The Kodak Instamatic 100 model camera is a simple box camera made of metal and plastic, with red details, and a wrist strap. It has a pop-up flash that takes a small single flash bulb, with two AAA batteries to power it. The camera uses size 126 film on a drop-in plastic cartridge, which eliminated the need to thread film on a spool.

The Instamatic 100 was part of the Instamatic camera range which was launched worldwide in 1963. Just like other influential Kodak products before it, such as the Brownie camera, this small and compact camera revolutionised amateur photography.

The Instamatic range was inexpensive and simple to use, and it had two key features that made it very attractive to novice photographers. Firstly, loading the camera with film was fast and easy. Users only had to drop a film cartridge into the back of the camera - the Kodapak 126 and later the Kodapak 110. Secondly, the Instamatic came with built-in flash capability for indoor and night photography, and took colour and black and white print film as well as colour slide film. The camera was hugely popular and by 1970, 50 million instamatics had been made worldwide. The launch of the Instamatic was the first time in the history of Kodak that a product was released simultaneously around the world. Hence, Kodak Australasia began production of lnstamatic cameras in the same year that the USA, Britain and other countries did - 1963.

The Instamatic 100 model was produced in Australia by the Camera Reels and Sundries Department in Building 15 at Kodak Australasia's new factory in Coburg. It was assembled from imported parts.

Museums Victoria holds one Instamatic 100 camera and some associated marketing material.


References

Kodakery, No. 82, September 1977, p.3

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