ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Kodak has launched its new Ektra smartphone camera in the American market. This $400 smartphone is a reawakening for a passion of photography, according to company officials.
It looks like a camera and feels like a camera, with its nostalgic camera bag, but is loaded with all kinds of apps to remind the user, it's a smartphone.
@Kodak @SPECNewsROC The look of it reminds me of my Dad's camera. That's the point. pic.twitter.com/yLToFSXuQU
— Cristina Domingues (@CristinaTVNews) May 25, 2017
"We wanted it to be true to the essence of the Kodak brand," said Joshua Koon, director of content marketing. "A 125-year-old brand with as many iconic products as we've launched, we wanted this to really feel like a Kodak product, so we've been working on it a while and we're really excited to be bringing it to the states."
When the Ektra first launched in Europe a few months back, the reviews were mixed. What the company touted to be its biggest selling point, the camera, was poorly rated.
Kodak officials says critiques of badly-colored photos and blurry pictures were heard loud and clear and they went back to the drawing board before the American release.
The camera boasts a dedicated shutter button, a prominent lens, a 21-megapixel sensor in the front, a 13-megapixel sensor in the back and unique Kodak apps.
Financial expert George Conboy says the Ektra is a niche market for Kodak. He says that Kodak is not the giant it once was, but selling in smaller numbers is still selling.