Box Cameras

A box camera, as the name suggests, is a camera constructed into a box. Kodak was the first box camera introduced in the market, which was created by the Eastman Dry Plate Company in 1888. The box camera had very simple features and was no more complicated than a pinhole camera. It did not have a focus system, a flash nor shutter speed control. It had no system for focusing, no flash and no ability to control the aperture or shutter speed. Perhaps its only good feature was its simple, curved lens and a quick developing film that can be stored in a roll of film. Of course, the box camera’s limitations only made it useful for applications wherein bright daylight or flashes were involved. Earlier types of cameras had exposure times at any time from thirty seconds to several hours and may even reach days, depending on the local source of light.

Box cameras could instantly take photographs without setup, which paved the way for the snapshot. Unlike pinhole cameras that could only hold a piece of film and needed to be changed after using, box cameras could carry several exposures on a film roll. However, not much change was seen with the box camera even with the evolution in optical technology but its basic pattern is still being used in modern disposable cameras.

The Brownie box camera was the very first box camera that made it big in the market. This was designed by Frank Brownell as a camera that anyone can use and afford. The Brownie box camera line, which was sold for only one dollar, was a big boom for more than seventy years. Its most popular model was the Brownie 127, selling millions from 1952 to 1967. Also, the Instamatic box camera became a popular pick as well.

The Ansco box camera, on the other hand, was introduced in the 1950s as an affront to the Brownie camera. Ansco’s Panda series was pretty much the same as the Brownie camera line. Unlike Brownie box cameras that were made of wood, Ansco box cameras were originally designed as a children’s item, its material made of cheap Bakelite plastic. It also only had twelve exposures. Although Ansco box cameras might not have surpassed the popularity of the Brownie, many have developed an interest in collecting this camera, making it a popular collector’s item at present. Another brand that competed with the Brownie was the Sparta box camera. Box camera collectors can score these precious cameras in many online shopping websites such as eBay. Finding a modern wooden box camera may be hard but you can go for disposable models since they both have the same construction anyway.

If you want to know how to build a box camera, you can use a box camera diagram. Follow the image piece per piece to find out how the tool works. You can also get a modern disposable camera. Using a 135 film, carefully take it apart step by step and then do the reverse so you can build one by yourself.

Because of the fast forward pace and sophisticated change in optical technology, box cameras may already be seen as a thing of the past now in terms of usage. But even so, this already outdated technology but this does not mean that they are already forgotten. You may find that the specifications of a disposable camera, which are still being used at present, are directly influenced by the box camera. Moreover, box cameras have given the world of photography a big leap towards newer and more sophisticated developments in the market today.