The only frustrating thing about Disposable Cameras for me is their lack of variety. You can choose between Kodak and Fuji and you just get a low-grade color negative film in both. Or, if you want black and white, Ilford has a disposable camera out there. Really the only option you have is what film speed do you buy.
Now Kodak Alaris is upping the game with the announcement of a new black and white disposable camera! Not only is it black and white, but it comes loaded with Kodak Tri-X 400! Which just happens to be my absolute favorite black and white film.
The newly announce Kodak Professional Black and White Disposable Camera with Tri-X 400 film
Disposable cameras (also now called single use cameras) are so much fun and so convenient, but they do have their weaknesses. Two main weaknesses to be exact. The first is the low quality plastic lens. While these have gotten remarkable better over the years, a plastic lens is just never goin to give you the sharpness a glass lens will. There’s no way to fix this unless you’re will to pay a lot more for the disposable camera, which at the point, you might as well just buy a used point-and-shoot. The second drawback to disposable cameras is that the film that goes into them is really low-end film. Don’t get me wrong, it works fine and helps to provide the disposable camera aesthetic that we’ve all come to love. But I always think to myself, what if these single use cameras came with slightly better film?
A Disposable Camera with Professional Film
Kodak has seen the trend and has decided to invest more in the disposable camera market by offering a camera with one of their professional films, namely Tri-X 400. While the lens is still plastic, I’m convinced the marriage of the single use camera format with this black and white film will produce some amazing results. I cannot wait to get my hands on one!
The camera itself has a basic disposable camera set-up. Each camera comes in a plastic body with an automatically recharging flash powered by a AA battery. The camera body is nothing new and appears to be very similar to Kodak Max Flash disposable camera.
The 35mm film inside is Kodak extremely popular Tri-X 400 which is a high-speed panchromatic film that works great in low light and bright sunlight. Tri-X400 has a wide latitude and great in all sorts of situations. Color negative 35mm film often really struggle in low light and also has a tendency to desaturate in bright sunlight. Consumers will have a lot more luck capturing images at events with varied lighting, such as weddings and concert. The only sacrifice if the color.
Kodak Tri-X 400 is one of my personal favorite film stocks. I keep boxes of it on hand in several formats at all times. I’ve used it in a variety of lighting situations and events and I have never been disappointed.
Where can I get Kodak Disposable Cameras Developed?
When it comes to their color negative single use cameras, almost anywhere! You can actually read more about getting your disposable cameras developed HERE in our article “Where can I get My Disposable Camera Developed”. But this camera uses black and white film, so you will need to make sure that the place you are sending your camera can process this film!
The good news is that our lab can process these black and white disposable cameras for you! Just click this link to our Disposable Camera Processing to get started.
Technical information about the Kodak Professional 400TX Single Use Camera
If you’re looking for more technical information, here are two documents from Kodak that should help you find the answers you’re looking for. This PDF is an FAQ you can download with lots of common questions and answers directly from Kodak. This PDF is the Kodak Tri-X 320 and 400 film technical data.
Where Can I Buy the Kodak Black and White Disposable Camera?
If you’re looking to buy a Kodak Professional 400TX Single Use Camera, they’re coming soon! But sadly, they aren’t out yet. We will be watching daily as we can wait to buy a few ourselves and we will update this information as soon as they become available!