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 […]
Split-cam
Image Fusion! I bought this camera a while back at Archie McPhee’s. It’s supposed to be able to meld two images together. It has these little sliding black doors across the lens and viewfinder. You close both sliding doors. You advance the film (35mm). You open one door (top or bottom) on both the lens […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Polaroid I-Zone
Polaroid – ever the innovator – had a great idea! Then, they came out with this really weird camera instead. The I-Zone. In 1999 you could buy these cameras, and special film, brand new. I think I remember that the little I-zone film packets had 12 instant photos. You could peal the backing off and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Stellar
The setting: A garage sale in my home town in Michigan. In the back of the nifty old wooden dusty-musty garage was this beauty. No price tag. I brought it up front to the old guy sitting in his chair in the shade. “What do you want for this?” He pondered and he pondered. He took the camera […]
Squirt Cameras!
In the spirit of coaxing each and every “camera” to actually perform and create art, I present the Squirt Gun Camera page. [You must have a lot of time on your hands, if you’re burning it reading this.] Diana-Like in their simplicity, these squirt gun cameras – though they appear similar – are as different […]
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 […]
Micro-Pet 110 SHOOT-OUT!
“A pro chooses her favorite!”
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 […]
WWF Slam Cam
A digital camera made in China by Toymax. If this isn’t about the stupidest camera … Stupid thing #1: It takes one of those square 9 volt batteries, and batteries aren’t included. When I got it home and saw the deficiency… well … you know there’s only ONE place where a 9 volt […]
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 […]
Arghole Pinhole Camera
One thing they don’t teach you in chemistry class… alcohol and eBay don’t mix. That’s how I ended up with 35 plastic Argus cameras. It’s that darn eBay Wholesale Lots section… I can’t stay away from it sometimes. What am I going to do with THIRTY-F’n FIVE of these things? Ha! Pinhole cameras! That’s what! […]
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 […]
WOCA 120G
I almost had this idea. While working on this review I thought, there’s really less to me than meets the eye. At eight years old, I fell in love with photography. It took that one first glance at a Kodak 126 Instamatic camera and I was in love. Not, you know, like how you fall in love with […]
Barbie Cameras!
Barbie Hollywood Star Camera: Once again, Mattel proves, We Girls Can Do Anything! The Barbie for girls Hollywood Star Camera! I picked it up for a song at a Value Village in Olympia. The camera, available in (what else?) Barbie pink, has a flash that is intermittent, but Barbie’s lights were never always on anyway. […]
Arrow
The Arrow is one of Diana’s many sisters. Her aim is a bit off, as the area of focus is somewhat ring-shaped and circles around the central spot on the frame. I’ve put a few rolls through her and they seem to glide through without a problem. There are quite a few light leaks – […]
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 […]
Sunbeam six-twenty
I purchased this camera at the Puget Sound Photographic Collector’s Society camera show. They hold this show every April in Kent, WA. I paid a whopping five bucks for it. It’s gray deco self is cute enough, but I knew I had to own it when I turned it upside down to find, “HELEN’s. 1956 Won it for a […]
National Geographic Binocular Camera
My friend, Phil, gave me this camera. I was shocked he could bring himself to part with it! He spent $2.99 at Value Village (unless the discounted color that day was blue, which is a good possibility). They actually work as binoculars! Granted, they aren’t very good, but I’m not necessarily an avid birder or anything […]
Sea & Sea MX-5
The Sea & Sea MX-5. Into the surf with a plastic camera. The Sea & Sea MX-5 appears to be a nice waterproof shell around what is actually a point and shoot plastic camera. Though it’s heavy, most of the weight seems to be due to the plastic shell, not the actual camera workings. […]
Dover 620-A Camera
Manufactured in Dover, New Hampshire, the Dover 620-A is one of the weirdest cameras I’ve used. I bought it at a camera show. I bought it because it’s weird and four bucks was within my budget. When I carry this camera, I need nothing more … other than maybe flashbulbs. Stamped on the camera’s back is what might […]
Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius Camera
The shape of the Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius Camera gives it the ability to be useful for many different and stimulating applications. It takes good pictures but I like it anyway. It accepts 35mm film. Phil Arny gave me this camera. He got it for $1.99 at a Value Village. I know that because he […]
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 […]
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 […]
Kraft Velveeta Shells & Cheese Camera
Kraft Velveeta and Shells Dinner Camera: Oh 110 film! Now, you can definitely call this little cutie “cheesy”! The color is YELLOW. Not just any yellow, but Velveeta yellow. The camera body probably has fewer polymers in it than an actual chunk of Velveeta. I’ve had two of these Shells & Cheese Dinner camera bodies. The second […]
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 […]
Ansco Panda Review
This dear, sweet camera resides in a spot close to my heart. Years ago, some friends of mine were having a discussion about online interest groups and how you can make a group for anything and folks will join. From this discussion the original Ansco Panda group was created on Yahoo. Folks did join. I believe […]
Argus Lady Carefree
Through the years, these Lady Carefree cameras have given me fits and starts. She sits upon the shelf, gathering dust. Time goes by and I forget that she just doesn’t work. Her job is to sit there, looking pretty. A stay-at-home camera with no real function. But, like I said, I forget this. Here’s my original […]
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 […]
Marcy’s King’s Lights Cigarette Camera Review:
I bought this camera because its viewfinder is the “Reverse Galilean” type. No… it just seemed like an affordable alternative to taking up smoking. I decided I wanted to be a spy. [” I vanted to be a schpy.”] The pack says, “Made with a choice blend of the world’s finest camera.” I tried […]
Marcy’s Deluxe FryCam
I was getting ready for a trip to the desert southwest. What to bring … what to bring … what to bring… I had to ask myself the question WWAD? [What Would Ansel Do?] Why, he’d bring the Deluxe Fry Cam, of course! Mama always said photography was a “Would you like fries with […]
Diana and her sisters
I bought my first two Diana cameras, a regular Diana and a Diana F, both for five bucks at a thrift store in Grayland, WA. At that time the Diana camera was going for $100 and better on eBay. Those boom times have passed and you can now pick up a Diana – or one […]