Talk:Instamatic

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Photography

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Comments of 2004–2008

It would help to edit your postings before making them public. For example:

The first model released in the US was basic the Instamatic 100 model.

And it would help if you would edit a simple error like that rather than complaining and leaving it. Fixed now. Boffy b 10:34, 2004 Dec 19 (UTC)

The following statement was deleted from the article, since no patents for the Instamatic (or any other invention) appear under this name:

"The inventor of the Instamatic Camera was Douglass Coate Harvey Sr. He died Friday, Sept. 26th at 1:20am."

Several patents for the Instamatic appear under the name Dean McCormack Peterson, who is correctly identified earlier in the article as the lead designer of the camera. Tony092357 (talk) 15:16, 23 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Inventor of the instamatic

According to this patent (http://www.google.com/patents?id=ddtnAAAAEBAJ&dq=US+patent+3138081), the inventor of the film was the German Hubert Nerwin.

"The inventor of the Instamatic Camera was Douglass Coate Harvey Sr. He died Friday, Sept. 26th at 1:20am."

Douglass C. Harvey was an integral part of inventing the Instamatic camera. The patents are under Douglass C. Harvey, not Douglass Coate Harvey (his full name). Specifically mentioned in the above section linked patent ” 4 Claims. (Ci. 95-31) The present invention relates to photographic still cameras and roll film magazines for use therein, such cameras and magazines therefor being of the general type described in pending US. patent application, Serial No. 129,303, filed August 4, 1961, in the name of Douglass C. Harvey. More particularly, the invention relates to roll film magazines for use in such cameras and comprising molded, plastic components. This is a divisional application of my pending US. application, Serial No. 163,843, filed January 2, 1962.” https://patents.google.com/patent/US3138081?oq=US+patent+3138081 https://www.nae.edu/29245/Dr-Douglass-C-Harvey

What caused the demise of the Instamatic?

The article doesn't seem to offer any explanation of why the Instamatic line was discontinued. Looking at the dates that it refers to (discontinued in 1988), the advent of digital cameras does not seem to explain it, since those arrived much later as affordable consumer cameras. —⁠ ⁠BarrelProof (talk) 00:38, 22 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the 110 cameras did a lot to reduce demand for 126 cameras. As well as I remember it, about that time cheap cameras using traditional 35mm film came along. At the time of the Instamatic, everyone (except pros) thought 35mm loading was too hard. Also, that it was hard to make the cameras work with it. There was the Canon line starting with the AE-1, a quality SLR that ordinary people could figure out and use. And then later, cheap plastic cameras using 135 film. And then there was APS, Kodak's replacement for Instamatic in the so easy to use line. Gah4 (talk) 21:39, 28 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Trimming of image galleries within article

I notice that the then-current version of the article had a very large number of images in galleries within the article.

While those galleries and images were good on one level- and would have been okay on their own- they're part of a wider article and have to be considered in that context. Having a significant number placed (in a nonstandard fashion) in the middle of the article and not integrated into the text was- to my mind- a bit too excessive and distracting. (Particularly if one is scrolling on a smaller-screened mobile device). It's also somewhat counter to the general WP:GALLERY policy that we prefer images to be integrated into the text.

It would be nice to keep them all, but- particularly where there were several examples of similar models- we have to balance these things out.

I've cut a number out for this reason, but I do think that such images could still be used constructively as part of a (possible) list/table article covering the different Instamatic models, similar to this one. Any thoughts?

Ubcule (talk) 20:42, 27 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]