35mm disposable cameras. what's their strength?

ongakublue · Dec 10, 2015

OK so maybe some of you will just dismiss single use cameras as rubbish and not even want to entertain the notion a good picture can be taken with one, but for those who do, you can read on. I am going to pick up one of those Ilford single use cameras for an upcoming trip. For fun as much as anything but I would like to know what is to be avoided. For example, the aperture is pretty small so portraits with nice bokeh is I guess ruled out. Any tips or ideas from the use of these?

Cheers!

J

Ricardo Miranda · Dec 10, 2015

There's nothing wrong with using these cameras.
Yes, they are better used within certain conditions, especially regarding light, but they can be fun to use, In fact, wasn't there a series of some disposables labelled "Fun"?

RobC · Dec 10, 2015

I would suggest that you try and keep sky out of images, i.e. closed landscape backgrounds so that dynamic range of subject is limited to maybe 5 stops. That will give the basic (non existant) metering the best chance of producing a decent image.

Sirius Glass · Dec 10, 2015

There is nothing wrong with the disposable camera, however the Kodak disposable cameras have the best optics.

Theo Sulphate · Dec 10, 2015

A car-club friend of mine, who knows nothing about cameras (and doesn't want to know, either) would always buy these. He took photos of cars on display and got an extremely good car-to-car shot of me driving. So, they can produce good results within limitations.

His observations to me at the time were:

- viewfinder is conservative - he would back up to ensure everything was in the shot, only to discover the print showed a wider area. Basically, I'd say be wary of viewfinder inaccuracy.

- the flash always fired - so, be wary of reflective surfaces

I don't know if he bought the Kodak or Fuji cameras.

John51 · Dec 10, 2015

Some people keep one in their car in case they need photographic evidence after an accident. Film images being trusted more than digital.

OzJohn · Dec 10, 2015

John51 said:
Some people keep one in their car in case they need photographic evidence after an accident. Film images being trusted more than digital.

C'mon, why would you need to keep any sort of camera in your car? How many people drive around today without a phone that can also take photos? OzJohn

gone · Dec 10, 2015

I Like the idea fine, but the two times I used them (a regular Kodak disposable, and a water proof one), the pictures were shockingly soft, even at small enlargements. On the other hand, the plastic lenses on my Holga and Diana made very sharp pictures, especially the Diana. So that would be my concern. You have to put a piece of electrical tape over the flashes.

I don't drive, and my cell phone is just a phone, which is why I carry a Konica C35 :] I'm going to ditch the phone soon too, just like we did w/ the TV.

Theo Sulphate · Dec 10, 2015

OzJohn said:
C'mon, why would you need to keep any sort of camera in your car? How many people drive around today without a phone that can also take photos? OzJohn

Just like in Sov^H^H^H Russia, we will soon need to drive with video to show the situation leading up to the accident. It's also a good way to capture inbound objects from space.

frank · Dec 10, 2015

Strength of disposable cameras is disposability.

ericdan · Dec 10, 2015

Sirius Glass said:
There is nothing wrong with the disposable camera, however the Kodak disposable cameras have the best optics.

I regularly shoot disposables and found that Fuji QuickSnap as well as Kodak's are actually surprisingly good.
They do have some distortion but it's hardly noticable.
The Fuji has a much much better, super bright viewfinder. Shutter and flash operation is much smoother than kodak.
Ilford HP5 disposable I've only shot once and really enjoyed it but I find Color negative is easier to shoot in disposables than B/W film.

Sirius Glass · Dec 10, 2015

OzJohn said:
C'mon, why would you need to keep any sort of camera in your car? How many people drive around today without a phone that can also take photos? OzJohn

My cell phone is exactly just that a cell phone. No camera. No texting. Just a cell phone. Get over it.

Theo Sulphate · Dec 10, 2015

Eeeek!

http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/quicksnap.htm

markbarendt · Dec 10, 2015

ongakublue said:
Any tips or ideas from the use of these?

1-Put the camera in your shirt pocket and stop thinking about it, just enjoy the day. If something strikes your fancy pull the camera out of your shirt pocket, compose and click very quickly.
2-Wind the camera, put it back in your shirt pocket.

Repeat as needed.

If the camera is out of your pocket for more than say 10 seconds including winding, that could be a sign that you are overthinking things.

Alan Gales · Dec 10, 2015

When my cousin got married they had all these Kodak disposable cameras sitting at the reception tables. When we were done we turned them them into the bride and groom. My cousin said that she and her husband loved the photographs and they were cherished just as much as the professional photographs. Pretty neat!

Sirius Glass · Dec 10, 2015

And then people wonder why a photographer cannot earn a decent living.

albada · Dec 11, 2015

OzJohn wrote: "Just like in Sov^H^H^H Russia..."

Ah, the sign of an old computer geek. Good for you.
For those who don't know, ^H means pressing control-H on the keyboard, which is Backspace on old terminals, used to erase a mistake.
Only OzJohn didn't make a mistake.

Mark Overton

John Bragg · Dec 11, 2015

Lose one and it is not the end of the world.

Theo Sulphate · Dec 11, 2015

albada said:
OzJohn wrote: "Just like in Sov^H^H^H Russia..."

Ah, the sign of an old computer geek. Good for you.
For those who don't know, ^H means pressing control-H on the keyboard, which is Backspace on old terminals, used to erase a mistake.
Only OzJohn didn't make a mistake.

Mark Overton

That was me who wrote that, not Ozjohn.

"Writing under erasure" used to be common in printed satire as well, with a dashed-out text being perfectly visible.

In many of the Usenet forums in the 1980's-1990's, the deliberate use of ^H to simulate writing under erasure was funny because it mimicked an unsophisticated forum poster who hadn't gotten his terminal settings correct in the termcap file, thereby revealing his original (and more embarrassing) text to others, but not to him.

removed account4 · Dec 11, 2015

markbarendt said:
1-Put the camera in your shirt pocket and stop thinking about it, just enjoy the day. If something strikes your fancy pull the camera out of your shirt pocket, compose and click very quickly.
2-Wind the camera, put it back in your shirt pocket.

Repeat as needed.

If the camera is out of your pocket for more than say 10 seconds including winding, that could be a sign that you are overthinking things.

+1

cramej · Dec 11, 2015

ongakublue said:
OK so maybe some of you will just dismiss single use cameras as rubbish and not even want to entertain the notion a good picture can be taken with one, but for those who do, you can read on. I am going to pick up one of those Ilford single use cameras for an upcoming trip. For fun as much as anything but I would like to know what is to be avoided. For example, the aperture is pretty small so portraits with nice bokeh is I guess ruled out. Any tips or ideas from the use of these?

Cheers!

J

A strength is that they're not really disposable. Just pop it open, remove already rewound cassette, load new cassette in a dark room and keep on going. The battery should last at least another few rolls before needing to be replaced. Just be careful of the flash capacitor when you open it (ouch - speaking from personal experience )

blockend · Dec 11, 2015

There are plenty of reusable, plastic lens, fixed focus, single aperture cameras for 99p. They'll give identical rendering and you won't have to dump them after one go.

ericdan · Dec 11, 2015

For example which one?

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ericdan · Dec 11, 2015

cramej said:
A strength is that they're not really disposable. Just pop it open, remove already rewound cassette, load new cassette in a dark room and keep on going. The battery should last at least another few rolls before needing to be replaced. Just be careful of the flash capacitor when you open it (ouch - speaking from personal experience )

Cannot reload them that easily. The film canisters are slightly different. The film wind wheel grabs onto the spool. It can't do that on normal cassettes

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blockend · Dec 11, 2015

ericdan said:
For example which one?

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Look for brands like Kodak or Hanimex, but there are plenty more including ones built by the big camera brands. An Olympus Shoot and Go would fit the bill. Some have automated film advance, I prefer a thumb wheel. A flash is essential. They usually come with a 3-element plastic lens and a Waterhouse stop of around f10. The build quality is only a notch above disposable but they have the all important door on the back.

They are thinner on the ground than they used to be because most people threw them away for zoom lensed 35mm cameras, then similar digitals. As they were made by the million there are still a lot out there.

35mm disposable cameras. what's their strength?

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