Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Then & Now: Kodak Movie Cameras
By James Grahame
The Kodak Zoom 8 Reflex retailed for $190 in 1960 (the equivalent of $1350 today). It shot 25 ft reels of Regular 8mm film at 16 fps, using a clockwork motor that required winding every 40 seconds or so. You could only film for about 2 minutes before having to flip the reels to expose the other half of the silent film.
Fast forward 49 years and Kodak is set to introduce the Zx1 ($149.95). This weather resistant solid state camera shoots 720p video at 60 or 30 fps. It accepts SDHC cards, storing up to 10 hours of video on a single 16 GB flash card.
Unlike the old Zoom 8, it has no optical zoom capability. However, the Zx1 includes a 2" LCD for instant playback (try that with film) and comes in black, red, pink, blue and yellow. The package includes editing software, an HDMI video cable and AA Ni-MH batteries with charger. The Zx1 should hit stores in March 2009.
The big question: Is this truly progress?
Kodak Zx1: tiny, weather-resistant 720p camcorder [CrunchGear]
