Tammy—one of my regular crew of thrifters—handed me a Kodak Instamatic 124 (1968-71) she had found in a garage sale's “Free Items” bin. While I appreciate the effort we both knew the camera was in less than perfect operating condition. It’s advance lever was stuck half-way through its cycle. It was also missing it’s advance lever tip.
Before we dive into the camera for the second time—the camera had a stripped screw that caused me to quit the first time—some background:
Instamatic cameras were introduced in 1963 for the new 126 cartridge.
They are a joy to collect because they were sold in distinct steps.
Basic Models—44, 50, 100, 104, 124, x-15 and x-15F
Basic Models with meter—300, 304, 134, 314, 333X, X-30, X-35, X-35F
Spring Motor—150, 154, 174, X-25
Spring Motor and Meter—400, 404, 414, X-45
Metered, f/2.8 lens—324, 700, 704, 714
Metered, f/2.8 lens, Motor and Range Finder—800, 804, 814, X-90
That is just 31 cameras!
Of course almost nothing is that simple. There were high end cameras made by Retina—the 500 has a history with me—as well as “S” models, Olympic models, cameras made in other countries…
You can also “Date” Instamatic cameras by their flash.
AG-1 “peanut” bulbs (battery required)
flash cubes (battery required)
X-cubes (no battery needed)
Flipflash (no battery needed)
Models went from ending in zero to one ending in 4 to indicate the 4-sided flash cube. Then X-cubes ended in “X”. Flipflash cameras ended in F
But back to the tear down. I was between projects and thought I might as well dive into the poor Instamatic. I set up to photograph the steps.
The first time I went at taking the camera apart one of the outside three screws stripped. So I started by taking the two screws out that co-operated.
Then I took the two screws out that hold the back on. I now could press something metal against the end of the screw that was stripped as I turned it out. I took the wrist strap off. The front and sides were still resisting removal.
The back catch fell out, but it was obvious something was still holding on. It turns out there is a screw hidden inside the film gate. It has the same Phillips head as all the other screws. It is a bit longer.
Once that screw came out the front comes off as a unit. Above you can see the back side of the front. You'll see the shutter soon.
At this point I would love to spin a tale of diagnosing the jammed advance lever. No such luck. As I was fumbling with the advance something popped free. The advance lever advanced and returned to its rest position.
The advance lever will cycle until the shutter is cocked and an internal “claw” at the side of the film gate catches in a hole punched in the film. Then everything stops until you fire the shutter. Advance the film lever and the next frame hole catches the claw and you are ready for the next shot. When you run out of holes the film will wind off by repeated strokes of the advance lever.
I must say the Instamatic shutter has an authoritative “Snap” that has to be experienced.
All the screws went back. There was a small pebble of sheared off plastic left on the table, but nothing that allows the camera to gape open. Instamatic film hasn’t been available for years—so the camera was never going to be a shooter.
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