Tammy
For those of us with low expectations, this camera will make your heart sing like a violin. She looks like a 126 film camera, but don’t let her fool you. She’s uses 127 roll film. Every time I touch her I hear Debbie Reynolds singing. Her Hong Kong manufacturer was one of those who felt […]
World’s Fair
Kodak World’s Fair Flash Camera: Oh man! How I have missed the “pop …fizz” of flashbulbs! 2 AA’s and a few AG1B’s later, I’m sated. Manufactured in 1964-65 specifically to commemorate the New York World’s Fair, this little plastic number shoots 12 square images on 127 roll film. Use a penny to loosen the access […]
Ansco Dollar
If you fork over a dollar for an Ansco Dollar Camera, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. My Ansco Dollar camera is a simple box camera that I picked up in Belfast, Maine. It takes 8 images on 127 film. I’m sure I paid more than a dollar, but not much more. […]
Bedfordflex
The Bedfordflex: “Simple to operate! Everyone can use it!” I like this spiffy, little camera! Its a “double-lens reflex camera” . The Bedfordflex takes 12 images on 127 film. I bought it for eight bucks at a camera show. When I opened the box recently, something fell out and glanced off my foot. At […]
Foto-Flex TLR Camera
Marcy’s Foto-Flex Camera Review: Manufactured by Hadds Manufacturing in Chicago, the Foto-Flex has to be the ugliest camera I’ve ever seen. The Foto-Flex takes twelve square images on 127 film. It was in a box of cameras that I bought at an auction. Its made of metal, with a plastic viewfinder hood, and weighs close […]
Penny King
The Penny King Camera: Who cares if the Penny King is the cheeziest of the cheezy? As long as it has the MAGIC LENS. That MAGIC lens? It’s not made of diamonds or crystal … it’s not even cubic zirconia. It’s plastic. Magic plastic. Must be rare earth plastic. Made in Hong Kong, this camera […]
Kodak Bullet
My Kodak Bullet camera review: I truly love the 127 film format. I always have. This camera takes surprisingly large (and kinda surprisingly clear) images on 127 roll film. I’m thinking that lens wasn’t quite locked into place. Hence, the crooked frame. Click on any image for a larger view: […]
Purma Special
At first glance, this camera appears too big for its britches. In classic, hulking 1930s Bakelite this 127 fixed-focus camera is a bit on the portly side. But there’s a reason for that, which we’ll get to in a minute. With its Beck lens , it’s not a loser, baby and love is what it’s […]
Auto Flash Super 44
One day in an effort to promote world peace through junk store cameras, to lighten my load and to possibly get a little run in, I took a short train ride from our Airbnb rental ( a converted garage) into Brighton, England. I ended up lessening my load by one camera, then adding three, then […]
Bencini Comet
The guy at the Mini Flea Market in Brighton, England asked me, “Why did you choose that particular one?” The question surprised me and I halted for a moment. “What drew you to it?” he asked. As I’d sifted through his boxes of junk cameras, I kept in mind I only had just so much […]
Imperial Lark 127
We have tidal rivers around here and there’s this thing I do. On a low tide, I go down to the river’s edge and find things. Things left behind by long dead people. Beachcombing is fun, but this river thing … it’s addicting. One day, I found out that traipsing along the river’s edge […]
Imperial Delta
OK… poor man’s Sprocket Rocket? Nah. It’s not panoramic. I picked this camera up at the 2018 PSPCS camera show in Kent, WA. I bought it from a guy who had a small table of stuff. This plastic beauty takes 127 film. There was tape residue (there still IS tape residue on it – since […]
Action Camera
Marcy’s Action Camera Review: “really works!” This camera was sent to me all the way from Washington, NJ -so you know it’s seen some action. The cardboard backing looks like a cartoon version of one of those New York Institute of Photography ads you used to see in Popular Photography magazine … “I never thought […]
Thunderbird
The Thunderbird Camera… named after “The American Classic”. Long after receiving this camera, I happened into a small fortune of c41 127 size film. Thought I’d blast a roll through the Thunderbird. I was shocked to find that this camera expressed itself in true form as a pillar of visual culture! The images! After the […]
Mercury Satellite
I believe this camera was a giveaway from “Mercury Prize Headquarters” when you bought a new Mercury. Circa 1964, this little plastic wonder takes 12 exposures on 127 film. No time exposure. The camera arrived in a shipping box from Mercury in “Detroit 31”. I’ve come across a few of these cameras, with maybe only slight […]
Photo Master Camera
Manufactured in Chicago, this small plastic camera is only 1″ thick, just over 4 inches long and, including the viewfinder, is 3″ high. I don’t remember where I got it, but I think it was something like 49 cents. The shutter has a time setting. This camera uses 127 film, which it refers to as […]
Mar-Crest Camera
With a name like Mar-Crest, you would think this camera was born, catching a wave, on a beautiful beach in southern Cailfornia or maybe a lovely sun-soaked island somewhere south of where we are now. Alas, she comes to us from the fair city of Chicago, Illinois. A pretty much typical half frame 127 roll […]
Coronet 3-D
Mike Levy of SELECTING AND USING CLASSIC CAMERAS fame gave me this camera. It was kinda bunged up, but in working condition. Just the way I like ’em. Sporting a binocular viewfinder, this 3-D camera was manufactured in 1954. It has a little finger that you slide across the front to cock the shutter. […]
Photo Champ
This camera has definitely got a fightin’ chance as a contender for the title of coolest plastic camera. Manufactured in the U.S. by Cardinal Corporation, it’s got the same bloodlines as the Buckeye Camera. The Photo Champ gives 16 exposures on 127 film. Keep in mind, the shutter actuates on both the down and up movement […]
Empire Baby
The very first time I saw an Empire Baby Camera on eBay, I thought it was the cutest little thing. Someone from Australia was auctioning it. I bid $5 and was outbid .I bought my first Empire Baby at the annual camera show in Puyallup, Washington. There, I paid my five bucks. This tiny (3 1/2″ x […]
Kodak Baby Brownie Special
I was working on my taxes. Had the St Jude and the guardian angel candles lit…tax time is such a pain! Half way through, I decided to take a break and go for a walk. I selected the Baby Brownie Special as my walkin’ partner. A closer look revealed just a bit of scum on the inside […]
Monroe Sales Color-Flex Camera
EBay has a section within the Photo category called “Wholesale Lots”. There’s some really weird stuff there. There’s also mis-placed, mis-labeled and mis-described items for sale there. One day I came upon a pile of cameras that’d been mis-everything-ed. Misspelled, even. These misfits succumbed to my bid of about fifteen bucks. A few days before the package arrived […]
Agfa A-8 Cadet Box Camera
The Cadet uses 127 film and is smaller than your average box. It fits nicely into one of the smaller size Crown Royal felt bags.* I recently took the Cadet on a snowshoe trip that didn’t pan out. But it was a great time in the rainy North Cascades nevertheless and I took the waterfall and […]