In 2021, Sino Promise Group Limited, a China-based company, presented the Kodak M38, a camera for 35mm films. It acquired the license for the "Kodak" brand and produces a range of 35mm cameras under this name. Marketing in specialized markets is handled by RETO Production Ltd., a Hong Kong-based company.
The camera is available in many colors. It comes in yellow, dark blue, dark red, black, grapefruit, white, and purple.
The M38 comes with a fixed lens. With a focal length of 31 mm, it has the largest aperture of f/10 and is made of a plastic lens element.
The lens focus is fixed and cannot be adjusted. To prevent blurriness, the subject should be at least 100 cm away.
The Kodak M38 is not equipped with a light meter. The exposure settings are fixed: the aperture is f/10 and the shutter speed is set to 1/120 second. There is no bulb mode for this camera.
The built-in flash provides sufficient light. Although the flash intensity is not adjustable, the flash can be activated or deactivated.
The camera features neither a tripod socket nor a self-timer, nor a double exposure function.
According to the manual, the camera weighs 116 grams. The dimensions are 11.4 x 6.3 x 3.5 cm. The 35mm camera is powered by an AAA battery (eBay / Amazon*). The battery, which is required for flash operation, is not included.
Films for the Kodak M38
The camera is not supplied with film. The M38 is designed for use with 35mm films. Despite the popularity of digital cameras, the 35mm format remains an important aspect of photography, and various manufacturers continue to produce films in this format.
For color images with the M38, Kodak Ultramax 400* is recommended, while Kodak TRI-X 400* is recommended for black and white images. In tests, both films achieved good results in typical use cases.
However, there are also a variety of other films that can be used with this camera, including those from other manufacturers such as Lomography, Foma, Rollei, and Fujifilm, which provide suitable 35mm films for the Kodak M38.
Color films are usually developed using the C-41 development process, which is available in all photo labs that develop 35mm films. Black and white films, however, must be processed with a special black and white developer.
Sample images
These sample images were taken with the Kodak M38. Kodak Color Plus 200 film was used. The film had already expired several years before it was used (the best-before date had already passed). The films were digitized by the DM-Markt photo lab.
