The New Kodak 400TX Single Use Camera

Our Expectations For The Lens and Picture Quality

TRI-X 400

Sporting an aesthetic ‘modern’ look, it’s clear with the outer color scheme that this camera is different from their traditional single use cameras with some similarities. For instance, there’s the built-in viewfinder, flash, a flash recharge button, and a lens. At its heart, though, it’s different. As we all know, it’s not on the outside that matters; it’s what’s on the inside. You’ll find 27 exposures of Tri-X 400 film and a dual-lens setup within the inner cogs, transistor, and battery.

This camera produces surprisingly sharp results, especially around 4-10ft. It plays to a softer level at infinity, common for single use cameras due to their fixed focus lens configuration. However, we can say the dual-lens design is the sharpest we have tested compared with all other single use cameras. In terms of picture quality, the results are very good. As a bonus, if you are shooting in direct light, expect some lens flare to add some personality to your photos.

Film grain is consistent with or without a flash. Put simply; enthusiasts will love this camera model. Thanks to the look of Kodak Tri-X 400, there’s a classic grain structure, strong contrast and bond tones that shine through despite being a single use camera. For portraits, it’s a better story. The grain lends itself to the professional look we all aspire to capture. Images are rich with detail, and the 400 ASA doesn’t leave you without much detail loss – even when using the flash.

An Onboard Flash Designed For Non-Daylight Conditions

There’s a secret weapon on this camera – the flash. Built with ease of use in mind, the power flash recharges quickly, thanks to the hidden large capacitor storing the energy. After pressing the recharge button, the flash will be ready after some time. There’s an onboard red LED light to give you an indication of when it’s ready. However, if you decide the flash isn’t needed after pressing the flash charge button, then wait some time, and the LED will turn off.  The flash was used for the photos below.

Kodak’s Oldest Black and White Film In a Single Use Camera

If you have ever shot a roll of Tri-X 400 before, you’ll know about the beautiful grain rendition you get from this iconic film. Released in 1954, Kodak’s iconic Tri-X 400 has covered many iconic events. From weddings, world events, and personalities, the classic black and white film has seen it all. That’s why we are so excited to see Tri-X 400 in a single use camera. Now, enthusiasts and those starting out in film have the chance to achieve a similar look from a single use camera.

As a professional film lab, The Darkroom sees a ton of black and white film go through our dip and dunk film processing. There’s a sense of nostalgic emotion whenever we process a roll and develop a customer’s vision for them. It will undoubtedly be the case when we see Kodak’s Professional single use Tri-X 400 film camera come back into our lab for processing.

Black and white photographs offer a different perspective compared with color photos. They help convey a message of simplicity while taking away any distracting elements in a frame. So when it comes to printing your photos from this new single use camera, it makes sense to see them on a professional silver gelatin photo paper. Many of our customers opt for this vision as it allows them to tangibly share memories with family and friends.

The Photos You Can Expect To Capture With the Kodak Single Use Tri-X 400 Camera

The new 400TX  single use camera offers a gateway to a new world for the younger generation who may not be so familiar with older film cameras. Whether you plan on traveling with a one-time use camera, capturing a new band cover, photographing a street scene, or being the life of the party, the Tri-X 400 does it all with class. With a camera and film combination all in one – there’s no need to ‘break the bank’ to get started. All you need to do is rip open the packaging and decide if you plan on using the flash or not. The rest is just thinking about the composition you want to capture before pressing the shutter button.

To give you an idea of what the film quality is like from this camera, we asked our best photographers to test the camera in various environments, then scanned the negs for your viewing pleasure. As you can see, there’s a variety of scenes from low-light, indoor, backlit, night, flash, and no flash.

Throughout the photos, we saw consistency in contrast with bold shadows and lofty yet crisp highlights. Tonality was consistent in daylight and throughout indoor environments with the flash. Subjects appearing close to the offset flash do appear overexposed (that’s somewhat of a given); however, if you are pushing the limits of this camera, you may find this to be a creative advantage.

What We Think About Kodak’s New Tri-X Single Use Camera

We highly recommend Kodak’s new single use Tri-X 400 Camera. You’ll get to explore a new side of creativity as the world becomes simplified in black and white. We see this camera being popular for the younger generation who may have never experienced photographing with a roll of Tri-X 400. Through our lab, we see a horde of single use cameras coming in for processing. With this new release, there’s no doubt in our mind that we will be just as busy processing Tri-X 400 as true black and white prints.  All the photos below are without flash.