Reto launches $34.99 Kodak EC35 film camera with retro design

Reto Project has launched the Kodak EC35 at $34.99, pushing a new 35mm film camera into the lowest-price tier of the revival. The camera is built around a 25mm acrylic lens, a fixed f/10 aperture and a 1/100 shutter speed, a specification set that puts it close to a simple disposable, even though the EC35 is a full-frame 35mm body that can be used again and again.

The design leans hard into nostalgia. Reto describes the EC35 as an “everyday carry” compact, and the camera brings back a sliding front cover that recalls classic compact film models, including the Olympus Mju and XA-style look that many film fans recognize immediately. Listings show the EC35 in black and several bright colors, with some coverage noting seven color options, a retail strategy that makes the camera look more like a lifestyle accessory than a technical instrument.

That positioning matters because Reto is not new to selling inexpensive throwback cameras. The company behind the EC35, RETO Production Ltd., already sells Kodak-licensed products including the viral Kodak Charmera keychain digital camera and the Kodak Snapic A1, which launched at $99. The Snapic A1 carried a 3-element glass lens, 2-zone focus, auto wind, rewind, auto flash and double exposure, giving beginners a more capable entry point than the EC35’s stripped-down setup. Reto has also sold the Reto Pano and Ultra Wide & Slim, reinforcing a product line built around lightweight, low-friction film shooting.

The economics are clear in the bundle, which pairs the EC35 with Kodak Ultramax 400 24-exposure 35mm film. The camera body may cost less than many rolls of premium film over time, but the bundle makes obvious that the first purchase is only the start. That is the central bet behind ultra-cheap analog devices: keep the entry barrier low enough for first-time hobbyists, gift buyers and curious casual users, then hope nostalgia carries them into buying film, processing and more cameras later. The EC35’s simple optics and fixed controls suggest serious film users will outgrow it quickly, but that is not the market Reto appears to be chasing.

Reto is selling the EC35 through its Kodak-branded storefront, where product pages also point to authorized dealers, authenticity checks and customer support. That retail setup makes the camera look less like a novelty prototype and more like a deliberate mass-market push into a film category that now depends on low sticker prices and the promise of easy, low-stakes shooting.