Goldy
Whenever I see a French word ending in “…if”, it gives me a flashback to my first visit to Paris. I made the rookie mistake of consuming too many baguettes and too much fromage. A visit to the pharmacy isn’t quite as easy as it is at home. The ability to speak French would’ve […]
SEM Baby
I like to think I don’t have a “type”. I like colorful, little plastic cameras that make snapping noises. I like tin and Bakelite 127s. I do have some nice cameras – cameras that are too good for me. These are mostly gifts from people who never in a million years would have given me grampa’s […]
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 […]
Rollei 35
A friend gave me this camera. She was going through a major life change – divorce & moving out of the state. Anyway, she stopped by before she left. She told me she had a camera for me and began to wax emotional about how her father had given her this camera when she was in high […]
KOA Happy Camper Kamera
I believe I pikked this kamera up at a Puget Sound Photographik kollector’s sokiety camera show in Kent, Wa. If you volunteer to work the club table at the event, you get to come early. You also get a $25 certificate to spend at any table. You get first dibs on anything that was donated […]
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. […]
Imperial 620
Imperial 620 and Imperial Herco 620: The Imperial Six-Twenty Snap Shot camera was made in the USA. It’s completely plastic, right down to it’s cute little plastic handle. It’s 2 3/4″ wide 3 1/8″ deep and 3 3/8″ tall (not including the viewfinder). There are absolutely no settings to have to fiddle with on this […]
Polaroid SX-70
My history with Polaroid goes like this: The 60’s: My brother got a Polaroid camera. You had to use a tube of some sort of noxious chemical … and rollers, or brushes or something. But it was totally cool to have [nearly] immediate gratification. The 70’s: I lusted after an SX70 – and […]
Zeiss Ikon Contessa 35
Contessa? An Italian countess? Italian royalty horning into this delicate photographic ecosystem that is my studio? My friend, Joanie, gave me this camera. She said, “Hey! I’ve got this old camera. Do you want it?” Like I’m going to say no? Turned out, it was this super cool little number – the Zeiss Ikon Contessa […]
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 […]
SceneX
This camera came all the way from Iowa – in its original box – “From DIXIE”. It came with it’s original instruction sheet. There was even film inside! This teeny tiny (2″ x 3 1/4″) plastic camera was made in the U.S.A. It takes 8 images on 828 film. I finished off the roll. The […]
Hollywood Reflex
They say Hollywood is a tough town to get a break in … and this is one tough camera. A cast metal twin-lens reflex “style” (meaning, not the real thing) camera. Manufactured in 1947 … well, what do you know? I just happen to have a roll of 620 film that expired in May of ’47! […]
Valiant
The Valiant 620 film camera. I think Pete Lutz sent me this camera from Texas. The shutter button didn’t seem to allow the shutter itself to release correctly. Well, I don’t really know why it took me so long to use it. It ain’t like it’s rocket science to figure out how to synchronize it […]
Traid Fotron
My Fotron Experience: Found this Fotron at a favorite antique mall in Wheeler, Oregon. It came with its original leather case, warranty and a promotional brochure. There’s even a film cartridge attached to the back. I was willing to pay the stated price of $12.50 but it turned out that the owner was having a […]