I own the worst camera ever made.
It has no brand name, for good reason. Nobody actually wanted to be associated with this cursed object. It’s bright green. It has a tiger molded on the front. It has a flash that doesn’t seem to work, probably due to a loose wire since the build quality is pretty suspect.
The grip is designed in such a way that your finger will always be in front of the lens. It is strangely difficult to wind the film, even though it was presumably made for children. Getting the back door to stay closed is very difficult because the latch on the back is flimsy and too small. Rewinding the film requires a key that is easily lost, and mine doesn’t have it anymore. It’s still possible to rewind, but it might cause some light bleeding.
It was a cheap, cynical camera made to disappoint children and make them give up any desire to be a photographer in their future. It is a horrible, nasty piece of plastic that I purchased as a thrift store curiosity, because every camera has a personality and I was curious what this one’s was.
In spite of the fact that this is easily the worst camera ever made, it’s still a camera. You can still create something with it, making it better than many other terrible objects.
In fact, with a little luck, a little skill, and a conscious effort to move your finger out of the way of the lens, you might even get a pretty good picture out of it. It might take an entire 36 shot roll of film to get a single usable photograph, but it’s possible.
This feels like it could either be the start of a life lesson or the justification for some hoarding behavior.
I honestly can’t see myself loading another roll of film in the tiger camera but I can admit it has some value. The multitude of design mistakes and cost cutting measures can still work together to make interesting qualities in the photos it produces.
It’s also a good example of the old saying that it’s a poor carpenter who blames his tools. You can produce a good photo from a bad camera. It’s more difficult than using a good camera and the applications are going to be more limited. It’s not as enjoyable at the time, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see you pulled it off.
All that said, my go-to is still going to be a good camera. But the bad ones are still interesting enough that I’m not giving up on them. I’m going to always try to see what kind of personality a camera has, and if that personality gets me an interesting photo at the end of the day.
In a fit of self-promotion, I must let you know that you can even see my photos at devin-wilger.pixels.com. Most of them are taken with good cameras, but amongst them is proof that even the worst camera in the world can take something worth looking at.
