Yashica MF-1
I love to travel and now that I have the time I’ve been doing it quite often. I don’t travel high on the hog, my modes are dirt cheap. I joined a site that used to be called Scottscheapflights, though they recently changed their name to something much shorter and trendier. They send alerts to […]
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 […]
Fujica MA-1 Pinhole
My friend, Philip, passed this camera on to me. Before he passed away from cancer, he asked me to come get his camera collection. In that collection, there was this. A Fujica MA-1 that he had converted to a pinhole camera. It had a somewhat exposed roll of film in it. I had no […]
Fotodiox Camera Review
Despite a few glitches, this camera has brought more fun into my life! While using it I had quite the epiphany. More on that later. As I have mentioned before, my friend, Philip, recently passed away from cancer. He fought for a long time and he did not want to go. Before he passed, he […]
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 […]
Beseler Pinhole
Here’s one from the archives circa 1998. It was yet another dark rainy night in Seattle. Amid the general din of tires swishing by on the wet street and the noise of freeway traffic in the distance, my husband pulled up to the curb. I jumped in the car, all aglow from a fabulous day […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
Voigtländer Vitoret 110
The Voigtländer Vitoret 110 is the most fun I’ve had with a camera in a long time! Teeny tiny (a mere 4 5/8″ x 15/16″ x 1 3/8″) this 110 instamatic is made of very high quality plastic. There’s a sliding switch on the bottom that opens both the lens and the viewfinder covers. The […]
Beirette beroquick KB 135
The Beirette “beroquick” KB135…a camera so sweet it makes your teeth hurt. I got it as a trade from a sweet guy in Germany. Decided to take it with me to the county fair. A little bit o’ wrist candy. The Beirette has settings for cloudy, partly cloudy, partly sunny and sunny, with stops in […]
Meikai EL
The Meikai EL is a very nondescript 35mm manufactured in Japan. It’s metal AND plastic. I believe the focus free “New MK Lens” is glass, so this ain’t no toy we’re dealing with here. Also says “Tougodo” – I think that means “To good”. (Just kidding.) And, around the lens “Meisupii”. It’s got an imitation […]
Yashica Electro GSN
I received the Yashica Electro G from Bob Hickey. It’s in great shape, except it’s missing the little button that you press to test the battery. No biggy. The GSN was in a box of junk I purchased at an auction for $6. I saw the box had a camera in it and I simply […]
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 […]
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 […]
Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2
Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 folding camera: My friends, Rosann and Bill, surprised me with this little beauty. A change of their home decor caused them to pass it on. The side struts are crazily elegant. I was just about to head out on another WORLD PEACE THROUGH JUNK STORE CAMERAS trip across the northern plains […]
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 […]
Argus C3
This review is out of control. It’s nearing springtime and I need to weed it and trowel the rows. I’m not one for thinning my seedlings however so, if you’re going to read this, you’re going to suffer. I think it’s turning into my quest for World Peace, rather than an actual Argus review. My […]
Birdseye Camera
I had some fun with the Birdseye camera today. Took my friend’s eagle sculpture out for a photo opp. (That’s at the bottom of the page.) The original review is here: Cam McCubbin sent the Birdseye to me, all the way from Canada. It accepts 620 film, so I re-loaded some 120 onto 620 spools. […]
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 […]
Canon FT QL
It’s a Canon Ft QL. A client of mine said, “I know you like cameras. I’ve got a Minolta I want you to have.” Then she handed me a Canon FT. I’ve always been a Nikon girl, but what am I gonna do? I gave her a polite thank-you, deciding that I’d discretely throw it […]
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 […]
Minolta Supreme Freedom Zoom
The Minolta Supreme Freedom Zoom bestows upon each image just a bit of a tough/soft-ness that’s somehow reminiscent of a late night 1980s coke party. (Not that I would know what that was actually like.) Fully retracted, the camera has a slippery, sexy soap bar sort of feel to it. When its 38-115mm lens is […]
Rollop
The Rollop. When my friend first gave this camera to me the name kept reminding me of Trollop. After a while, it became Roll-up … like, fruit roll-up. It hung out in the studio for nearly a year. I picked it up one day and thought, “I’m going to load this sucker!” I opened it […]
Mark XII
I found this Imperial Mark XII camera on eBay. The year was 2000. It had film in it. This camera accepts 620 film and the film that was inside had been exposed oh way back when. I processed the roll and … well… I really don’t have much to say about that. Fast forward […]
Cub
I can’t believe I just spent 45 minutes trying to fix the shutter in this thing. Finally …You know what? Fuck it. I soaked it in lighter fluid and, if it isn’t working tomorrow, I’ll stick it open and use a piece of tape for a shutter. At least this experience has prompted me to reload […]
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 […]
Tony The Tiger
Tony has always been a sexy beast. He didn’t see it coming however, when Tony was inundated with “Furrie” fetish folks on Twitter. He’s masculine, yet gentle. Gives them the hots. Who knew? This camera arrived in a Swiffer Sweeper box and was sent to me from Ian. I put a roll of Kodak BW400CN (a C41 process “b&w” film … like, fake […]
Victoria’s Secret
I found this camera at a Goodwill store in Kentucky. It had a roll of exposed C41 in it. I swear these are photos of the women of Victoria’s Secret! Looks like someone had opened the back about 100 times. There were scary bits and pieces on the film. This camera […]
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 […]
Transparent Camera
I found this camera at a Value Village in Tacoma. The price tag said 99 cents but it was half price day so I got it for $.50. I know, I got screwed out of a half a penny. There was a roll of film inside and I’m such a sucker for exposed film. Okay […]
Univex Iris
The basics: Made by Universal Camera Corp. USA. The lens is an Ilex Vitar 50mm. 7.9 – 22f. Shutter speeds are “I”, “B” and “T”. Very deco, with a viewfinder on the top. It takes six exposures on Univex film. The lens assembly pops out, away from the body. Made of heavy metal and 2 […]
My Pussyhole
I had a couple of cases of vintage cardboard cylinders. They were boxes for something photographic. Empty. I painted them flat black inside and made pinhole cameras out of them. I still have a few, but I sold most of them. Many have been Gala-fied. Most have catchy names, always including the word “hole”. The Hole-ier Than Thou, […]
Keystone K1020 SLR
These are all of the images from a roll of Verichrome Pan that expired in 1983. Though I used the film in 2004 you really wouldn’t know it. Phillip Arney sent me this camera along with that cartridge of expired 126 film. 35mm film is pretty easy to reload into a 126 film cartridge. Click here […]
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 […]
Perfex Fifty-Five
A Perfex to ponder: This camera sat on the shelf of a junk store near here for months! They wanted six bucks for it. Six bucks is well within my camera-buying budget, but what the heck was I ever going to do with a camera in THIS condition? It sat there for so long…I […]
Norton Camera
This is what I hate. It really bugs me when you click on something thinking you’ll get information about it but instead the person goes on and on about something completely unrelated. [Just wait for it, ok? I’m getting there.] Today, I’m working on updating my Norton Camera review, which I originally wrote nearly 20 […]
Agfa Isolette
A friend’s dad died and I ended up with this Agfa, a Kodak Retina, a Brownie, some Polaroid gear (hey! did the earth shake just then?) and some movie camera stuff. The Isolette is your typical pop out camera. You press a little button and out pops the bellows. You can focus it, you can […]
Agfa Chief
Agfa Chief: This camera looks a lot like an Ansco Pioneer, only bigger. It’s got a metal body with a round chunk of Bakelite sporting a glass lens. The little red shutter button can be set for “i” and “b”. What’s interesting about this camera is the lens rotates for near and far. “N” and […]
Kiev 60
Forget the gym membership. Hefting this thing around will give you not only an upper body but also a core work out. A friend gave me this camera. With that TTL meter on top, it looks like it’s wearing a baseball cap sideways, doesn’t it? Meter and all, it weighs in at almost 4 pounds […]
Pilot 6
While tumbling the Pilot 6 camera about in my hands, I had this vision of Jessica Lang in the American Horror Stories series “Freak Show”. The thought holds true for my menagerie of messed up junk store cameras … “Zeez are my munsters.” I said, in Jessica Lang’s pretend German accent. “Zay ah my family, zeez […]
Mini Camera
The hell I went through to get these images! The hell I say! I bought this “mini camera” off the Internet. When it arrived, there were two mini cameras in the box. I’m sure it was an oversight on the sender’s part, but it turned out to be a good thing for me. I have […]
Reader’s Digest
Marcy’s Reader’s Digest Camera Review: I’ve been using my cameras way more than writing about them. I decided it was time to break this block using a true classic. Not a Diana. Looking back, I didn’t really have many good things to say about them. Well, that, and the fact that they’ve all been […]
Just Ducky
Marcy’s Just Ducky camera review: Well, it’s no Deluxe FryCam. It arrived as a surprise in my mailbox. The timing couldn’t have been better! I was searching for the perfect camera to document the 2017 eclipse experience. Something somewhat technical and scientific-ish. I loaded her up with some Efke 400 which had expired in July of […]
Wardette
The Wardette box camera … oh boy. Now we’re going to reminisce about Montgomery Ward. Monkey Ward’s used to have a photo section where they sold cameras and darkroom equipment. This camera was sold at Montgomery Ward stores and is a typical box camera. I like the patriotic theme, with those stars across the top of the […]
Ansco Rediflex
I spent a whopping eight bucks on this camera at a junk store in Raymond,WA. I even referred to the store as an antique store in front of the owner and she said ,”No, this is a bunch of junk.” There was film already in the camera. The photo of the boat on the […]
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 […]
Ansco Shur Shot
Doesn’t everyone have a pile of Shur Shot box cameras? Sometimes they’re Ansco, sometimes Agfa. The graphics differ as do the limited features. The Agfa Ansco Corporation introduced the Shur Shot camera in 1932. One model had a 6×9 cm frame. Another model, with a smooth front, had a 6.5×11 cm frame. That same year, Ansco introduced […]
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 […]
Reliance Camera
Clevenger’s Junk Store (actually I think they used the word “Antiques”) in Aberdeen used to be the kind of junk store where you could buy cheap tools, Army surplus, a case of those frogs that “rivit” when you walk by, used file cabinets, antique replica furniture and ‘homemade’ fudge. Halfway toward the back of the store, there […]
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 […]
Rocket Camera
In the mid 1990’s we were driving to Alaska in an old beater Ford pickup, stopping here and there along the way. One of our stops was a junk store in Spuzzum, British Columbia. It was fate. It was kismet. It was absolutely meant to be. I can’t describe to you the importance of that moment in my life – and not […]
Brownie Hawkeye
My mom had one of these. If you were born before 1970, your mom probably had one of these too: When I was a kid, it sat on the floor in my older brother’s room. I remember picking it up and making the button click. Then I’d mess with both buttons and it wouldn’t click […]
Argus 21 Mark Finder
Marcy’s Argus 21 Camera Review: It’s been said that many professional photographers cut their photographic teeth using an Argus camera. Well, I broke a nail once. This particular Argus 21 came to me via eF**. From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he wanted to party! He was busting out of his […]
Agfa Click-I
Not as cliquish (get it? clique-ish?) as the Dianas and way more reliable, the Agfa Click-I camera takes 12 square images on 120 film. I bought this Click-I for $2.99 at the Seattle Goodwill. It came with a nifty brown vinyl case & shoulder strap. I got this call from Orla at the Raleigh-Durham […]
Imperial Debonair
Olive drab Bakelite, inlayed with stylish graphics, this camera has Herbert George’s DNA all over it . With its little carrying strap sticking straight up out of its head, it grows on you. It takes twelve wide-angle-ish images on 620 film. (Here’s a link about how to respool 120 film onto a 620 spool.) The […]
Brownie Number 2A Model C
I bought this Brownie box camera in a town named Bow. It was at one of those junk stores that are like how junk stores used to be. Crammed with funky, interesting junk at decent prices for funky, interesting junk. This camera was five bucks. The back latch was broken. What intrigued me was that […]