The Kodak Bullet was to hit the Bull's-Eye, a very innovative camera that was sold by the Boston Camera Mfg Co. The Bullet is sometimes called No. 2 Bullet. The Eastman Kodak Co. ordered the first 200 Bullet cameras from their camera factory on 15 December 1894. This batch was shipped from the camera factory on February 15, 1895 and appeared on the market in March. Eastman ordered another 1500 cameras in February and March 1895.
The Bullet is largely a copy of the Boston Bull's-Eye, except for the shutter. It even has the D-shaped red window in the back panel. The shutter has one instantaneous speed but can also be set to time exposure. To cock the shutter the button on top of the box has to be pushed to one side. A spring pulls it back to the original position. To take a photo the button has to be pressed down. To make a time exposure the button must be rotated 90 degrees (before or after cocking the shutter) and then pressed down to open the shutter. Press again to close it.
There is only one aperture, so there's no knob or lever to select another aperture. The camera has a fixed focus lens, so there also is no provision to set the distance. After a photo is taken, the photographer has to turn the key to wind the film. If the next number appears in the red window in the back, a fresh piece of film is in place and the next picture can be taken.
The Bullet cost $ 8.00 and took photos of 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch (8,5 x 8,5 cm) on a daylight loading roll of film.
Because the Bullet was a copy and infringed on several patents, the Boston Camera Mfg Co. lawyers protested. Eventually Eastman bought the companies that owned the patents.
Now Eastman owned two very similar cameras and could have stopped the production of one of the two. But he chose to continue both. They were redesigned and became the No. 2 Bullet Improved and No. 2 Bull's-Eye (Improved). The original copycat Bullet was discontinued in May 1896.