When I was a kid, I really wanted an analog camera. When I was about 6 or 7, my aunt gave me one, and I started taking pictures. At that time, I didn't even understand the principle behind it. The only explanation I received was that I should never open the camera under any circumstances, as that would ruin the pictures. Of course, I did it anyway to see what would happen, and I didn't make that mistake only once.
A few years later, affordable digital cameras appeared, and I got one. My analog camera gathered dust in the corner of my room until I eventually threw it away—a decision I regret today after regaining my love for analog photography. I’m especially into point-and-shoot cameras; the simpler, the better, just like my first camera. Each camera is special in its own way, and the feeling of waiting for the developed pictures never gets boring.
On New Year's Eve 2017, I saw analog cameras for the first time in a decade. A couple of my new friends had some, and inspired by that, I bought my own analog camera the following week: the Minolta Riva Zoom 70. One day it wouldn't turn on, and I couldn’t say goodbye.
Status: dead
I saw this camera and wanted it right away. In hindsight, I heard about 110mm film and inquired about it. This camera works completely mechanically without batteries, and you can clearly see its age (1977).
Status: alive
By chance, I stumbled across an ad for the Agfa Agfamatic 508 Pocket 110. It was cheap and small. Since 110mm film is a bit expensive, I haven’t used it much until now. I prefer to use the Minolta Autopak 250 for 110mm.
Status: alive
After my Minolta Riva Zoom 70 broke down, I started looking for a venerable successor with similar features and aesthetics. I liked the opening mechanism of the Olympus Superzoom 110. Unfortunately, I had to watch it slowly die after a year. At least it finished the last roll of film before giving up.
Status: dead
Almost at the same time as the Superzoom 110, I started searching for an analog camera with a date function because I always thought that was cool. With a birthday coming up, I wanted to have a camera on reserve in case the Superzoom broke too. I got the Fujifilm ZoomDate 1000, which I chose because of its glowing display.
Status: dead
For my first vacation with my girlfriend, I got the Lomography ActionSampler. This camera takes 4 consecutive pictures. Some fun stuff came out of it, but ultimately, it’s meant more as a fun toy.
Status: alive
While looking for a half-frame camera, I found the Agat 18k. This Soviet camera is touted as one of the smallest and lightest half-frame cameras ever made. The special feature of half-frame cameras is that you can use twice the capacity of a film. However, I struggled with the manual settings, and half of my pictures came out underexposed.
Status: alive
I actually couldn't find much information about this camera. I saw it on eBay and bought it. It's probably some kind of merchandise item. The pictures that come out of it aren’t worth mentioning either, but the camera looks nice.
Status: alive
