechie Sure. I've added the EK-4 picker arm file to the thingiverse link. Good luck! Be careful!
@@JoshGladstone legend!
Bro, this is so dope!
Awesome video! By chance will you sell any of your prototypes? I dont know the first thing about 3d printing and I would love one if these since I live right next to the Kodak factory and collect Kodak Cameras.
Thanks! I'm not planning on selling any just because I wouldn't really want to take money for something that I can't really guarantee will work 100% consistently and won't damage people's cameras and stuff. There's a bit of DIY jankiness involved.
But that said, since you're a Kodaky person, and it would be kinda cool to know someone in Rochester was using it, feel free to DM me on Instagram and maybe we can figure something out.
Man you are a genius
Well done! I think there are going to be a lot of the old kodak cameras brought back out of retirement after this!
Amazing work.
100% keen to see the arduino project at the end come to fruition. Perhaps it could be adapted to other cameras too, especially if you choose to release it open source 🤩
Thanks! And yeah I would absolutely release this sort of thing. :)
dude people like you are so damn cool. I love this type of stuff. ive converted a few 600s to I type and im hooked on modding and using these dinosaurs. what are some entry level 3d printers you recommend?
Bambu Lab has really come along in the past few years and really gained a lot of trust for their reliability and quality at reasonable prices. I don't know many people who are unhappy with theirs. So I'd look at the A1 and A1 mini. Also not sponsored or anything, I'm just happy with mine it works great.
After i saw your video i tried to make the adapter myself after like 17 prototypes i gave up , my adapter worked but it never worked on my friends cameras or printers
Also i have made gears for some models of later automatic cameras its available on thingiverse and printables, its so cool that you got it mostly working and released it ,also looking foward to seeing the arduino manual mod
Yeah it wasn't easy and I went through a lot of film and broke a couple cameras in the process, but I've used it on two or three cameras and it's worked fairly reliably so I figured it's good enough to release. I'll have to look up your gears on thingiverse, I've broken a couple of those cameras too! 😬
@JoshGladstone it appers as Gear for a kodamatic 960 instant camera cant share the link yt is problematic with links , also to me the ek4 and the kodamatics 960 were the models i like the best , also had good luck with "the handle" and party flash model
I may just share my file as iss aswell maybe someone with more interested can pick both of our desing and made one even better or improved on one them
Make the fraken camera
I have an EK4 and I would SOOOO love to get that working again
Yeah it's a really fun camera. I uploaded my ek4 picker arm design to Thingiverse, so maybe someone can come up with a more reliable design. I also haven't given up on it quite yet! 🤞
This is too cool! I’d love to see the EK4 going. Love the look of it.
Yeah, it's a cool camera for sure
The new brains microcontroller sounds like an incredible add on too. Maybe a pico can handle it? Cheap cheap cheap.
@@AndyTanguay Definitely it could. I've got some Arduino pro micros lying around so I might just use those, although maybe pi picos are a better choice... 🤔
You have no idea how much I wanted an update from this project.
Awesome! :)
Dude that arduino project looks cool af
@@holyvanguard thanks!!
Why not Instax wide film?
Instax Wide is just a little bit too wide to fit in the camera, unfortunately.
Good stuff!
I'm very excited to see this. Thank you. Probably due to the peculiarities of the printer I'm using, the parts aren't quite fitting, but that's why files and sandpaper exist. 😊
Good luck!!
@@JoshGladstone Still working on this -- a few more pieces to print -- but what I have pieced together (frame, picker, spring, plug) actually functions in the camera. So far, so good! Thrilled.
@@gentleman-shutterbug sick!
@@JoshGladstone I'm having trouble getting the picker to push the photo up into the rollers -- I may have filed it down a bit too much -- but I was able to make a test exposure I fed through the rollers manually (everything in a dark bag, of course).
This is great news! Thank you for all the work, and for sharing the info!
Brilliant
may i ask which springs exactly did you use?
gonna snag that coke camera off ebay, love your mod bro
Josh this is amazing. I am getting ready to print the files now with that same printer. Followed you on IG as well.
Thanks budd.
Amazing! Let me know how it goes. Good luck!!
This is a super interesting project! Thanks for sharing all you have done, subscribed to see what’s next! Loved all the bonus content too!
Thanks!!
You are such a legend for doing all that work and posting the files. Could you apply kapton tape to a roller to thicken it a hair?
Interesting idea! Possibly! The rollers have a grippy texture on them because they need to pull the photo through, but it's worth a shot!
@@JoshGladstone That's nothing a little diluted coke on a brush can't fix! Plus if you only put the tape on one roller it should still pull it through I would think.
This is really cool, i want one
I just bought one of the automatic ejection cameras and it seems you just saved me how to actually take a picture with it
Be careful! I've broken a few of those... Good luck!
Amazing job
I just saw this in my feed. If I got one of those kodak cameras I would need to find a place to buy the adaptors. I don't know anyone with a 3 d printer so.. Harold and Maude. Great movie.
3d printers have been getting cheaper and better lately, but it's also a whole thing to get into so it's definitely not for everyone. Many of cities also have makerspaces or libraries that have 3d printing facilities for public use. But again, not necessarily everybody's cup of tea.
@@JoshGladstone I would rather buy one already made. Easier for me.
I’m in the process of moving into a new house right now, so I can’t do anything, but I almost want to contact OP and work out a licensing thing, just to crank a few hundred of these out and sell them. I’ve been in the position of not having a 3D printer and seeing things I REALLY wanted. Living in the middle of nowhere, nearest maker space to me being like 16 hours away. Hate that shit, work out something with SOMEONE, they print and sell, you get a 20% passive kickback for being the designer, they deal with printing and shipping and all that shit, and get 80%. That’s what I’d do, anyway. Or, if nobody’s doing this in a few months when I’m all settled in, I might just send you a DM.
I'm going to get one of these printed!
Please do continue with the manual control. I'd buy one if you made it available
OK it's printed and my springs have arrived. Time to assemble
Its working. I'm on my second pack currently. I did switch the springs to get the backplate to apply pressure. I used the .6x7x10 but didn't cut them in half. It's working better in the pleaser 2 I have.
I also notice my top corners are larger than yours. I'm not sure if I can post a picture in these comments
What I meant by too corners is the developer spread misses more of the top corners
Or you could just buy an Instax square camera?
bringing back an old long dead camera system is cool , it's not practical really but it helps keep part of history alive.
@@MrMofophill It’s cool but pointless because the image quality does not look as good as an Instax Square camera. The Kodak instant film was far superior to anything you can get now and it really is a shame these cameras can’t be used as originally intended.
@@teleaddict23 while the instax square cameras can look better ( i have a lomo instant square glass and love it) , sometimes just using a different camera is a fun novelty. its a shame the old kodak film isnt available anymore but we arent gonna get that back anytime soon unfortunately.