''The camera is all yours...take as many snaps as possible.I have to see everything through your eyes and the pictures you take!'' My elder sister told me when she gifted me the KB-12, as a parting gift two years ago when I was leaving home for my hostel life.Misty-eyed and delighted at this lovely surprise,I took the camera which has since then become a physical link to the memories I have built over the years!
KB-12 is a small, handy camera. It is very light and easy to carry. I used to be quite skeptic about my abilities to load and unload a film.However, the instruction booklet comes to good use. The camera is not automatic and has to be loaded manually so one has to be a little more careful, when rolling in the film inside the camera. Unloading the film is quite easy...(ahem..I managed it all by myself from the first time only !). One just needs to rewind the whole thing backwards...will hardly take you a minute!
The camera comes in two colours...black and a striking silver.( Since I have added an adjective in front of the latter colour, you know which one I have!). The camera is very effecive for amateur photographers like me . Firstly, if the lens is not open , you cannot click any snap. Hence, there is no possibility of anyone clicking a snap with the shutter closed! Secondly,you cannot click unless the wheel has been moved forward completely. This also ensures that no reel goes waste.
Plus, you have a self-timer. Setting the timer is fairly simple and it gives you all of 10secs to run back to your place and say 'cheese!'.There is a tripod which comes with the camera, which I feel is not very helpful.It can be used when one wants to take a snap through the timer and it has to be attached to the camera everytime. It is a little cumbersome and the tripod itself doesnt even give a height of more than half a foot, at the best!So, I have chucked the tripod , as it is awkward to carry it too!
The picture quality is very good...a lot also obviously depends on the skill of the photographer. Snaps which are clicked without a flash, come out very bright and vivid.But even at night, the camera hasnt let me down!
All this comes at a price of Rs.1100 and you get two Kodak rolls and a pair of batteries free with the purchase The company also believes in building customer relations, I believe! When I had gone back home in the term break, I saw a very colourful handbook from Kodak awaiting me . It had the 'Kodak' story in it and also talked about various ways to improve clicking snaps...so I think, the company which has almost become synomynous with photography and quality,is heavily into brand building and generating customer loyalty.
The camera hasnt given me any trouble yet ,...and every term I have gone back with a rich collection of photographs to cherish and show to everyone back home...it somehow helps me to bring them closer to the world I live in at the moment! Its been a faithful companion all through! I am glad I have so many 'Kodak moments' to remember by!
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