Kodak is going back to its film legacy to develop a new product. It is reviving the famous Super 8 camera and film, which the company says is an initiative aimed at putting the Super 8 movie cameras into the hands of a new generation of filmmakers, as well as meeting the needs of top directors.
The product is being introduced at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with a prototype of a new Kodak Super 8 camera that combines the classic features of that camera along with some digital features.
Kodak is laying out plans for a range of cameras, film development services and post production tools, what CEO Jeff Clarke calls “ an ecosystem for film.” Kodak is marking 50 years since the Super 8 camera was introduced. Production stopped in 1982, but film for the camera is still made.
Kodak released quotes from several filmmakers supporting the revival of the Super 8 camera, including Steven Spielberg, who said that film is “just more alive and it imbues an image with mystery,” and JJ Abrams, who calls a brand new Super 8 camera “a dream come true.”
Buyers of the new Super 8 camera who get the film processed by Kodak will be able to get a digital copy of their film and the new camera will feature a digital viewfinder.
Clarke is quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying the first new Super 8 camera is expected to be available in the fall of this year, and it’s likely to cost between $400 to $750 with a lower-cost version coming out next year.
