Most Useless MF Vintage Camera?

[Sirius Glass]

I wouldn't think a company would make a useless camera. I would imagine that had many parameters for designing a camera. These include film available for the camera and has to be priced so people could afford one along with ease of use.

I come across useless people much more often than I come across cameras.

 

[jim10219]

I'm going to vote for the Kodak Disc cameras as most useless. Though my Apple Quicktake digital camera is also pretty high up there. It's a bit of a pain getting those gorgeous 0.3 megapixel photos off of it and recognized by a modern computer.

 

[k.hendrik]

So whats wrong with the camera? Looks fine to me.You can get spool adapters to use 120 film, although would be good to use 616 film. Picture doesnt care what the camera looks like.

Same here and TS doesn't even own this lovely worn out lady; and still has his verdict ready ?! Thsss or even Tsk-tsk!

 

[moto-uno]

I come across useless people much more often than I come across cameras.

This could pretty well sum up the discussion . Peter

 

[StanMac]

There's plenty of medium format toy cameras like that, they can be a lot of fun to use. My favorite is the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, especially with the lens flipped.

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash Painted Red and Yellow by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Riley Closeup by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

WoW! Those are some “in your face” colors! I think I like the natural look of the Bakelite polished up with some auto body polish myself. I do love the image of your pup through that flipped lens though!

Stan

 

[BAC1967]

WoW! Those are some “in your face” colors! I think I like the natural look of the Bakelite polished up with some auto body polish myself. I do love the image of your pup through that flipped lens though!

Stan

Thanks Stan, I have several of them that I have painted different colors. I spray paint them and finish it with a clear coat. All the painted ones have flipped lenses. I have a really nice unpainted one that doesn’t have a flipped lens. I wanted that one to look like a box of Kodak film. The photo of my dog was a combination of flipped lens and a closeup filter.

 

[TheRook]

The Ansco Clipper was never intended as a camera for the serious enthusiast or professional, but as an inexpensive camera one might give to a child to play around with. It filled a specific niche in the camera market. Probably not any worse than other cameras in the same price category being sold at that time. Ansco was certainly capable of producing serious cameras. And back when the Clipper was in production, 616 film was easily obtainable. To call the Clipper a POS is to ignore its historical context.

 

[John51]

I'm going to vote for the Kodak Disc cameras as most useless. Though my Apple Quicktake digital camera is also pretty high up there. It's a bit of a pain getting those gorgeous 0.3 megapixel photos off of it and recognized by a modern computer.

When computer enhancement of film negs started to be talked about, there was a rumour that Kodak were using it on the Disc film they processed. Or at least were planning to.

Pre digital that would be a huge advantage for snapshots. No camera shake, flash exposure inequalities or red eye. For people that only want 'sharp' and easy loading, what camera could be better?

 

[AgX]

I'm going to vote for the Kodak Disc cameras as most useless.

At least they were bought by numbers! There hardly is a fleamarket where I do not see a sample.



(But it is interesting that out of the big three Agfa did not jump on the disc wagon, neither making respective cameras nor films.)

 

[AgX]

Most useless?
Box cameras like the clipper actually, within their limitations, did a great job, and nobody was ever afraid to use them.

I for myself find those cameras that actually made the pictures in general more interesting than those much advanced cameras. This stand alone disqualifies me as "collector"...

 

[Agulliver]

Disc and APS cameras....purely because there is no film available for them and never will be again due to the complexity of the formats.

As for medium format, providing the camera functions it can be used today....even obsolete formats like 116 can be easily converted to 120. Other formats likewise or one can buy hand wound film...at a price but it is available. Nothing wrong with what is effectively a box camera, I bet it takes decent enough photos of people enjoying the beach just as it did when new. My Afga Syncrho Box is hardly the finest camera, not even the best box camera, but I took some lovely photos of old friends at my school reunion with it in July this year.

Even a non-functional camera might have a use, it may hold memories or look great on the mantelpiece....or in the case of the Braun Paxina I have at work with the sticky shutter, it is used to help teach kids about optics and focus.

 

[AgX]

Disc and APS cameras....purely because there is no film available for them and never will be again due to the complexity of the formats.

You call them useless due to the lack of film, today. The OP though called his sample useless right away. So we got a split discussion: a camera being useless today and cameras being useless in their days by being low grade.

 

[Agulliver]

You call them useless due to the lack of film, today. The OP though called his sample useless right away. So we got a split discussion: a camera being useless today and cameras being useless in their days by being low grade.

They're useless as cameras but might still make for something to put on display. One cannot take a photograph today with a disc camera, and the supply of NOS APS film is all but dried up. At least with any roll film, sheet and plate camera there is photographic material to use the camera...

 

[Ray Morgenweck]

Oh My Goodness!!! What a Grand Discussion! Don’t you all love it? Soooo....seems Two points show here; first, the original question is misunderstood. Second, no one here has, or actually uses this camera on a semi regular basis. Oh Yes, back In Its Day, it absolutely was Not a POS and was highly useable. It made fuzzy snapshots on drug store film. You could develop yourself and make very decent 2 1/2” square contact prints. No doubt a Lot of people enjoyed and loved this camera. That Said, today, as a camera collector or hobby photographer camera, it is “useless” in that other than being done as an experiment or ‘holga look” it’s just not worth our time on earth to seriously fall in love with the thing and tinker enough with making up film (or $20+ a roll vintage) to actually take it on our trip to Vegas as our “one” camera. Whew! Haha, yes all in good humor BUT point two seems no one here in their combined years flipping shutters has loved the POS enough to own and shoot one.

 

[Dali]

View attachment 232535 There a Ton of great vintage Cameras out there are a few not even worth considering using today. Here’s a piece of junk only made worse by wanting 616 film, The Ansco Clipper. (Any More? ;-). Ps I don’t own this POS I took image off net

How do you know it is a POS? Is your judgment backed up by experience (i.e. you took pictures with it) or is it just ranting?

 

[Dali]

Who are you to to know what is "worth my time on earth"? The question is not to fall in love with a camera but to take pictures and enjoy it. I love taking pictures with my Leica but I also like taking pictures with my Lubitel (what you would consider a POS, isn't it?).

 

[Ray Morgenweck]

Oh so much fun! http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/cameras/Ansco_Clippers.html

 

[AgX]

Oh My Goodness!!! ... , the original question is misunderstood.

Irony is a difficult thing. More so on the net. More so by someone hardly known and thus his stand too. Please excuse us all.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Oh so much fun! http://www.jollinger.com/photo/cam-coll/cameras/Ansco_Clippers.html

Now that we can see that someone threw together a web page and that in itself turned him into an expert on everything about photography. Folks with an expert like James Ollinger supplying photographic knowledge, Photrio, formally known as APUG, should just shutter its doors and we should get off the internet and retire to caves in the middle of nowhere. I am going to sit in a chair faced into a corner and cry. Please excuse us for living and breathing oxygen.

​

 

[GRHazelton]

Ummm.... While many of us have had fun trashing disc cameras or the APS format, wasn't the initial thread titled
Most Useless MF Vintage Camera? Can we perhaps get back to the original topic?
I would like to think that Box Brownies, etc, and other cheap and cheerful cameras launched many of us on that upward path.... Jus' sayin'.....

 

[AgX]

To be halfway on topic: I would not have fun trashing any camera.

 

[awty]

There's plenty of medium format toy cameras like that, they can be a lot of fun to use. My favorite is the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, especially with the lens flipped.

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash Painted Red and Yellow by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Riley Closeup by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr

Very nice picture. I have a Argus seventy five that I flipped the lense on.
Tree by Paul Fitz, on Flickr

The man part vi by Paul Fitz, on Flickr

 

[tezzasmall]

Love these 'flipped lens' pics peoples!

Terry S

 

[Ray Morgenweck]

Beautiful shots. Somewhere on the web I came across a high fashion shot done I’d say with the lens somewhat retracted....nowhere near a focus. It worked, somehow the colors and patterns told the story with No details.

 

[removedacct1]

To call the Clipper a POS is to ignore its historical context.

Exactly. Not every camera made had to be an engineering marvel/work of art. They just needed to do a job.