Reto launches $34.99 Kodak EC35 film camera for beginners

Reto Project released the Kodak EC35 at $34.99, a price that puts the camera itself within reach of nearly any curious beginner. The reusable 35mm point-and-shoot pairs a 25mm acrylic lens with a fixed f/10 aperture and a 1/100 shutter speed, along with a built-in flash, manual film advance, rewind, and a slide cover meant to protect the lens when the camera is not in use. Retail listings put its weight at 102 grams, or 3.6 ounces, and describe it in seven colors.

The EC35 is being sold as an easy entry into film photography, but the math around the first roll tells a different story. Reto is also offering a bundle with Kodak Ultramax 400, 24 exposures, for $44.99, and one retailer listing put a single roll of that same film at $24.99. Film developing and scanning add another layer of cost: price guides put developing at about $12 to $25 per roll, while some local camera shops charge around $27 for developing and scanning combined. That means a first outing with the EC35 can land roughly between $72 and $87 before tax and shipping.

Reto has built its Kodak-branded film business on stripped-down cameras with familiar names, including the viral Kodak Charmera and the Kodak Snapic A1. The company’s product pages also place the EC35 alongside the Ektar H35N half-frame camera and the Ektar H35, another Kodak-branded model sold under a trademark and license arrangement with RETO Production Ltd. Reto’s support page points buyers to a Quick Start Guide, underscoring the camera’s pitch as a simple starter tool rather than a feature-rich machine.

That simplicity has drawn mixed reaction. Some early comments praise the compact retro design and the low sticker price, while others say they would rather have a glass lens and point out that film itself remains expensive. The EC35 lowers the cost of getting a camera in hand, but it does not change the part of film photography that still keeps the biggest bill waiting after the shutter clicks.