6 Weirdest 35mm Cameras
We’ve covered the best medium format cameras, Leicas, 35mm disposables, and some cameras you’ve never heard of. What about some of the strangest 35mm cameras? There were many 35mm film cameras made in the 90s and before as odd one offs and promotional tools that serve no real purpose, but their mere existence is charming, odd, and worth remembering. If only real home for these cameras is the bottom of a goodwill bin or inside a hoarder shed, they’ve found a new home here. We’ll take a look at toy oddities and historical relics alike to put some of the oddest 35mm cameras back on the map.
KFC Meal Box Camera
Starting off strong, the KFC camera is one of the heavier branded single launch cameras, with an amporphos colonel sanders stretched across the body. The most unique feature of the KFC Meal Box Camera is its design, which… mimics a KFC meal box. This design includes the red and white color scheme characteristic of KFC. I don’t believe a Swedish design team was heavily involved, but the message remains clear and it has a certain quirkiness to it that many collectors may find appealing. As far as functionality goes, as a novelty item, the camera's performance is basic, primarily aimed at casual photography. It has a plastic fixed-focus lens and a single shutter speed. What really strikes me about the camera is the hot shoe. It would be interesting to see a serious flash looks like mounted on here. If anyone experiments with this, send it our way!
Peggy from cameragocamera.com tested out this camera and the shots look better than I expected. She said she found a Japanese blog that claimed these cameras came with a $30 bucket of chicken. Honestly, this sounds like a fun promotional and can’t be the worst thing someone found in a KFC bucket.
2. Sesame Street Big Bird 3D Camera
The Ritz Big Bird Camera was primarily targeted towards children. It served as a fun and engaging way for kids to learn about photography. It seems like this camera circulated through the late 70s and 80s, showing up in various Ritz Camera boxes. Originally, it looked the same as most toy cameras (fixed lens, similar to a disposable) but in fact it worked as a slide viewer. Kids would look through the eye windows and peer through to see various sesame street characters. As this camera has no real practical use, It’s probably only bought as a shelf piece for a Sesame Street collector.
It seems like there were a couple more variations introduced in the 90s that incorporated even less photos, and got even goofier:
3. FujiFilm Rensha Cardia BYU-N
This is an unusual camera originally designed for golfers that takes a sequence of 16 images, intended to capture the stages of a golf swing. There are a couple different variations of this camera like the N 8 that takes 8 photos instead of 16. This camera has a retractable lens shield (the level you see on the side), a plastic tripod socket, a battery compartment, a shutter button that shoots the full 16 burst, and another shutter button just for single photos. You are able to switch between normal mode, fast mode, timer mode, and an odd setting where the camera takes 15 burst photos and the last frame is a single photo to shoot separately from the burst.
I love the screen design of this camera and it’s strange marketing towards golfers. Its purpose was to be set up on a tripod, fired, and then you were to immediately swing your golf club. When you got the photos back, you could see 16 frames slightly apart in time and from there, work on your form. The basic idea isn’t so bad, especially considering how popular self filming is today as a great resource for skill improvement.
The sleek form factor and scarcity have led to these cameras going for $300 - $500 on eBay. A stark contrast to the first two cameras which float around $20 - $30.
Watch a comprehensive video review here.
4. Jollylook Camera Series
Jollylook has a series of cameras that are eco friendly alternatives to other film cameras and require an easy assembly once received. Their products are mostly a variance of pinhole cameras that work with Instant Film. Their website advertises that these cameras are made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved plywood, and painted with natural oils, waxes, and renewable plant based materials. The pinhole is a copper foil hole acting as a small aperture lens to focus light onto photo sensitive paper, in this case, Polaroids.
Although I wouldn’t recommend this kit for professional shooters I think this is an excellent resource for children and young adults to break into film. Not only do kids get to assemble the entire machine themselves and see their photos come to life, but they get to start with making pinhole images, one of photography’s oldest traditions. As we’ve seen things like darkroom printing and traditional photo classes disappear from schools, an instrument like this could be an excellent resource to engage kids in film photography. Making photography interactive and hands on is what starts inspiring young artists to engage in the craft.
5. The Zenit Photosniper
The Zenit Photosniper was developed in the Soviet Union and was initially designed for military use quite obviously resembling a sniper rifle. It was used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes due to its long focal length lens and stable shooting platform.
The camera was typically equipped with:
A Zenit SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera body, often a Zenit-E or a similar model.
A long telephoto lens, commonly a 300mm f/4.5 Tair-3 lens, mounted on a rifle-like stock.
A gunstock mount with a trigger mechanism that operates the camera's shutter.
A standard lens, often a 50mm Helios lens, for regular photography.
A carrying case that houses all these components, often resembling a rifle case.
Due to its unusual appearance and Cold War era origins, the Zenit Photosniper has a significant collector's value. It's clearly a conversation piece and a fascinating example of the crossover between military technology and consumer photography. There is not much to say about this camera that isn’t readily apparent in these photos, clearly discretion was not a concern at the time of its genesis.
Nemrod Siluro
Nemrod is a brand name used by the Spanish company Seamless & Stearns, known for producing diving equipment, including cameras, spearguns, and other underwater gear. This camera was made in the early 1960s as an underwater camera, designed for scuba diving and snorkeling photography. Its most notable feature is its robust, waterproof housing, which allows it to be used at significant depths underwater. The body is a plastic cylinder with a sports finder at the top, a large handle on the user's left, and typically, a bulb flash reflector attached to the front. The flash is powered by a B-C circuit contained within the body of the camera, utilizing a 22.5 volt battery and a capacitor. The lens is designed to compensate for the different light refraction properties of water compared to air. The camera is pretty remarkable considering the year it was invented and how it still holds a place in photographic history.
Hope you enjoyed this list! If you like our blog please leave a comment and share, it helps us to create further film specific content!
