Kodak retina | FUJI X WEEKLY

A New Kodak Moment — And Fujifilm Should Follow

*A Kodak Moment* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Yesterday, the New York Times published a story entitled The Kodak Brand Gets a Second Life. In South Korea, there are over 120 Kodak Apparel stores that sell shirts, hats, sunglasses, handbags, luggage, and more with the Kodak logo on them. Kodak Apparel isn’t a part of Eastman Kodak, but a different company called Highlight Brands that simply licenses the name from Kodak. While Kodak Apparel is currently huge in South Korea, it hasn’t quite caught on worldwide… yet.

The New York Times suggests that this is a part of an international trend that’s being dubbed newtro, a combination of new and retro. Newtro describes something that is brand-new but seems to be or nods to something that’s vintage. Many Fujifilm cameras, like the X-E5, X100VI, X-T5, X-T50, X-M5, and X half, fall into this category. The X-Pro would, too, if they were currently making one.

What’s old is cool again. While antiques and vintage things are “in” right now, so are things that just seem to be retro or pay homage to that. It shouldn’t be surprising that Kodak clothes are extremely trendy in South Korea. What is surprising is that companies like Kodak and Fujifilm aren’t doing more to capitalize on the newtro movement. Yes, Fujifilm is certainly benefiting from it when it comes to camera sales, but they could be doing so much more.

People want to sport their favorite brands. As my kids would say, they want their fit to be fire. I would wear a Kodak Film shirt, and carry Kodachrome duffle bag. These things need to become available everywhere, and not just in South Korea. While Fujifilm does have a merch store, it’s pretty small with only a handful of options, and most if it isn’t newtro. Even if they have no interest in becoming an apparel brand, Fujifilm could license out their logo—especially their old emblems and trademarks—for other companies to use. I don’t know if they realize just how big this could be.

*Fujifilm Drip* – NYC, NY – Fujifilm X-T50 – Pacific Blues

Shirts, sweaters, jackets, and things like that are obvious options that both Kodak and Fujifilm should sell (or license to a third-party to sell). But camera accessories—straps, bags, etc.—should not be overlooked. For Kodak, why not license to a camera brand? There could be a Leica M11 Kodak collectors edition, with some red and yellow trim, for example. Or—shockingly—a Kodak edition of a Fujifilm camera, something like my faux Kodak Retina.

Fujifilm’s recommitment to retro-styled bodies comes at an opportune time. With the historic demand of the X100VI, which has already outsold any previous X100-series camera, Fujifilm is working overtime on production—this camera has been a massive hit. Just this year Fujifilm released the GFX100RF, X half, and X-E5. Newtro doesn’t just apply to physical products, though. Fujifilm’s Film Simulations (and, of course, Recipes) are a big part of the appeal. Think of them as newtro aesthetics. They’re not quite film but a big nod to the retro look that film has produced for a very long time. Fujifilm has a massive leg-up on this compared to their competition, and it is an under appreciated aspect of their success. I think, though, that we’re seeing just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a huge untapped potential. Kodak and Fujifilm both have big opportunities, and they could learn from each other how to fully capitalize on it.

Creating Controversy with my Camera

Posted on February 11, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

*This Kodak camera isn’t a Kodak camera.*

I’ve received a ton of feedback following the “Kodak Retina” video that I published two days ago. It was controversial, just as I thought it would be. While it was a joke, it was also inherently dishonest (up to the point where I came clean, which was early on). Most people seemed to understand that it was comedy. The vast majority of the feedback I received was positive, with a lot of “lol” comments and laughing emojis. Some people didn’t like it, though, and didn’t “get” the humor. A few people said some really unnecessarily mean things. A little bit of the negative feedback was constructive criticism, and so that’s actually positive, and much appreciated.

There were a few different ideas behind the video, and various things that I wanted to accomplish with it. I think it would be worthwhile to explain them to you, so that maybe they’re better understood. If you haven’t yet seen the video, I’ve included it below. You can also find it on the Fuji X Weekly YouTube channel.

First, the video was a gag. It was supposed to be funny. If you follow me on social media, you already know that I have a sense of humor—typically a dry one. If you’ve ever seen videos with two guys sitting down sipping coffee, telling each other “dad jokes” while trying not to laugh… that’s my type of humor. Some people suggested that my video would have been a great April Fools prank, and I agree. It definitely would have been. I didn’t want to wait for April 1st because I figured I wasn’t the only one with this idea (using the TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 limited edition yellow/orange lens to make a Kodak-looking camera), so I wanted to beat anyone else doing something similar to the punch(line). Also, Kodak’s new Super 8 camera has people thinking Kodak right now. The timing was right for this video, despite the date; however, it would have been more obviously comedic had it been released on April 1st (I will have to come up with another idea for that date).

Second, I wanted this video to attract people who would not normally click on content about Fujifilm gear. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a few months now. I’ve known for awhile now that Film Simulation Recipes which mimic Kodak emulsions are the most popular, but I never really thought of the deeper implications of this. It makes perfect sense: Kodak was a more popular film manufacturer than Fuji. However, I think some people overlook Fujifilm cameras simply because it is Fujifilm. It’s not that they have anything against Fuji, it’s just that it’s not [insert brand name here]. The point of the gag was more than just for a good laugh, but to perhaps get a few people who would otherwise ignore Fujifilm to take a closer look, and to discover what they’ve been missing.

*Fujifilm X-T5 + TTArtisan 27mm + Kodachrome 64*

Third, I wanted to provide to you a sampling of photographs that demonstrate how well various Kodak-like Film Simulation Recipes perform for southwest-America travel photography. I tested out eight Recipes, and shared the results. You can see if any of them might work well for you, should you find yourself in a similar photographic situation. The video serves as a micro-review of the Fujifilm X-T5 and TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 for travel, as well.

Fourth, I wanted to give a glimpse of what it’s like to ride the Grand Canyon Railway to the National Park, stay a night at the rim, and return back on the railroad the next day. This video would serve as a mini travel-vlog of the adventure. Perhaps it will be helpful to someone else considering the same thing. While this was a goal of the video, it was not the main point.

*Fujifilm X-T5 + TTArtisan 27mm + Kodak Tri-X 400*

Fifth… my family and I love looking back at videos we’ve made over the years of our adventures. This is one that we’ll definitely watch (especially beginning at the 3:07 mark) many times over the coming years as we remember the great time that we had. This is a huge bonus for me.

I hope that this explanation helps to shed some light on the exact purpose—why I made this video.

Was it successful? Did the video accomplish what I hoped it would? I think so. Most people seemed to find the humor in the hoax. I did’t expect that everyone would find it funny, and some didn’t. Several folks stated that they didn’t appreciate the gag. A few people told me that I need to be more serious with my content. But a couple of people said that they’re going to look into Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulation Recipes. Many of you mentioned that you appreciated the pictures and enjoyed the adventure. And a lot of you laughed. Perhaps it wasn’t a home run, but I do think the video is doing just what I wanted it to.

New: Kodak Retina retro-style digital mirrorless camera!!

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

Introducing the brand-new Kodak Retina digital mirrorless camera! Inside this retro-styled body is a 40-megapixel APS-C BSI CMOS sensor. It has eight built-in presets that mimic classic Kodak film stocks. The pictures from the Kodak Retina look great straight-out-of-camera, no editing needed! This new camera is bold yet beautiful; classic yet modern; digital yet analog.

I was given a pre-production copy of the Kodak Retina camera to try out, and used that as an excuse to visit the majestic Grand Canyon in northern Arizona! I recorded the experience, which I just published to my YouTube channel. The video is my review of the new camera, plus an epic adventure by train to one of the natural wonders of the world. I’ve included it below—you don’t want to miss this one!

The Kodak Retina

Below are example pictures that I captured on this trip using the eight built-in presets included in the Kodak Retina:

Kodachrome 64

Portra 160

Portra 400

Gold 200

Ultramax 400

Ektachrome E100VS

Vision3 250D

Tri-X 400

At this point, I’m sure you’re already aware that there’s no such thing as a Kodak Retina digital camera. Kodak made Retina film cameras from the 1930’s up to 1970. While Kodak pretty much invented the digital camera, and were an important early innovator of the technology, they never made an interchangeable lens APS-C model. They did produce some full-frame DSLRs in the very early 2000’s, and made an APS-C back for a Nikon SLR in the late 1990’s, and even sold a Micro-Four-Thirds interchangeable-lens mirrorless in 2014 (manufactured by JK Imagining under the Kodak brand name); however, nothing remotely like my faux digital Retina was ever produced by Kodak. This was all just for fun—sorry if I got your hopes up.

The camera is actually a Fujifilm X-T5. That might have been obvious to you. I put some silver tape over the Fujifilm logo, and added a Kodak decal. If you look closely, you can tell that I did that. The lens is a TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 in their limited edition yellow/orange color scheme, which is very Kodak-like; the lens is actually what inspired me to do this project. The camera strap is something I’ve owned for years now, and a red soft-shutter-release completed the look.

The pictures that I captured with this camera/lens combo are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs using eight of my Film Simulation Recipes:

I chose those particular Recipes because they mimic popular Kodak emulsions, which seemed appropriate since the X-T5 was disguised as a Kodak camera. You can find them—and over 300 more—in the Fuji X Weekly App, available for Android and Apple. Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.

My thoughts with this camera were: what if, 15 years ago, Kodak had pivoted, and began making retro-styled mirrorless cameras with built-in film emulation presets? How much different would the industry look like today if they had? While Kodak didn’t pivot, Fujifilm did. Instead of a digital Retina, we have the X-T5. You don’t need Kodak to make this camera, because it already exists. The X-T5 (or any other Fujifilm model), combined with my Film Simulation Recipes, will do what I proposed a digital Kodak Retina would do. Fujifilm is doing what Kodak should have done but didn’t.

Now it’s your turn! What do you think of this project? How much different would the camera industry look today if a digital Kodak Retina actually existed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-T5 in black: Amazon B&H Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver: Amazon B&H Moment
TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 in black: Amazon
TTArtsian 27mm f/2.8 in yellow/orange: Amazon