The KODAK Disc 4000: The Future in the Past!

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Welcome to the new era in photography! With your new KODAK Disc 4000 camera, taking pictures is as simple as load, aim and shoot.

This camera uses the “new” Kodacolor HR Disc Film, and features automatic disc advance, built-in electronic flash that turns on and off automatically. You can read all this marvelous details in the owner´s manual.

There was introduced in the 80´s, and we were surprised by the technology with this one and other marvels. The camera in itself was the whole advance: protects the lens, automatic flash, automatic advance of the film… a technological marvel!!
As the disc was similar to those of the computers, in case of an accidental opening the rear compartment, only one of the stills would be damaged.

It had its limitations though: every disc had in it only 15 shots: neither 14 or 16, only 15. Also, the battery of lithium that it was feeding to the flash and the engine of advance the stills, could only be changed by a technician.
The size of every still was 10.5 × 8 mm. Therefore, even if you were shooting at 200 ISO, … when you develop the film and make prints in paper … the grain of the shots is plenty!

The disc format ultimately failed due to the poor picture quality, the relative expense of the cameras compared to other formats, and reliability problems. Newer 35mm cameras – providing much better images and more automation along with a choice of film types – had become more popular. These new cameras were not as thin as disc cameras, but were smaller in outline. Disc cameras went out of production in 1988. Most manufacturers stopped making film shortly afterward – although Kodak carried on with film until 1999.

written by jaalvarez on 2009-12-02 #gear #review #jaalvarez #80 #kodak #pocket-camera #disc #kodak-disc-4000

9 Comments

  1. lomosexual_manboy
    lomosexual_manboy ·

    Interesting camera. Even though the disk film is far inferior in quality it has a nice lo-fi look to it that could be fun to work with.

  2. lolfox
    lolfox ·

    my mum had one of these back in the 80s and i remember it well... all the greyish grainy pics in the family album can be blamed on this camera.... i like the design and i remember at the time how it seemed like so wild and futuristic to have such a small camera. This camera really epitomises the 1980s, its was very much a passing fad and was ultimately a bit crap... the picture quality at least....
    Great article, a real trip down memory lane.

  3. cubilas
    cubilas ·

    nice, would have been nice if there would still be film for this intriguing camera

  4. breakphreak
    breakphreak ·

    so film or disk is it? sorry for the silly question :)

  5. larslau
    larslau ·

    Interesting..!

  6. jaalvarez
    jaalvarez ·

    To breakphreak.
    You can see my album KODAK Disc 4000, the 16th photo is the film. It was inside a disk, like the 3.5" disk from a computer. Of course, in this photo the film is developed, as the laboratory was returning it.
    I hope to have clarified your question !!!
    Thanks for the visit!!!

  7. stouf
    stouf ·

    I remember being amazed when I saw this in your home... Never heard of it before. Thanks for the discovery ! And I love theses grainy shots !

  8. lonesa
    lonesa ·

    Hey guys :)
    I see that this review was written in 2009, but if any of you are still here and have some frsh knowledge of this rare and silly cameras and disk films, I would be happy if you could share some answers with me.
    I was (un)lucky enough to get in possession of not one, but two Kodak 4000 cameras, and even 3 Fuji disk films, expired back in 1991. Unfortunately only one of two cameras has the battery with a little life in it. And my questions are 1. is it possible to change the lithium battery and do you have some DIY advises how to do it at home ? and 2. Should I see moving of the number of exposed frames? It always says 15x, even if I pushed shutter release button several times and heard the silly noise of (i guess) moving the disk.
    Hope you will have some answers :)

  9. sheeracali
    sheeracali ·

    Just wondering if anyone remembers the typical print size for disc film? Was it 3.5 X 4.5?

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