ThisNext Blog

With cameras attached to virtually everything these days, isn’t it crazy to think how well documented our daily lives have become?

Thankfully, good digital cameras are becoming less and less expensive, and great digital cameras just keep getting better and better. Anyone still use good old 35mm film out there? Anyone?

Well, lest you forget the power of good old fashioned film, there are some really great cameras that still can do what a digital can’t. For typically less than $100, you can purchase a truly unique “Outside The Box” camera and add a whole new artistic dimension to your photograph collection.

Probably one of the most endeared of all the alternative cameras is the Holga. Originally designed as a cheap camera for the masses in China – kind of like a non-disposable disposable camera – it was so poorly made that the pictures would come out distorted and oftentimes double or even triple exposed.

Holga’s poor capabilities started to catch on in the photography world, and now, this cheap $40 plastic camera is a widely known and accepted and exciting piece of photographic equipment. The pictures that result have a blurred, pastel, nostalgic quality to them. If you can master the Holga’s art of double exposing it’s film (or if you’re happy with happy accidents), you can create truly ethereal photographs. Like Liz Shuman says, “ it is a great addition for any fun-loving photographer.”

Just check out all the flickr pages dedicated to Holga photography.

For Holga and Beyond, you’ve got to check out #1 Holga expert Randy The Holga Man’s website Holgamods, Photographer Laura Kleinhenz recommends Holgamods saying, “This is a one-man operation found online. Randy, the Holga man extraordinaire, does all sorts of things to make shooting with a Holga (an inexpensive plastic camera) a more fruitful experience.”

Another lovely toy camera that will cost you between $35-$80 is the Lomo Fisheye Camera. ThisNext curator Jess recommends the Fisheye in her list “But I Like It” describing the camera as having a “170 degree view that looks like you’re looking through a fisheye. Seriously.”

How fun is that? Can you imagine how cute kid’s picture would be taken through a Fisheye Camera? (See more flickr photos of Fisheye photographs.)

If the Holga and Fisheye still seem a bit artsy for you, then no one can argue with the all-time classic Polaroid Camera. Serious do-gooder Hannah Teter says the Polaroid “grabs the moment when it’s taking place and needs to be captured.”

If you want my opinion, I think there is no better party accessory than a Polaroid camera lying around. It’s just instant fun. Much like the Holga, there is a nostalgic feel to Polaroid pictures that can’t be replicated. Mixed in with “perfect” digital pictures, Polaroid pics add a visceral element to any collection.

But let’s not forget the old school cameras that brought us to the digital age in the first place.

Fine art photographer Jackie Alpers says her Zenza Bronica (just say that one out loud…it sounds so fabulously important) is “It’s a lovely old hunk of metal from the 70s and one of my favorite possessions.”

Kurt Gross loves his Yashica Mat 124 G Camera, saying “It is old school but so much fun and it takes great pictures.”

And for some seriously cool old school shooting, Brett Cody loves his Hasselblad 500…and for good reason…”I love shooting this camera. Handed down to my by my awesome grandfather, it’s the best gift ever. Digital photography just can’t compare. Let’s keep film alive!”

So next time you start to think that the sun rises and sets on all things digital – head over to your local camera shop, or even art store, and see if they have one of these great outside the box cameras in stock. For a small investment you’ll make a whole other lifetime of memories with a unique personal touch.