Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4

This is the camera I bought recently that came with an unopened box of Kodak 126 film.

The back of my old Dodge motorhome. My girlfriend found an old Instamatic camera for my collection and got it because it had a roll of film in it. It had been loaded and wound to the first frame, but since it sat in the camera for around 40 years, the first frame and a half had possibly (probably) been exposed many times. I shot the roll and developed it today to see if I any pictures on the roll turned out. They were quite faded and suffered heavy color shift, but I got useable images! The roll was in a Kodak Instamatic 154 when she bought it, but I transferred it to a Kodak Instamatic 104, and then finished it up in a Kodak Instamatic X-15, both cameras that I’ve had for awhile and been wanting to shoot with. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA – 09/72) Lens: Plastic 43mm Meniscus Film: Kodak Kodacolor II (long expired) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: F/11 Date: October 23rd, 2019, 2.45 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodacolor II 09ff

Every year since the 1970s, I photograph this tree at the edge of my town when the leaves turn at Autumn. This is a shot from 2019. This was 35mm film that I respooled into a 126 cartridge. Instamatics always took more picture area on the negative than was printed out. Prints from 126 were always printed out to be square. So, I cropped this one to be square. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Kodak Max 400 (expired) 35mm film reloaded in a 126 cartridge Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: October 29th, 2019, 1.59 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodak Max 400 2019 02-2ff

If The Rolling Stones mashed together their songs “Dead Flowers” and “Wild Horses,” they’d get “Dead Horses.” My first attempt at reloading 35mm film into a 126 film cartridge and shooting it in an Instamatic camera. I cropped out the sprocket holes from the 35mm film so it would look more like an Instamatic photo should look - that is, square. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Kodak Max 400 (Expired) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: October 29th, 2019, 2.20 p.m. Location: Eldorado, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodak Max 400 2019 04lf

An ice cream shop in a neighboring town. I respooled 35mm film into a 126 cartridge and left the sprocket holes showing at the top. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Kodak Max 400 (Expired) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: October 29th, 2019, 2.27 p.m. Location: Eldorado, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodak Max 400 2019 05ef

I saw this dog sticking his head out of the window while I was driving down the road. There were sprocket holes along the top of the frame, but I cropped those out. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Kodak Max 400 (Expired) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: October 29th, 2019, 2.55 p.m. Location: Marion, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodak Max 400 2019 06-2df

This is an old hand tool I used in my yard the other day - it belonged to my Grandfather. It is for the Saturday Self-Challenge group, who's theme this week was "Obsolete." Weed-eaters have pretty much made scythes obsolete here in the United States, but there are several areas around the world where they're still used. Taken with a Kodak Instamatic X-15 camera on film (despite what everyone might think - film is not even close to being obsolete), but because 126 film is obsolete and not made anymore, I had to reload a 126 cartridge with 35mm film. This was my first attempt at doing that - if the film hadn't been expired, it would have turned out even better and a lot less grainy. I even used a flashcube for a little fill lighting (actually a Magicube) for this shot as well - because it was heavily overcast. Talk about old school! Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (made in 1972) Film: Kodak Max 400 (expired) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: October 31st, 2019, 3.44 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Kodak Max 400 2019 14-2hf

The Villagers' Voice is my town's local newspaper. It comes out once a week. I guess not much happens around here. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Agfa Photo Vista Plus 400 (35mm film reloaded into a 126 cartridge) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: April 5th, 2021, 1.25 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 mins. and 40 secs. at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Agfa Vista Plus 400 2021 08ef

A fireplug in the heart of my downtown. All the plug-ins to the right are for the vendors who set up around there for our local street fair in September. This was some regular 35mm film that I reloaded into an old 50-year-old Kodak Kodacolor-X 126 cartridge. I only scanned the usuable area in between the sprocket holes along each edge. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Agfa Photo Vista Plus 400 Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: April 5th, 2021, 1.33 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 mins. and 40 secs. at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Agfa Vista Plus 400 2021 10df

Just three random guys I met who were hanging out downtown. They were gracious enough to pose for my Instamatic. Camera: Kodak Instamatic X-15 No. 4 (Camerosity code YTSA - Period 09/72) Film: Agfa Photo Vista Plus 400 (35mm film reloaded into a 126 cartridge) Shutter Speed: 1/90 Aperture: f/11 Date: April 11th, 2021, 5.00 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing Chemicals: Unicolor C-41 Water pre-soak: 1 minute at 102 degrees Developer: 3 mins. and 40 secs. at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes (to keep chemicals clean) Blix: 6 ½ minutes at 102 degrees Water rinse: 2 minutes at approx. 100 degrees Stabilizer: 1 minute at room temperature Water rinse: 2 minutes Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 minute Kodak X-15-4 Agfa Vista Plus 400 2021 25ff