Kodak VR35 K12 (1986-1989)

Eastman Kodak Company stopped making 35 mm cameras in 1969 owing to the phenomenal success of the cartridge loading Instamatic cameras. The popularity of cartridge loading cameras gradually declined as compact point-and-shoot cameras with autofocus and automatic film loading became available.  Kodak re-introduced a new line of point-and-shoot 35 mm cameras in 1986 and discontinued the last of the Instamatic cameras in 1988. This camera was manufactured for Kodak by Chinon Industries. Kodak had a close relationship with Chinon and eventually bought the company in 2004.

Front - Closed

Front - Open

Back

The K12 has a plastic body with a flip up flash. The lens is a four element, f/2.8 35 mm Kodak Ektar lens with an aspherical lens element that was made by Eastman in Rochester, NY. The shutter is electronically timed from 1/8 to 1/500 second. The film is advanced automatically after each picture and rewinds automatically at the end of the roll. Flipping up the flash uncovers the lens and turns on the camera. Auto focusing is by an infrared sensor through two "eyes" next to the lens. Exposure is programmed auto exposure. Film speed is set to ASA 100, 200, 400 or 1000 by the DX code on the film cassette. Operation is almost completely automatic. This is a camera in the tradition of the first Kodak of 100 years earlier - "You press the button and we do the rest." The controls are the shutter button, a self-timer switch, a switch for fill flash in daylight, and a switch to rewind the film mid-roll. The flash fires automatically in low light. The camera takes a now-discontinued size 323, 9V lithium battery. A 9V transistor radio battery will power the camera, but runs down pretty quickly. The use of a transistor radio battery was anticipated by Kodak because the battery compartment has contacts for the transistor radio and a sticker to show the right way to put it in. The list price was an expensive $200 in 1986. It was discontinued in 1989. They are cheap today. The K12 was the second best of the VR35s. The top of the line K14 "Medalist" was similar, but had in addition a data back to imprint the date on the negative, and a switch to turn off the flash. The bottom of the line VR35 K2 had a hot shoe for flash, a fixed focus, fixed aperture lens, a single shutter speed, and manual film advance and rewind.

The VR35 name ties in with the Kodak VR-G film that came out about the same time. VR technology is still used in current Kodak film.