Kodak Cine-Kodak Eight, Model 20, 8mm Movie Camera - Circa 1932

This machine was produced in 1932, and is equipped with a lens Kodak Anastigmat 1:3,5 12,5 mm. The camera weights kg. 1,050 and its measures are the following: 36x110x160. It is very light. It was the first camera using rolls instead of cases.The housing is in metal, covered with black leather.

Format: 8mm 
Transport: Spring-wind 
Exposure: Manual 
Approx. date of manufacture: 1932
Approx. original price: $34.50
This is the Cine-Kodak 16's little brother, even though he's not really that much smaller. This one is simpler, though—he's got interchangable lenses; this one is fixed.

The Cine-Kodak Eight featured a wind-up spring motor and a simple parallel viewfinder built into the handle on top of the case. Everything was completely manual -- you set the exposure by hand and fancy zoom lenses were still decades away. None of that mattered, because aspiring filmmakers suddenly had an affordable and compact camera to shoot home movies. It remained on the market until 1947.

Amateur movie makers started off using 35mm film, making it a hobby for well-heeled gadget fiends. There were many attempts to shrink the format, including 17.5mm, 9.5mm and 16mm Kodak film (now regarded as a fully professional format, thanks to dramatically improved modern film emulsions and optics).