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Kodak Medalist I / Kodak Disc 4100

Not to be confused with that other Kodak Medalist camera, this Medalist I is part of the Disc family of cameras, introduced by Kodak in 1982. Designed to appeal to photographers with simpler photographic needs, the Disc format featured film arrayed like spokes on a wheel, enclosed in a secure and slim plastic cartridge. Like the film, Disc cameras themselves also tended to be slim. The format itself was short-lived, dying out by 1990, but before its demise, Kodak produced a number of Disc cameras.

The Medalist I is more or less identical to the slightly earlier Kodak Disc 4100 camera; the only change being the name it was marketed under. The Medalist I offers a more simplified design compared to earlier Kodak Disc cameras, removing such features as the self-timer and cable release connection. The Medalist I did add one feature, a folding cover that served to protect the lens and that, additionally, could fold back behind the camera to become a stand. The Medalist I is equipped with a 15mm f/2.8 Aspheric lens and has two shutter speeds: 1/100 and 1/200. A meter in the camera determines when flash is needed.

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A Silver Lining To The Kodak Medalist I Disc Camera?

Three things you probably did not know about the Kodak Disc cameras and one thing you may not have considered.⁠

⁠1) Most Kodak Disc cameras were fitted with aspheric lenses, such as the 15mm f/2.8 aspheric found on this Medalist I. We point this out because Disc cameras are unassuming and they probably have better lenses than you likely thought they did.⁠

⁠2) Kodak used the Disc format for testing most of their cutting edge film technology. Disc film was some of the first to benefit from t-grain technology, for example. Some of the films we use today, such as Kodak ColorPlus, were derived from advancements first tested in Disc film.⁠

⁠3) Kodak thought enough of their Disc cameras to brand them with the CAMEROSITY code. Look inside the film door near the hinge and you'll likely find a four letter code, indicating the year and production cycle during which the camera was built. (This Medalist I was made in late May/early June of 1986.)⁠

Unpopular opinion: Many label the Disc camera as a flop on Kodak's part, but we'd argue that innovation and risk go hand in hand, and as the saying goes - nothing ventured, nothing gained. While Disc cameras may never have caught on, they nonetheless had impacts on the evolution of film photography that can still be appreciated today. Innovations that may not have ever occurred had Kodak not experimented in this format.

Don't be afraid to take risks. You never know what will come of it.