A couple of years ago I disguised my Fujifilm X-T5 as a Kodak model, programmed with Kodak-inspired Film Simulation Recipes, which I took to the Grand Canyon. I made a YouTube video about the experience. In the video I wondered how the camera industry might look different today had Kodak made retro-styled cameras with built-in Kodak film aesthetics. We will never know, because Kodak never did it. After they filed for bankruptcy, Kodak was split multiple ways, with the digital camera arm going to JK Imaging.
Today’s digital Kodak cameras, which are digicams that look straight out of 2009, are incredibly popular right now. They aren’t made by Kodak, though, because Kodak no longer makes digital cameras. JK Imaging owns the licenses, and uses the Kodak name. Interestingly, an upcoming Kodak branded camera is coming soon that is retro-styled and has Kodak-themed Film Simulations: the C10. Make no mistake, this is still a digicam; however, there is no doubt that the popularity of Fujifilm models like the X100VI are a major inspiration.
The Kodak C10 will apparently have Kodachrome, Ektachrome, and Kodacolor profiles. That’s cool, and it makes a lot of sense. This is something JK Imaging should have done years ago. Where I would caution getting too excited is that this isn’t Kodak’s color science. Unlike Fujifilm, JK Imaging isn’t relying on a vast history of film, or using those who actually make the film to help create the digital replications. It would be different if Eastman Kodak was making the C10, but they’re not—it’s just marketing and branding by JK Imaging.
This is not to say that the camera won’t be fun, because it very well might be. I’m certain it will sell like hotcakes. It’s a smart (and overdue) move. But I’d be highly surprised if the three Kodak-named profiles actually accurately replicate the films that they are named after. I also don’t expect the IQ to be particularly impressive. None of that really matters, though, because people will buy it. In all likelihood, the Kodak C10 will be the number one selling camera of 2027, and maybe 2026, too, depending on when it is released.