I found the “time” Traveler 120 camera in a junk store in Wheeler, Oregon. It weighs enough to anchor a small boat. Its made of metal. I think they call it pot metal? Manufactured by PHO-TAK CORPORATION, Chicago USA. It actually says “Time Traveler 120” on the front, but I don’t believe the word “time” is part of the name (though I like that better). Next to the word time is a small lever. When this lever is pulled out and the shutter is depressed, it will stay open. That’s about the extent of this camera’s technical advancement. It has a glass lens. This camera accepts 120mm film. The tiny tin and glass viewfinder on top is actually quite helpful. The view through the finder is a bit wide angle-ish, which is exactly what I’ve gotten from the image on the negatives. Speaking of the image on the negative…it’s sort of venturi shaped. Now, I realize I can pretty much make any camera’s image into whatever shape I want to…I could make my 35mm images shaped like poodledogs for that matter. It’s just the fact that they came that way from the factory that amazes and inspires me!
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Three very similar cameras (and there are more out there). Each has its own heft. I weighed them. The Life Time 120 weighs 1 pound, 3.3 ounces. The time Traveler 120 weighs 1 pound, 2.9 ounces. The Vagabond 120 weighs 1 pound,1.9 ounces. Now, I might think the cameras that accept flash attachments would weigh just a bit more due to wiring, etc. But that’s not necessarily the case. There is no explanation for the difference in weight.
