The next step after a Single Use Camera

So…… you’ve enjoyed single use cameras and love the retro feel of the digital files you’ve downloaded to your laptop or phone.  Maybe you’ve even had prints done that adorn the ‘fridge or have made it into a scrap book or photo album and are wondering what could be the next step in learning more about film photography?  You’re feeling ready to move up to something a little more sophisticated?

Welcome to the wonderful world of ‘Point-and-Shoot’ cameras.

The point-and-shoot camera rose to popularity in the late 1990s and became a staple in many households by the early 2000s.  It meant that for a relatively modest price, people of all ages with little or no photographic experience could load up with 35mm film, point the camera at the subject, release the shutter and be (almost) guaranteed a great image and ultimately print as an end result.  

Many (millions probably), point and shoot cameras similar to these were produced over the next decade. Before the advent of digital cameras, they made film photography much more accessible to people who didn’t want to learn about F-stops and shutter speeds.

Early models still required the image maker to manually wind and rewind the film through the camera but as they became more sophisticated these functions were motorised with nearly all having a flash incorporated, self-timers and some even had zoom lenses with different focal lengths.

It meant that the user simply loaded the camera with 35mm film and the camera wound it on, decided whether flash was required, utilised auto focus, and when the last image was taken – would rewind the exposed film back into the canister ready to be dropped off for processing at the local lab.

With the resurgence and continued interest in film photography the point and shoot camera has once again become a great way for those wishing to embrace the Retro Revolution and take great images without the need to understand complex photographic techniques.  One big advantage over a Single Use Camera is their larger glass lens means an overall improvement in image quality, and there’s less to throw away!

And there are a lot of them around.

At The Light Room we sell a variety of point and shoot cameras, all pre-loved but all capable of delivering fuss free images at the touch of a button.  So if you’re ready to step up from single use and would like to know more, pop in and see our range and we’ll do our best to guide you and answer any questions you may have to assist you on your film photography journey.  We’d be happy to discuss the pro’s and cons of individual cameras and steer you in the direction of the best deal.

And of course we can process your film whatever camera it was shot with!