That 'box camera' I found at a garage sale in Akron actually takes decent shots

I picked up this old Kodak box camera for $5 at a garage sale last summer, figured it was just a dust collector. The guy selling it swore it still worked and even gave me a roll of 120 film he found in a drawer. I laughed it off - how good could a plastic box from the 50s be? Finally loaded it up last month and shot a roll around my neighborhood. The results came back from the lab yesterday and I'll be honest, the lens has this soft dreamy look that my modern SLR can't replicate. The shutter speed is basically just 'click' or 'not clicking' but the exposures held up. Has anyone else had an old cheap camera surprise them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan8511mo ago

The lab still processes 120 film for you? I'm jealous, most places around here act like you're asking them to develop a daguerreotype. Don't suppose you remember what film stock that roll was that the guy had lying around? I've noticed cheap old cameras either give you that hazy magic or they're completely fogged up from bad storage, no in between. That plastic lens really does have a character you can't fake, makes everything look like a memory from 1962.

price.jake1mo ago

Man, it's not that deep. It's just a plastic lens on an old camera, not some mystical experience. Half the time those "hazy magic" shots are just from a scratched up piece of glass and a light leak. I've got a few rolls from a beat up Agfa I found at a thrift store that just look like someone smeared vaseline on the lens, not a memory from 62.