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| Left to Right: Balda Baldixette, Agfa Clack, Ensign Ful-Vue, Ilford Envoy, Kodak Cresta III |
So what distinguishes box cameras from other cameras?
Yes, they're lightproof boxes, but then so are all cameras. Really the defining feature of the box camera is its simplicity. There are a lot of makes and models out there, and all have some unique distinguishing features, but on the whole a box camera comes with a fixed focus lens, one or maybe two apertures, and one shutter speed. They are the no frills, budget point and shoots of their time. They were intentionally simple to allow absolutely anyone to take snapshots. There are things they absolutely cannot do, like macro photography, close up portraits, low light images (unless they have a flash) or super fast action shots, and there are things they do really well, such as landscapes, architecture, candid photography, portraits, double exposures, long exposures, you get the idea.The 'boxiness' varies from camera to camera, as is clear from the photo on the left. The Baldixette (bottom right) looks more like a compact camera, but on closer inspection it is very much a box camera, just one with very nice styling. It has one shutter speed of 1/60th of a second, which is actually pretty quick for a box camera, and has two apertures, F9 and F16. Pretty simple.
Lenses
No interchangeable lenses here. Just the one. The question is, will it be glass or plastic? Ok, so the lens won't be amazing, but it also won't take bad photos. Box cameras more often than not had single element meniscus lenses. The only one pictured above that doesn't is the Baldixette, which has two elements and should be sharper. Some cameras have curved film planes (like the Kodak Cresta III and Ilford Envoy) to compensate for the curvature of field of the lens. This should give a sharper picture. Some cameras have plastic lenses, such as the Cresta III and the Fulvueflex. This may well place them in the toy camera category for some, but they are still capable of taking good photos. You can expect some vignetting in images taken with box camera lenses, which, depending on your outlook, may be a desirable effect. You can't expect super sharp images from a box camera, but you can expect sharp images. Some lenses may be softer than others.
Viewfinders
Box cameras can have waist level or eye level viewfinders. The Ful-View is the only camera in the photo to have a waist level viewfinder. As viewfinders go it is fantastic. It's enormous. Composing with it is easy. The Baldixette on the other hand, well, look at the photo. It's challenging if you wear glasses.
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| Baldixette Viewfinder |
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| Ful-Vue Viewfinder |
Focusing
There's no zooming in on your subject matter with one of these cameras, unless you physically move the camera closer of course. You are typically lumbered with fixed focus, or all-distance focusing as it was otherwise called. With a Ful-Vue you can get as close to your subject as 3 feet. Any closer and the picture will be out of focus. This is made possible by the two-position focusing mount. When pulled out, the lens will focus on anything from 3-10 feet. When pushed back in it will focus on anything from 10 feet to infinity. Some earlier box cameras that couldn't do this had accessory portrait attachments that would let you focus this close to the subject. Some of the later Ful-Vue models replaced the two position mount with a screw mount that did the same thing. Many box cameras had similar close focusing options. Some, like the Agfa Clack and Kodak Cresta III had close-up lenses that swung into place when wanted.
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| Ilford Envoy lens mount: For faces pull out, for places push in. |
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| Agfa Clack focus options: 3-10 feet, or 10 feet to infinity. The built in close up lens has a yellow filter too. Handy for portrait photography in black and white. This all swings into place when you select the close-up range. |
If you're uncertain of the aperture of your box camera F11 is a good guess. It's pretty common. Some box cameras offer the luxury of a second aperture though, making them a little more versatile. The Agfa Clack, pictured immediately above, has two apertures, F11 and F12.5. To select the aperture you want you slide the lever to either the sunny position or the cloudy position. This moves a rotating plate into place with your aperture of choice.
The Kodak Cresta III (above) offers a choice of two apertures, but they are labelled as exposure values rather than F-stops. You can choose betwen exposure values 12 or 13 (F11 and F12). The Baldixette offers F9 and F16.
Shutter Speeds
Slow. Pretty slow. Don't take a box camera to a race track unless you think the resulting blurry images better convey the speed. My Ful-Vue cameras each offer 1/30th of a second, as does the Clack. The Ilford Envoy and the Cresta III offer 1/40th of a second. The Baldixette tops the charts at a whopping 1/60th of a second. I'm sure there will be other shutter speeds out there. Be sure to research any box camera before you purchase it. Don't be disheartened though. It's better to work with the limitations of these cameras than against them. They are great landscape cameras because on the whole mountains and architecture don't move very fast. Choose your subjects wisely.
Shutter Releases
These things are all over the place. If you are used to clicking a button on the right of the top plate then box camera shutter releases may take some getting used to (unless you have a Baldixette or Envoy, then the button is in the same place). More often than not you don't press a button. Instead you pull or push a small lever somewhere near the lens mount with your thumb or finger. The release may also be on the side, or a button on the front of the box.
Other Features, Bells and Whistles
Err, well, bells and whistles aren't really part of box camera photography, but you do occasionally find some neat features. Some boxes come with tripod sockets, like the Clack, which is actually a massive plus because one of the most challenging aspects of box camera photography is keeping the cameras steady. This is super important given their slow shutter speeds so tripod sockets are a real asset. Bulb and Time settings are also common, which is handy for long exposures. Many have flash sockets, further increasing their versatility. The Baldixette has an accessory shoe, which means I can attach an accessory viewfinder or rangefinder, which I'm probably going to need given the size of its viewfinder. Some, like the Baldixette, have ISO reminders, which is super helpful when the camera hasn't been used for a while and you've forgotten which film it is loaded with. My plastic fantastic Fulvueflex (below) has a threaded lens mount, which will take a step up adapter, which means I can use it with filters, giving it more creative potential than the other cameras in my collection. And there are other features out there, like double exposure prevention if you're not into that kind of photography. Something quite neat about the Ilford Envoy is it will take both 120 and 620 film. It also shoots 6x9cm exposures, unlike the others which shoot 6x6cm. On the whole though, the cameras are pretty similar. The main distinguishing features are cosmetic.
I hope this blog post has helped illustrate what a box camera can offer, which is a lot more than it may seem upon first glance. If the thought of a camera without a built in light meter, full complement of apertures and shutter speeds, no variable ISO settings, no zoom lenses, and no immediate way to upload to Instagram makes you shudder then this kind of photography probably isn't for you. If you think about it, these cameras were meant for people to take holiday snaps and fill family albums. They can't be that restrictive then. Nobody would have bought a camera that couldn't be used indoors, to take portraits, or one that needed a very specific level of daylight to function. Imagine waiting for optimal sunshine in the UK. Don't get hung up on the restrictions. If the light conditions aren't perfect for your shutter speed, aperture, or ISO you'll probably still get a decent photo. Film is pretty forgiving in terms of exposure latitude. Just use some common sense. If the sun is getting low hold off. Or use a flash.
Some questions to ask:
Would I be comfortable using a waist level finder? Or, would I prefer an eye level finder?
Do I need a tripod socket? If taking long exposures it's a definite plus.
Do I want more apertures than one?
Is taking close-up portraits important to me?
Do I want Time/Bulb settings?
Do I want to do flash photography?
Do I want to shoot 6x6cm or 6x9cm exposures? The difference between 12 and 8 exposures per roll of film.
What film does it take? Is it readily available? Steer clear of 127 film. 120 is the easiest to find, followed by 620.
Choose your box camera and then go shooting with it. Let its limitations challenge you to find the right shot.
If you want some inspiration and to see what other people are doing with their box cameras, check out the Box Camera Revolution group on Flickr.
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