My Cameras!
I love cameras. Most of these are film cameras. Film photography is so fun for me. The physicallity of it all really makes it something special that I don't think can be replicated with digital cameras. I love all of the sounds they make. Hopefully soon I'll be able to develop my own film and be more self suffient. I don't think that the scans would come out as good as what I have now, but the scans I have now are literally coming from Walmart, so there's definitely room for improvement. Quite a few of these cameras I got from thrift stores or as gifts. I love them all.
You'll find that alot of these cameras aren't super popular. I think this is really cool and unique and reflects me in a way. I like to use methods that aren't really widely used, but it just feels better, more tight-knit than super popular ways of going about things. These cameras are like a group of odd friends, who don't really fit together with each other or the world. They're all still nice though.
All photos are mine and are the actual cameras that I possess.
Name: Kodak Brownie No. 2c
Works?: Unsure, probably Yes
Film Size: 130 (120 with adapter)
Year: 1917-1934
Found this at a thrift shop. I saw it and new I had to get it. I still have yet to see if it works. The film it uses has been long discontinued, but you can easily 3d-print an adapter for the much more common 120 film. I have heard you have to go through a few hurdles to work with it, so I'll keep giving it some time.
Name: Canon AT-1
Works?: Yes
Film Size: 35mm
Year: 1977~1978
This one I believe comes from my great aunt. When I started getting in to film photography, my dad showed me this. I didn't use it for quite a while, but I have started to use it. It's a version of the much more popular AE-1, but I think it's kind of underrated. It's really fun to use, but is no point-and-shoot. It shoots well pictures. I think the light meter in it isn't working great, so I manually meter it, but I'm still not so sure. Like all other a-series cameras, it uses FD mount lenses, which is nice because it is easy to find lenses for. It makes great sounds too.
Name: Polaroid Minute Maker
Works?: Unsure, probably Yes
Film Size: Large Format, Unsure
Year: 70's or 80's, Unsure
Found this one at a yard sale. That day sucked. If I recall correctly, it was probably really hot. I just remember always being thirsty, but it didn't help that I was drinking soda. In my town, or, the county mainly, people set up branching off of I-61 and sell their old junk. My little brothers got pretty whiny and I can't remember exactly why but I was really struggling to keep my spirits up. I was being really fickle with my money, not because I was worried about wasting like $5, but because I was too nervous to talk to the people running the yard sales. I found this camera, one similar to another I already had, but I wanted to get it because I was curious. I'm very happy with this camera, not because of the camera itself, but the story that comes with it (with plenty of details I didn't feel like typing, but I value all the same).
Name: Polaroid Super Shooter
Works?: Unsure
Film Size: Large Format, Unsure
Year: 70's or 80's, Unsure
Another Large Format land-camera by Polaroid. This one has a much less interesting story. It was the first of these cameras I got, as previously mentioned. It's just a fun thing to have for me. I wish I could try it out. There's tonnes of battery acid leaking out, so I don't know how well it would work. It's pretty cool, and the metal sleaves instructing the user on how to use it are pretty well intact (as are the ones on the previous camera). Note: Both this and the previous camera I listed as being from the 70's or 80's, this is mainly based on the design and era when Polaroid was popular (and not, like, bankrupt). No idea on any of the details for these cameras, as they're kind of obscure.
Name: Canon [MODEL]
Works?: Yes
Film Size: 35mm
Year: 2000's
This one once belonged to my grandma. Once I started learning about the joys of film photography, I started asking my relatives if they had anything I could use. Lo and behold my grandma had this camera in a drawer waiting for me. This is pretty much my main camera. I've used it for like 3 years now and it's never really let me down. For a simple point-and-shoot, its photos are really beautiful and you can get some great depth-of-field effects. I love how small it is, and it's so nice and light and easy to use. I think it's pretty perfect as a camera. I would love to have some more controls, and a DSLR-like setup where I can see exactly what I'm shooting would be great, but I think it's simplicity is what makes it great. It also has an incredible zoom, which works great and is really funny to use as this tiny little camera makes a wingspan longer than it is. Love hearts for this one <3 <3
Name: Instax Mini 9
Works?: Yes
Film Size: Instax Mini
Year: 2019~2020
What can I say, it's a Polaroid! I don't really have any special comments about this. I think the most impact it's done for me is it made me realize how little I do anything with my friends. When you see Instax photos, it always seems like they are in a fun, social settings (or at least it seems that way to me). It doesn't help that I started making lots of photos when my depression started, or that it was mid-pandemic. Still made me feel like shit though. I don't really hate this camera for that though. I just never use it.
Name: Holga N
Works?: Yes
Film Size: 120
Year: 2010's
I got this one for Christmas. Holga cameras are pretty notorious in the film camera community. They're cheap asf (the plastic is moulded in the shape of faux-leather) and are known for light leaks and needing to be modded to make anything worthwhile. I still shot photos with it. It's the first time I've ever used medium format and I think I love it. I probably fucked up the roll of film and it wouldn't come out very good, but whenever I get around to developing it I think I would be happy if it at least didn't come out blank. It's endlessly light and you can tell it's made with as much cost-saving efforts as possible. But its fun, and it still retains the benefits of the physicallity of film, so it's cool. It's also super inspiring. The best part about film photography is how simple it is mechanically. When shooting digitally, theres a big disconnect between the photographer and the act of photography. Even more advanced film cameras have this separation. Using a Holga made me realize how incredibly simple the mechanics of film are. It inspires me to make my own camera.
