Toy/Junk Camera Article - by me!

[Col.Kurtz]

I thought I'd just do a bit of an article about an interest of mine, Toy camera photography. I've been an

amateur stills photographer since I was quite young, and progressed from instamatics to SLR's over a long period of time, but got a bit bored with it all.

Magazines and internet sites seemed more concerned with equipment and technical considerations than making photography fun! Digital didn't help spark my enthusiasm either, as this also seemed to be all about how high a resolution a camera was capable of.

Then one day I found a photograph on a website that dealt with large-format cameras and alternative processing techniques. It was a photograph of a striking-looking girl in a graveyard of all places, the image was quite sharp in the middle of the frame, but around the edges was quite blurry and distorted. It was black and white
and from looking at it, you couldn't tell what era it had been taken in. From the notes I discovered that it had
been taken with a plastic lensed Diana camera and so I investigated further into this mystery camera that looked
like it took photographs of people's dreams!

Anyway, to cut a longish story short, I found there to be a thriving worldwide community of enthusiasts for this
camera and it's variants (known as Toy Cameras), and I set out to find myself one of these magic cameras...

I strugled to find one reasonably priced at first, most of the ones on e-bay were in the states and very expensive.
So I broadened my search a bit and got myself an Ilford Sporti 120 camera, a 1950's model that shared similar design
features with the Diana. It was only a couple of quid, but was in great shape for it's age:

I shot off a roll of film (12 exposures), at Towneley Park one afternoon and went to look for a lab that could develop the film. There a bit thin on the ground these days, but eventually found one in Rawtenstall.

When I got the pictures back I was gob-smacked! the pictures had a similar effect on them as the photographs I'd seen on the web, although less pronounced, due to the subject matter and distances I'd used:

I eventually got hold of a Dana Deluxe - badged version of the diana, with a flash kit that uses the old one-shot bulbs:

You're not guaranteed the full effect of the dodgy plastic lens on all these cameras, as each one is slightly different and it depends on so many other variables. Here are some pictures from the Dana:

Notice where the light has leaked into the frame through the cameras body, you can avoid this by taping-up the gaps, but it's seen as one of it's quirks and a lot like the effect.

'Toy Cameras' is the term given to lots of cameras, the most well-known being the Diana and it's clones
that were sold or given away as free gifts in the 60's and 70's. They are not really toys, as they are
able to take real photographs as opposed to showing slides in a 'viewmaster' type way, but the name has stuck.
There are other makes and models that also come under the description of toy camera, usually they are all-plastic,
even the lens itself, are usually poorly made, but not always and are recognisable by the soft-focus,
dream-like photographs that they produce.

The category is spread further with the inclusion of simple 'box' type cameras of the 1920's and point and click
roll-film cameras of the 50's and 60's - which the Diana is thought to have been based on.
Although in the past these cameras have been available at car boot fairs and charity shops for next to nothing,
they have developed a bit of a cult following from usually non-photographers and artistic types who appreciate
the effects that can be acheived with these 'bits of junk', and prices have been affected somewhat, although you
can still find the odd bargain as the Diana was given lots of different name badges but collectors tend to look for
Diana-badged examples.

Diana variants: http://www.allandetrich.com/diana.htm

The Diana's modern equivelant is the 'Holga' - an all-plastic 120 roll film camera made in China. It's
still relatively cheap if you know where to get them from.

Here are some links to sites that show what talented people can do with Toy Cameras:

http://www.toycamera.com/

http://www.susanburnstine.com/portfolios.htm

Some examples of the more mainstream 'photography boom' cameras that are so cheap nowadays:

http://www.network-error.com/photo/camera/camera-en.htm

The funny thing is, this toy camera lark has re-sparked my interest in photography generally and has made me take a step back and look at the aspects of photography that I do like and concentrate on those areas and maybe develop my own style.

I used to have more of my toy camera photos on here, but I think they got lost in a software upgrade somewhere along the line, but I'll be taking more in future.

Hope someone finds this article of interest, even if you don't rush out and buy one at least it shows that film is not quite dead yet!

[Poppy]

I never got the hang of exposure, and speeds and stuff, I need point and click, so digital cameras are perfect for me.
The photos you took with these early cameras were excellent. a friend of mine in Dorset specialises in nature photos you may like to take a look.
We belong to the same arts group in Dorset.
this is his site

http://www.imagesfromnature.co.uk/

[Col.Kurtz]

Some nice photos there Poppy, All the cameras I wrote about have very simple controls as they were made for joe public, but they can be a bit fiddley!

Thanks for your comments.

[Poppy]

Hubby has complicated cameras, even has one than scans round and take panoramas, old collectors piece, even has a spirit level on the top. I have seen them online and some brilliant art photos using them.
Anything more than point and click is beyond me, but I have an eye for composition, so several of my shots have been used by the local rag, even though their own guy was taking shots of the same events, so I get a bit of an ego boost from that. I shall never make a real photographer though.

[Col.Kurtz]

Those panoramic cameras look ace, and give great results but the modern ones cost a bomb and use loads of film! You should post some of your photos up in the gallery Poppy.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Oh my goodness! You've reminded me of a camera I once had which literally came in a lucky bag. It was a little plastic thing which the film cartridge slotted into and actually formed half of the camera. The advantage of it was the size because it was hardly bigger than a lipstick. I wonder if you can still get the films for them?

[Col.Kurtz]

I know the ones you mean, 110 film with a little fold-up 'viewfinder' window. What were the photos like out of it?

You can still get the film and processing through specialists - probably with specialist prices! - not sure about high street availability though.

[WillowTheWhisp]

That's the one. The pictures weren't bad but it was a bit hit and miss regarding framing because it all depended on if you folded the viewfinder up properly plus a teeny bit of parallax. I wonder if I've till got it down the back of a cupboard.

[Digsyboy]

nice one Colk
not really got any cameras stories or links, but enjoyed reading your little article
personally find digital cameras take all the fun out of photography (and yes, mine is a digital!!!)
there's nothing better than taking piccies on a fun camera.....forgetting about it.....then getting it developed and not having a clue about whats on it!!!! FAB
digital are really convenient but very rarely get printed - that said, i can use the pictures i take digitally as screen savers on my pc

[grannyclaret]

Originally Posted by Digsyboy

nice one Colk
not really got any cameras stories or links, but enjoyed reading your little article
personally find digital cameras take all the fun out of photography (and yes, mine is a digital!!!)
there's nothing better than taking piccies on a fun camera.....forgetting about it.....then getting it developed and not having a clue about whats on it!!!! FAB
digital are really convenient but very rarely get printed - that said, i can use the pictures i take digitally as screen savers on my pc

plonk some of your pics of the singing ringing tree on :thumbsup:

[Col.Kurtz]

Totally agree Digsy, you can do lots of things with digital that would be much more difficult with film.

Most of my night-time photography has been done with digital, I'm only just starting to know what I'm doing enough to start trying to get results with film.

Digital is great for this because of the ability to preview your shots. Like you said though, when you've worked out your exposures, taken your long exposures on a freezing-cold night and waited a week for developing, it's great when you get your prints and they look amazing (to me anyway).

One thing about digital I'm not keen on is the lack of any real depth of field control without going out and buying expensive fast lenses and camera bodies with full-frame sensors (just to replicate an effect you can get with any manual focus film camera made over the last 100 years).