Kodak and Fuji Plan to Sell Rival Disposable Cameras

Eastman Kodak Co. and Fuji Photo Film Co., the two biggest photographic film makers, announced Thursday they will sell cheap cameras that are used to shoot just one roll of film.

The Kodak disposable camera will list for $6.95, use 110 Kodacolor film, a 25-millimeter wide-angle lens and a 1/120 shutter speed. Kodak said the camera will be in focus from three feet to infinity.

Analysts say Fuji’s entry into the market will feature 35-millimeter film, which produces a negative at least twice as large as the 110 film used by Kodak. Although Fuji’s film will be the slightly grainier 400 speed ASA, compared to Kodak’s 200 ASA, the company says the larger negative size could lead to sharper-quality pictures, especially for enlargements.

Japan’s Fuji said its camera will be available this spring. Kodak’s will be available later in the year. Fuji had a news conference set for todaycq to unveil its product, but Kodak slid in ahead Thursday.

“When a customer finishes shooting the roll of film, he returns the entire unit to the photo finisher, but he doesn’t get the camera back because it’s a disposable camera,” said Kodak spokesman Henry Kaska. Kodak’s Fling is a film cartridge in an inexpensive housing with a lens, a simple shutter and a manual film advance, Kaska said.

“We expect it to have appeal to young people and to travelers who left their cameras at home,” Kaska said. “We don’t consider it a substitute for traditional cameras.”

Fuji introduced a disposable camera for 110 film, the kind used in Instamatic cameras, in Japan last year.