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Original 1977 "The Handle" Camera, by Kodak. Here is a pop culture oddity...a relic from the swingin' 70's, The Handle. Kodak, feeling the burn from Polaroid's "instant" photo prints digging into "their" market (in which they had long held the American lead for all things photographic) decided to "borrow" a few ideas and release their own "instant photo" format. The new cassette-format film was launched in 1976 with a cute little Polaroidesque camera called "The Handle", which appropriately enough had a big handle on the side! And a big crank on the other side for ejecting your print. The technical name for this camera was the Kodak EK2...but that wasn't as catchy as The Handle. This baby used "flash bars", expensive compared to regular bulbs, as was the film compared to regular film. But you didn't have to wait for Photo Mat to call you that "your prints were in" a week after the fact. There it was, right in your hand. And you could take pictures of, well...anything! Anyway, The Handle's instant photo format lasted until 1986, with Kodak finally being hit by a huge 2-year lawsuit brought by Polaroid for patent infringement. Kodak lost...part of the ruling was that Kodak had to stop production of The Handle and its film, and compensate stranded camera owners. Anyone who owned The Handle camera could return it to Kodak in return for a cash, coupons and rebates. This meant that, although MILLIONS of them were made, relatively few are still in circulation. Unfortunately there’s little or no possibility of this or any other Kodak instant camera ever working again but makes an interesting addition to any gadget collection. We are talking RARITY here...this would make a great display piece in your "I Love the 70's" shrine. This one is in perfect working order and in VG-Fine condition. A real tough-get for camera collectors...The Handle. Only one in stock.
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