Kodak KD40

The Kodak KD40 is a compact 35mm point-and-shoot from the 1990s. It is known mostly through its user manual, and the manual is the best source we have. The Spanish-language version calls it a "nueva cámara compacta de 35 mm con avance de película motorizado, y rebobinado de película automático" - a new compact 35mm camera with motorized film advance and automatic rewind, designed to make taking pictures easy. The manual opens by congratulating the buyer, which suggests Kodak pitched this as an accessible, no-fuss snapshot camera.

The record shows a camera with a fixed 28mm lens, a two-step DX system reading ISO 100/200 and ISO 400/1000 film, and a shutter fixed at 1/125 second. The aperture steps down from f/4.5 with flash to f/7.0 in daylight. It has a built-in electronic flash with red-eye reduction and fill capability, a self-timer, and a slide switch that shifts the camera into panoramic mode, producing 88.9 x 254 mm prints. A small LCD panel handles the frame counter and indicators, and the lens cover opens automatically when you power the camera on. Power comes from a single 3-volt KODAK K123LA lithium battery, which aftermarket suppliers still stock.

There is no documented production run, introduction date, or original price. No third-party reviews from the period have surfaced, and no collector pricing exists in the record. The manual itself says equipment was "subject to minor appearance and specification changes," which is about as specific as the timeline gets. What is known: the camera measures 123.5 x 68.8 x 32.7 mm, and its viewfinder is a three-element hybrid, a reverse-Galilean design with panoramic masking when the slide switch is engaged. The focus range runs from 1.2 meters to infinity in daylight, and the flash has a guide number of 8 with ISO 100 film.

One quirk: ManualsLib files the KD40 under digital cameras on its navigation pages, but the manual content is clear that this is a film camera. The "digital" label is a cataloging error. A Kodak KD40WOS2 television also turns up in search results. That is a different product that shares only the model-number prefix.

The KD40 is reasonably well understood mechanically, but it has almost no historical footprint. If you own one, the archive would welcome details on when you bought it, what it cost, and how it shot.

filmphotography.eu (accessed via archive research) confirms the fixed 28mm lens and built-in flash, and describes the camera as a "point-and-shoot" from the 90s.

Known Specs

Film: 35mm DX/DXN color or black-and-white print film, ISO 100/200 and 400/1000 (two-step DX)
Lens: Fixed 28mm
Aperture: f/4.5 (flash), f/7.0 (daylight)
Shutter: 1/125 sec
Focus: 1.2 m to infinity (daylight)
Flash: Electronic, guide number 8 (ISO 100), red-eye reduction, fill
Viewfinder: 3-element hybrid, reverse-Galilean with panoramic masking
Panoramic format: 88.9 x 254 mm prints via slide switch
Power: One 3V KODAK K123LA lithium battery
Dimensions: 123.5 x 68.8 x 32.7 mm
Features: Motorized advance, auto rewind, self-timer, LCD frame counter, low-battery indicator