For sale is a vintage 1960s KODAK HAWKEYE INSTAMATIC MODEL B MOVIE CAMERA. Camera is untested but appears to be good condition. The Kodak Hawkeye Movie Camera was patented in 1963 by Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. The 8 mm film movie camera has a Kodak Ektanar Lens 14m f/2.7 and is made of plastic. This camera has an articulating handle which folds flat onto the case. The camera is powered by two AA batteries that are loaded into the handle. One side of the handle has instructions for the lens setting based on light conditions. The camera has an on/ off switch to film and takes a Super 8 Film Cartridge.
In 1880, George Eastman leased the third floor of a building on State Street in Rochester N.Y. to manufacture dry plates. In 1888, Eastman registered the trademark Kodak and produced the first model of the Kodak camera. In 1889, the Eastman Company was formed and in 1892 was renamed the Eastman Kodak Company. In 1895, the company made the first pocket Kodak camera which sold for $5. In 1900, the Brownie camera was introduced, creating a new mass market for photography. By 1920, an “Autographic Feature” provided a means for recording data on the margin of the negative at the time of exposure. In 1932, George Eastman committed suicide at age 77. His suicide note read, “To my friends: My work is done. Why wait?”
As late as 1976, Kodak commanded 90% of film sales and 85% of camera sales in the U.S. The emergence of digital cameras sparked a death spiral for this iconic American company.
