Box camera

A box camera is a simple kind of camera. The most common type was a box made from cardboard or plastic, with a lens on one end and film on the other. These cameras were sold in large numbers from the late 1800s until the middle of the 1900s.

The lenses on box cameras were often very basic, sometimes just a single piece shaped like a curved surface, called a meniscus, or a fixed focus lens. Better-quality box cameras might have a slightly more advanced lens, but they still had very few ways to change how the picture looked.

Because these cameras could not change focus easily and the film was not very sensitive to light, they worked best when it was very bright outside and the person or object being photographed did not move much. Later, box cameras were made with photographic flash and ways to adjust the shutter and aperture, which let people take pictures inside buildings as well.

Purpose

The Kodak camera, made in 1888, was the first box camera many people used. Its simple box shape inspired many other cameras. It used flexible roll film, so it was light and easy to carry. Older cameras needed heavy tripods and glass photographic plates. Before the Kodak, people had to develop and print their own photos. The first Kodak came with film already loaded. People would send the camera back to Kodak to have the film developed and reloaded. In 1900, a Yale plate box camera cost about US$2 (around $77 today), while a Kodak rollfilm box camera cost about US$1 (around $39 today).

Typical box cameras

In May 1888, Kodak made the first popular box camera for roll film. It could take 100 pictures. Its famous slogan was, "You press the button – we do the rest."

The Kodak Brownie became a classic box camera. It used roll film, just like the Ansco Panda. Later, Kodak made the Instamatic camera, which used 126 film and then 110 film. Today, we also have disposable cameras that use 135 film. Another well-known box camera was the Zeiss Ikon Box-Tengor, which also used roll film.

Other box cameras

Many cameras from the mid-1800s looked boxy and were made of wood with a brass lens. They are different from the popular box cameras that became common after the first Kodak was introduced.

The "Le Phoebus" camera, made of mahogany wood, had a brass lens to focus the image onto a glass screen at the back. It used glass plates for photos but did not have a shutter. Instead, the lens cover was removed and replaced to control how long the picture was taken.

Pocket Kodaks from 1895 to 1896 were small and light, fitting about 2+3⁄16 by 3 by 4 inches. They used rollfilm and had a small window that showed how many pictures were left. These cameras came in black or red leather.

The Crown Camera, patented in 1896, was made of cardboard and metal. It had a simple design with a cardboard shutter, a single lens, and a leather strap for carrying.

Le Papillon, meaning "the butterfly," was a small French stereo camera from 1905 to 1908 that made special 3D images on glass plates.

The No. 00 Cartridge Premo Camera, made by Kodak from 1916 to 1922, was their smallest box camera, only 2+1⁄2 inches tall. It had a simple shutter and a single lens but no viewfinder, so the photographer had to use the leather covering to see the subject.