Personal Camera Catalog 03/20/08

a. Polaroid Joycam, circa 2006

I bought this camera at Osco Drug Store in Independence, MO in 2006 for $10. The best part of this pocket sized plod is that the film has adhesive on the back and can be made into stickers. It also has a flash and a built in battery in the Polaroid pack. This camera has been discontinued.

b. ActionSampler, circa (I'm not sure, it's been around awhile.)

This camera was also a Birthday gift from my husband. It takes 35mm film, and captures action with 4 lenses. One negative is broken up into 4 quads and gives a stop-motion affect. It is best to use 800 speed film to capture color and detail.

c. Nikon N80, circa 2000

I have shot many many weddings and commercial jobs with this trusty film camera.

It has automatic settings that are easy to override. They are easy to find on the market.

d. Holga, circa 1969

I received my Holga from my husband, Able, for another Birthday. It is a fantastic and inexpensive medium format camera, that originated from China. I love this camera for all of the unexpected blurs, light leaks, vignetting and distortions that are normally annoying technical difficulties. The low-fi aesthetic of the Holga creates a sometimes dreamy or surreal feel to your images. This camera is easy to purchase.

e. Pony II Kodak Camera, circa 1957-1962

This was passed on to me from my Grandpa Kelley. It takes 135 film, and originally ran for $27 back in the day.

I found this camera at the thrift store for $5. I immediately loved its blue color, but I also liked that it takes the instant 600 film, which is cheaper than Spectra. The pop up flash is also a plus, and it's a lot of fun to shoot, especially at friend's weddings.

g. Cine Kodak Reliant, circa 1950's

This 8mm camera is in great shape, and was given to me by my Grandpa Kelley. He created family movies with this camera, and used a projector to watch replay the film. I plan to make some shorts of my own with it someday soon.

h. No. 2 Kodak Box Camera, circa 1889

This is a great teaching tool to explain how film cameras work. Taking the box apart, it is easy to show how light moves through the darken chamber and exposes a roll of film. The slogan these fashionable cameras was, "You press the button-we do the rest." It was only suitable for shooting in daylight.

i. Bell and Howell Camera, circa 1940

My Grandma and Grandpa on my Father's side used this camera to film vacations in the mountains, swimming in lakes, and other memories. It is a gorgeous camera in mint condition that runs perfectly. It uses 8 mm film.

j. Pinhole Camera, circa 2008

I received this awesome camera for my Birthday last year from my old photo assistant and close friend, Miranda. She studied Industrial Design at RISD, and always seems to be making creative and innovative useful objects. She is also fantastic with a camera.

k. Kodak Duraflex III Brownie, circa 1954-1957

This camera was given to my husband from a friend, Tom Taylor, this year. It's original listed price in 1954 was $6. It is made out of brown colored plastic, shoots medium format film, and is very light weight.

l. Poloroid Spectra AE, circa 1980's

This is another sweet $5 thrift store score. Check out my recent blog post to read more about Spectra's vivid color saturation

and it's limited supply.

In 1841, the Hasselblad Family established it's first trading company in Sweden.The son of the founder commented, " I certainly don’t think that we will earn much money on this, but at least it will allow us to take pictures for free.” I love his attitude and the family's passion for photography. Now more than 100 years later, Hasselblad is one of the world's most highly regarded camera manufacturers and brands. The Zeiss lens sets the quality of the obtainable image apart from any other lens. If you disagree, let me know, I would love to hear what lens you feel rivals the Carl Zeiss. I have had this camera for 5 years now, and I love it more and more everyday. I currently use a film back, and it uses medium format film.

n. Kodak Brownie Bulls Eye, circa 1954-1960

This camera takes 620 film, available only on the Internet. It was created to function as a point and shoot camera with a fixed lens, and assured its easy use to millions of families. I got this camera while I was living in New England, but I don't remember where.

o. Minolta Autocord, circa 1955-1966
This is a special camera to me. My Grandfather on my Father's side shot this camera in World War II. Like the other cameras he has given me, this is in mint condition and fully functioning. I love looking down through the viewfinder, the time and process it takes to focus on my subject, and the sound the shutter makes. It takes medium format film.

p. Kodak No.1 Diodak Camera, circa 1938

This is another camera I received from my Grandpa on my mom's side of the family; I believe it may have been his Father's camera. The bellows on this camera was used for focusing before camera lenses had the capability to focus by rotating. 616 roll film was once used on this camera, and it retailed for around $24.50. This is another camera in my collection that I would love to shoot with and experiment with its imagery.

q. Cannon AE-1, circa 1976-1984

This camera replaced my Minolta 35mm camera that was stolen out of my car in High School. I didn't have much money to buy a new camera, so this one took me through my Foundations and Sophomore years of Art School studying Photography. This camera is solid, I often bring it as a back up on shoots. I love it's metal body and size, but I hate its weight. After shooting this camera for a few hours my wrists hurt.

r. Bolsey Model C22, circa 1950's

This is my husband, Able's, quirky 35mm camera, given to him by his sister, Brandi. It is a tiny camera that fits in the palm of your hand, shoots 35mm film, and has a rangefinder! (It is rare to find 35mm cameras that have rangefinders!)I like how modern and futuristic this camera is. Perhaps I can get Able's prermission to use this on a project. Without a flash unit, it is better to shoot this in daylight with 400-800 speed film for a better exposure.