Kodak Ektralite 500 (1980–1982)

The Kodak Ektralite 500 is a compact 110-format viewfinder camera made in the United States from 1980 to 1982. It was a simple point-and-shoot pocket camera with a fixed 22mm Kodak Reomar lens and a built-in electronic flash. Kodak sold cameras like this by the millions in the waning days of 110 film. It ran on a 9-volt battery and used indicator lights to show the lighting level.

Documentation on this model is thin, but what survives is consistent. The most distinctive feature noted across sources is the hinged cover, which doubled as a hand grip when open. Most 110s of the era were plain boxes. The original price appears to have been around $54, though that figure comes from a single source. One period eBay listing mentions the camera being sold at Kmart, which suggests it was an affordable mass-market item.

Surviving examples show up now and then in online listings, usually with the original packaging and manual, in good working condition. One seller notes the flash still works and the ready light comes on. The main caveat is the battery. A common issue with 1980s electronic cameras is that the 9V battery has long since died, and one listing says outright that a replacement may be needed.

Known specs:

Film format: 110 cartridge
Lens: 22mm Kodak Reomar
Flash: Built-in electronic flash
Power: 9V battery
Exposure indication: Indicator lights
Cover doubles as hand grip
Length: approx. 7 inches
Produced: 1980–1982

The Ektralite 500 is a modest, functional piece of late-110-era Kodak history. Not much else is documented about it — no detailed shutter or aperture specs, no market positioning beyond its Kmart association, and no technical reviews from the period have surfaced. But as a representative of Kodak's final push for 110 film before the format faded, it's a perfectly honest little camera worth a page of its own.