Footage taken by the new Kodak Super 8 camera looks amazing, but questions linger on whether its reported price tag of between $2,500 and $3,000 is a good deal.
The Kodak Super 8 camera, unveiled at CES 2016, was previously planned to be released in the fall of that year with a price tag of $400 to $750.
Kodak Super 8 Camera: Is It Worth It?
The new Kodak Super 8 camera is part of the Super 8 Revival Initiative, which looks to celebrate the Super 8 film that inspired most of this generation's top filmmakers.
In an official blog post, Kodak uploaded footage taken by the upcoming device. The video, which was shot by cinematographers such as Nick Green and fashion photographers for GQ, features the soft grain, the organic-looking flares, and the low-resolution, high-contrast blend that characterized Super 8 film.
However, while the video looks amazing, there are concerns surrounding the camera's price. Kodak revealed that the Super 8 camera does not yet have a definite price, but it will range from $2,500 to $3,000 when it is released sometime this year.
At that price, the new Kodak Super 8 camera will cost about the same as a high-end digital camera, which will only require editing software and not special film editing suites. As such, the new Kodak Super 8 camera will likely be more of a novelty for filmmakers who can afford it instead of a device that can revive the use of film in making movies.
Meanwhile, at CES 2018, Kodak's Super 8 Camera Program Director explained that the massive delay on the Super 8 camera's release was partly because knowledge on film cameras has mostly been forgotten at Kodak.
"Our biggest challenge has been rebuilding the engineering knowledge that's been lost over the last few decades since the last Super 8 cameras were produced in volume," Parsons said.
Kodak Reborn With Super 8 Camera, Ektra Phone, And Kodakcoin
Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012 primarily because it failed to keep up with modern technologies. However, the company was able to stay afloat by selling some of its patents to big tech companies.
Kodak now finds itself reborn, beginning with the new Super 8 camera and followed by the announcement of the photography-centric Ektra smartphone, which was released in the United States last year. Kodak has even revealed plans to launch its own cryptocurrency called Kodakcoin.
However, with the massive price tag of the new Super 8 camera, it remains to be seen how long Kodak can keep itself open for business.
