Let’s be honest. If you took the nameplates and other identifying alphanumeric markings off most of the cameras we sell at B&H and mix them together with their respective competitors, you’d be hard-pressed to tell many of them apart. Like most American, Japanese, and Korean sedans, the majority of consumer cameras look and function alike.
The following cameras stand out from the masses for reasons having to do with form, function, nostalgia, or a combination of the three. Some of these cameras hark back to the past, some suggest the future, and often with a wink and a tongue firmly in cheek.
1. Ilford Obscura Pinhole Camera
Not happy with your camera’s autofocus system? Try a pinhole camera. Designed for use with 4 x 5" film or paper, the Ilford Obscura Pinhole Camera features a chemically etched 0.3mm pinhole that provides infinite depth of field through the equivalent of a 26.1mm f/290 lens.
Measuring 6.1 x 5.6 x 5.1", the camera’s magnetic locking shutter can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether you’re left- or right-handed. Ilford’s Obscura Pinhole Camera weighs 1.35 lb and has a tripod thread that you will most certainly be making use of.
2. The Impossible I-1
Reminiscent of the base of a 1950s vintage rotary phone, the Impossible I-1 Instant Film Camera is the first in-house-designed camera sold by the Impossible Project. Previous Impossible Project cameras were refurbished Polaroid cameras, along with a limited number of new cameras left behind when Polaroid went belly-up.
The Impossible I-1 accepts 600 and I-Type instant film cartridges that output prints with square, 3.1 x 3.1" image areas. Other features include an 82 to 109mm lens, a 5-zone autofocus system, and an LED Ringflash.
Exposure control consists of lighten/darken and flash on/off controls. You also have the options of switching the camera to manual mode for total hands-on operation or controlling the camera using your smartphone via Bluetooth connection. There’s even a Noise Trigger for triggering the shutter by clapping your hands. Sound like fun? Operators are standing buy.
3. Holga 120PC-3D Stereo Pinhole Camera
Leave it to Holga to take a traditional, time-tested stereo camera design, remove the glass lenses, and replace them with a set of 0.3mm machined pinholes. That pretty much sums up the Holga 120PC-3D pinhole camera.
Holga’s retro-styled 120PC-3D captures pairs of 6 x 6 cm images onto 120 films. There’s a bulb setting for longer exposures, and because it’s a pinhole camera, the focus is continuous to infinity. The Holga 120PC-3D Stereo Pinhole Camera would also make a great head for that DIY robot you’ve been building in your garage.
4. Lomography ActionSampler Fixed Focus 4-lens ViewFinder Camera Kit
Have you ever dreamed of starting a business analyzing people’s golf swings? If so, your first investment should be a Lomography ActionSampler Fixed Focus 4-Lens 35mm Viewfinder Camera Kit. Sporting a clear plastic body with pastel-colored innards, this all-mechanical 35mm film camera captures a single picture through each of its four lenses a quarter-second apart, and records all four images sequentially onto a single 35mm frame.
The Lomography ActionSampler Fixed Focus 4-lens ViewFinder camera kit is a terrific, inexpensive action camera that’s ideal for photographing parties, picnics, sporting events, antsy kids.
5. Fujifilm instax mini 8 Instant Film Camera
You have to wonder if the folk at Fujifilm realized what a winner they had on their hands when they launched the Fujifilm instax mini 8 Instant Film Camera. Available in a choice of colors reminiscent of your Aunt Harriet’s Fiesta Ware collection, Fujifilm instax mini 8 Instant Film cameras accept Fujifilm instax instant film that outputs credit-card-sized color or monochrome prints.
The camera features a 60mm f/12.7 Fujinon lens, and you compose your pictures by peering through the camera’s 0.37x Real Image viewfinder. Exposure is automatic and there’s a built-in flash for low-light shooting. The premise of Fujifilm’s instax might seem silly to some, but there’s a reason they’ve been flying off the shelves faster than an end-of-season Fiesta Ware sale.
6. Mint Camera InstantFlex TL70 2.0 Instant Film Camera
Have you ever wondered why, two centuries after the invention of photography, nobody has taken the time and effort to design a twin lens reflex camera that can take a picture and instantly output a credit-card-size print? Pilgrim, your search has ended—the Mint Camera InstantFlex TL70 2.0 Instant Film Camera is such a camera.
At first glance, Mint’s Camera InstantFlex TL70 2.0 instant film camera appears to be a vintage twin lens Rollei or Yashicamat. A closer look reveals a pair of 61mm /f5.6 Triplet lenses—one for composing and one for taking the picture, a pop-up waist-level Fresnel viewfinder, a shutter speed range of 1 to 1/500 of a second, and a creative Bokeh aperture setting. A built-in light meter and flash complete the package.
The Mint Instaflex TL70 2.0 can be manually focused down to 1.6" from the film plane and has a brushed-chrome metal frame with a black textured outer housing. Mint’s Camera InstantFlex TL70 2.0 accepts all color and monochrome Fujifilm instax print packs.
7. Lomography Belair X 6-12 Jetsetter Medium Format Camera Kit with 35mm Back
Style-wise, the Lomography Belair X 6-12 Jetsetter Medium Format Camera Kit with 35mm Back is the type of camera you want if your vacation plans include driving around the Italian countryside on a Vespa, circa 1957.
Novelty factor aside, the Lomography Belair X 6-12 Jetsetter offers a choice of two lenses (a 58mm wide-angle and a longer 90mm lens) and two film formats. Sporting a satin metal folding body with brown leatherette wrap around the beltline, the camera can be configured to shoot 6 x 6 cm, 6x9 cm, or 6 x 12 cm stills onto 120-format film. Swap out the camera’s 120 film back for the 35mm film back and you can now shoot 35mm panoramas with 3:1 aspect ratios.
The actual AoV of each lens depends on which format you’re shooting. In keeping with Lomography’s less-is-more philosophy, focusing is by zone (3.3', 4.9', 9.8', ∞). The aperture range of Lomography’s Belair X 6-12 Jetsetter is an underwhelming f/8-16, but fear not—B&H still carries fast Lomography film.
8. DxO ONE Digital Camera with Wi-Fi
If you like taking pictures with your iPhone, but wish you could up the image quality, you’re precisely the person they had in mind when they designed the DxO ONE Digital Camera with Wi-Fi. Download the free DxO One app, plug the DxO One camera module into the Lightning connector of your iOS device, and voilà! You’re now capturing higher-res images through a 32mm equivalent f/1.8 lens and recording them onto a Sony 1" 20.2MP BSI-CMOS sensor.
The DxO One features shutter speeds up to 1/20,000 of a second, ISO sensitivity up to 51,200, contrast-detect AF with Face Detection, and the option to output JPEGs, DNG, or DxO SuperRAW files for maximized resolving power and image quality. About the only thing the DxO One doesn’t improve is your phone reception.
9. Leica M-D (Typ 262) Digital Rangefinder Camera
When Leica introduced the Leica M-D (Typ 262) Digital Rangefinder Camera, a lot of people were appalled (and/or amused) by the fact Leica had the chutzpah to manufacture a digital camera without an LCD in the name of purity of spirit. Me? I loved the idea and still do!
The premise of Leica’s LCD-less M camera harks back to the days when photographers didn’t have the luxury of reviewing pictures on tiny screens moments after pressing the shutter. In fact, you might not have known if everything went well for days or weeks after the fact. And that was part of the mystique of picture-taking.
Leica’s M-D (TYP 262), which features a 24MP Leica MAX full-frame CMOS sensor, forces you out of your comfort zone. By eliminating the LCD, you’re forced to pay closer attention to what you’re doing—it wakes you up and makes you think. Sure, Leica might have just as easily devised an LCD cut-off switch that achieves the same goal, but you know, deep down, it’s only a matter of time before you’d start chimping… we’re only human y’know.
10. Lytro Illum Light Field Digital Camera
Lytro’s Illum Light Field Digital Camera is a very cool camera that allows you to alter your focus points, post-capture. The downside of this cool camera is that it takes forever to process image files, which at best, can output prints no larger than 5 x 7". Sure, you can re-focus pictures a million times even after you’ve saved them, but how many times can you do this before the novelty wears off? No doubt, there are suitable applications for Lytro’s technologies, but this camera leaves a lot of other shooters in the bleachers.
If anybody out there has found useful applications for Lytro’s cameras we’d love to hear from you… no joke!
11. Minox DCC 14.0 Digital Camera (Silver)
If you can’t afford (or justify) purchasing a vintage Leica M-series camera, how’s about a mini replica with a 14MP imaging sensor for a couple of hundred bucks?
The Minox DCC 14.0 Digital Camera is tiny (3.2 x 1.8 x 2.6"), weighs a scant 4 oz, and features a 14MP CMOS sensor, a 7.4mmf/2.4 (43mm equivalent) lens, and 3-point zone focusing. For composing pictures, the Minox DCC 14.0 has a top-mounted optical viewfinder, a 2" LCD for reviewing your pictures, and records still images and 640 x 480 video onto SD / SDHC memory cards.
Cutesy size aside, the best part of owning a Minox DCC 14.0 digital camera is that if anybody should ever ask you if you own a Leica, you can say “Yes” … followed by “sortof,” in a quieter, hushed tone.
12. Avangard Optics Smiling Face Brooch Spy Camera
The Avangard Optics Smiling Face Brooch Spy Camera is a 1.85" brooch that covertly records stills, audio, and 720 x 480 @ 30fps video within a 33' range of its smiley face. Avangard Optics’ brooch spy camera cam be pinned to you jacket, shirt, shoulder bag, hat, or backpack. Depending on how well you can keep a straight face, it can also be used as a rather creepy camcorder for interview or ENG purposes.
“Smiley” contains a lithium-ion battery that provides up to two hours of recording time on microSD cards up to 16GB. Imagery can be output directly from the brooch via USB/AV cable (included) for playback on a TV or monitor.
Any other fun ideas for this spy-worthy brooch? Let us know in the Comments section, below!