Smile! Kodak launches new instant camera, the Smile Classic

The Kodak Smile Classic is an instant ID camera that puts your snapshots right in your hands. With an image size of 8.9 x 10.9 centimeters, the camera prints the largest photos of all Kodak instant cameras using ink-less zinc paper with an adhesive backing. The camera can also be paired with smartphones or tablets via Bluetooth to print snapshots from a mobile device. The free Kodak Instant Print App allows you to edit your photos beforehand, too.

The app also has an augmented reality function. Videos with a length of up to 30 seconds can be integrated into photos via the app. If the photo is then printed out via the Kodak Smile Classic, the video information is included in the image. As soon as the instant image is scanned by a smartphone or tablet via the Kodak Smile App, the video is visible on the device.

The Kodak Smile Classic is already available in stores. The instant camera costs $150 (recommended retail price). That sounds quite affordable at first, but the zinc paper is not cheap at all. A package of 20 sheets in the much smaller size of 50 x 76 mm already costs $9 for Kodak cameras. The larger format of the Kodak Smile Classic should be even more expensive. So the retro charm of the printed pictures has its price despite the relatively cheap hardware. At IFA 2019 you can have a look at the camera in Hall 3.2 at booth number 132 and try it out.

By the way, the name Kodak is now licensed for different products by different companies, there is not much left of the former camera cult brand. The Kodak Smile Classic is distributed by C+A Global. The not-so-successful Kodak Ektra smartphone, introduced a few years ago, came from the Bullitt Group.