Kodak Motormatic 35 (1960-1962)

The Kodak Motormatic 35 is a fancier version of the Kodak Automatic 35. The differences from the Automatic 35 include a spring-wound film advance, more shutter speeds and guide number aperture settings for flash. The original Motormatic used a pin-and-screw flasholder. Later versions had built-in sockets for either AG-1 flash bulbs (Motormatic 35F) or flash cubes (Motormatic 35R4) and dropped the manual aperture settings. The original Motormatic 35 was produced from 1960 to 1962. The 35R4, the last 35mm made in the USA, was produced from 1965 to 1969. Kodak produced only cartridge loading cameras (Instamatic and Pocket Instamatic) in the US after 1969.

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 The Motormatic 35 has a coated f/2.8-32 44mm Kodak Ektanar lens, focusing from 3 ft. to infinity, in a Kodak Automatic Flash Shutter that has speeds of 1/40, 1/80, 1/125 and 1/250 second. The lens has three elements and is made using glass containing thorium dioxide, making it slightly radioactive. The levels are low enough to produce no health risk. The shutter syncs with flash bulbs at 1/40 second. The shutter and lens can be set to use flash guide numbers from 35 to 340 by depressing a catch on the rim of the shutter and setting an index next to the guide number. This causes the aperture to be set to the correct value for the distance the lens is focused. When the shutter is set for daylight exposures the aperture is set by the built-in light meter or set manually by moving a catch to the right of the eyepiece and turning a wheel under the eyepiece.

The light meter uses a selenium cell and does not need a battery. The meter can be set for ASA film speeds from 10 to 800. To avoid overexposure the shutter speed setting and film speed setting interact to limit the shutter speed to a range the meter can work with. For example, when the film speed is set to 800 the shutter speed can only be set to 1/250. ASA 160 is the fastest film speed you can set and still use 1/40 (the slowest) shutter speed. To avoid underexposure a low light flag appears in the lower left of the viewfinder. The meter sets the aperture by a trap needle system. The selenium cell is connected to a galvanometer on the top of the camera. When the aperture setting is on automatic pressing the shutter release sets the aperture in response to the movement of the needle. The aperture also can be set manually on the original Motormatic 35. The 35F and 35R4 lack the manual aperture feature.

The film advances with every press of the shutter release using a spring motor wound by a knob on the bottom of the camera. The photographer can rewind the film by pressing a release lever on the front of the camera and turning a knob on the top of the camera. The spring driven motor originally provided 10 exposures. The photographer will need to wind up the motor a few times before the roll of film is finished. Age has reduced the capacity of the spring motor on mine and I only get about four pictures before I need to wind up again. The rewind lever also allows the photographer to release the tension on the spring motor in order to take a picture without automatically (and noisily) advancing the film after the exposure. The photographer can wind up the motor when it is convenient to get ready for the next picture.

The viewfinder has bright frame lines and shows whether the lens is focused for close-ups, groups or scenes. A warning appears when the aperture is on a manual setting. This camera is a scale focuser. You need to estimate or measure the distance to your subject, then set the distance using the scale on the lens. The camera originally came with exposure cards that fit a holder on the back and provided instructions for setting the camera for different Kodak films. The back of the camera also reminded you to use Kodak film and to rewind the film promptly. This was marketed as a camera for color slides of the family. The list price in 1960 was $109.50 ($942 in depreciated 2018 dollars), making this camera a significant purchase.