I've been tracking this 1982 toy camera by Fuji on ebay for quite a long time. It was €49 [ + shipping], a price you shouldn't be willing to pay for a cheap piece of plastic dating 8 years prior to your birth, but well, "'tis the season to  be jolly  spend money", so mom bought it for me.

Believe it or not, this camera looks even more red in person. Also, it visually reminds me of some other cameras I own. The lens reminds me of the Holga 135 BC, its plastic body looks like a Diana, the shutter button is like the one of the Olympus XA, its color makes me think of my Russia Day and my red Konica Pop, and it feels as sturdy as the cheapest disposable. I like the feeling I get when I hold it in my hands, it's like holding all those cameras at the same time. That's silly, I know.

By the way, the camera you see in the picture is exactly the same one I bought: isn't it lovely? ;-)

I've always wanted a wide cam that fits in any bag to carry around at all times. When I started writing commissioned translations for Lomography Italia I decided I'd save up to buy the über-expensive LC-Wide. When I finally reached the necessary amount of piggies, it went out of stock, so I bought the Russia Day instead, which costed me the same money and looks cute and all, but it ain't a super-wide camera. I saved up again and again, but decided I'd rather build a collection of toys and film rolls instead of spending so much on a single item. That's how I got to buy a Fisheye, a Diana Mini, a Pop9, an ActionSampler, a Holga 120 CFN, and an embarassing amount of film [35mm, 120, instant].

I currently have about 60 piggy points and commissioned translations are becoming fewer and fewer, so I doubt I'll get the LC-Wide any time soon, that's why I'm more than happy with my brand new Popeye Camera! Also, look how funny its packaging is! It's like a spinach tin! And this camera is so tiny that it will most likely live in my bag. Or in my pocket too.

This camera is quite hard to come by, and the Four Corner Edition comes hand-numbered [mine is /150, but it basically is like any other Wide&Slim clone [22mm, f/11]... it just looks prettier!

If you didn't know about this camera yet, I'm sure you'll need one as soon as you read this post. This is the cutest, funniest, lightest, loveliest, sweetest camera ever known to mankind. Full stop.

I usually don't like elephants [and apes, I guess that's because of all that Dumbo and the Jungle Book stuff when we were young], but this time I just couldn't resist the light plum color and the sweet face of the little elephant. And the best thing about its design could be the camera back [I'll show you some pics of the camera itself as soon as I get to finish my first roll with it].

The fake straw on top works as a "shutter button": its speed is said to be 1/100, but mine seems to work on a B-setting, as it doesn't shut 'till I release the shutter button. We'll figure this out, I guess.

This tiny baby's lens is quite wide too [28mm], and I just can't wait to take it to some crowded place to take lots of candid shots of unaware strangers ['till they notice and beat me up].

If I ever get to write down my complete collection of film cameras, you'd most likely think I have some kind of a fondness for multi-lens/weird format cameras. I do actually like them, but I rarely have the carefree attitude you need to play with those. That is to say that I doubt I'll ever enjoy my Split-Cam that much, but as it, as far as I know, out of production, I thought I'd better have to grab one before they're all gone. I guess this is the sort of camera which is too weird, the kind you get bored with easily. Also, this camera is an ugly duckling. It is most likely the worst-built camera ever, and it is quite big too. It looks clumsy, but not in a cool way [like a Holga, for example]. It just looks cumbersome. Okay, now you know I'm that shallow, too bad. Will this camera ever grow on me? I don't think so, but let's just wait and see :-)

*Click through the pictures to see their original source*
*See my pictures on Flickr & in my LomoHome*
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Anyway, here's what I came home with:

I already own a µ, the one that came out some time after this one. They're great cameras you can practically use everywhere, I even took some decent concert photography with mine [which still was my mom's, back then] with a low ISO roll, so I could use having two of these.

A nice point and shoot camera with w/t options. Quite huge, compared to most of my 35mm compact cameras, but nice.

This is another big, heavy camera much like the L35. But this one seemks to kick major ass. I just can't wait to try it!

Again, a point and shoot camera. It doesn't look that good [though it's red] and I'm not too enthusiastic about it. 

I'm always über-excited when I get my hands on a camera that's not even slightly mentioned in Camerapedia. And when the camera might be some kind of quirky toy camera, I could really explode with joy! This one is a cheap point and shoot camera from the '80s, I guess, and it really looks like one of those kids-targeted [toy] cameras you could get for a fewbucks. It even has an empty roll of Konica XG100 loaded, so I'll have to try it asap!

Still boxed and sealed, this is your usual cheap-plastic-branded 110 camera. I already own a 110 Petri spycam, and it feels much better built than this thin piece of black plastic. I don't know if I'll ever try this one, I only have one 110 cassette and it's already exposed, and I don't plan on buying some new. Sorry, tiny one.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, after all this '80s-finds, let me introduce you to the camera that most likely made my day...

Well, well, well, I just can't tell you how long I've been tracking these on ebay, and finally I have one... and I got it for free! This cute baby from the '50s looks in perfect condition, the shutter works both on B and 1/50, the lens is clean and everything is okay. The only problem is I can't seem to turn the focussing ring . There were some moist signs in the viewfinder, but this camera is so simple I managed to unscrew some stuff, take the whole viefinder structure out, clean it, put everything back in its place, and giggle like a little girl 'cause this shiny baby really kills me. I can only see one cons to this camera, which is: it is a 127 camera... but my grandmother still had a sealed roll of 127 Kodakolor... expired in 1979! I really can't tell if I'll ever use this camera, it almost scares me the idea of wasting such a precious roll, also because I guess it's not that easy to find someone to process it nowadays... I guess I'll just have to wait 'till I can sort things out.

Unfortunately, my grandmother did not find any other roll of film, except for a Kodak Gold 200 expired in 2005 [I obviously wished for some slide film, but anyway]. She did gave me, though, a lovely Cine Canonet 8, a Super 8 video camera which belonged to my long-gone uncle F. I don't think I'll ever use it, but it looks super good, and I like it 'cause it was my uncle, and I like to have stuff that used to belong to people in my family.

While my grandmother was looking for more cameras, she also found two dead Canon Ixus digital cameras, which made me laugh 'cause the oldest one was the one she bought in 2006: after 5 years she already changed three cameras, while the old Comet's still here and in perfect shape.... even the Haking-whatwasitsname is still in working condition! Okay, it's 1 am, I will not start with the same old "Film is [way] better"-thing, I promise. Actually, I think I'll just wish y'all good night and go back to cuddling my new toys!

Just one thing: I decided not to take any digital photos of the cameras 'cause I'd rather keep this blog as digi-free as possible. I might do it someday, but definitely not now. Tonight it's analogue time!

Good night, y'all!

Just finished the 57-page Diana Microsite translation commissioned by Lomography Italia. I guess I just panicked when Open Office crashed down at page 56. I know, I should get myself iLife or some Windows-stuff but was waiting 'cause I want to upgrade to Macbook Pro ASAP - my 2008 macbook is falling to pieces.

I'm super happy as I'm about to receive tons of Piggies for this massive work to spend in Lomography.com Online Shop. I already already have quite a lot, so this is gonna be fun.

If you're any like me, you'll spend most of your free, consumistic time adding new items to your own wishlist.