I have no nostalgic ties to Kodak (unlike, say, Polaroid), but the brand that was once known for its 35mm film products has, in my opinion, done the best job of making the leap to the digital photo and video era. Oddly, I don’t own a Kodak camera, but this weekend I was reminded of just how integral Kodak has become in recording the moments of my daughter’s childhood. For her first ballet recital, I had the Kodak Zi8 on hand for video recording. I shot video of the dress rehearsal on Friday night, and we then went straight home and plugged it in for replay on the big screen in the living room. (Much easier than the VHS-C tapes we used when my brother was a kid.)
On the day of the actual recital, I had my still camera on hand, which is a quality, reliable, easy-to-use Canon PowerShot. But even though it’s not a Kodak, I’m still using Kodak to send the photos to my parents, who own a Kodak Pulse digital frame. With no effort on their part, new photos of their granddaughter as ballerina will start playing on the frame as soon as I email them over. The pictures are invaluable, but so is the ability to share them. My parents will walk into their kitchen at some point today and be reminded of their granddaughter’s first time on the big stage. And if that’s not a Kodak moment, I don’t know what is.