[BigMackCam]

I came across this fun article on pocket-lint... something to read over a morning coffee It lists 41 of (what they think are) the most unusual cameras ever made. I'm not sure I'd agree with every selection, but for sure they're all interesting. There's a few Pentax and Ricoh models in the list too

41 of the most unusual cameras ever made

[stevebrot]

I came across this fun article on pocket-lint... something to read over a morning coffee It lists 41 of (what they think are) the most unusual cameras ever made. I'm not sure I'd agree with every selection, but for sure they're all interesting. There's a few Pentax and Ricoh models in the list too

41 of the most unusual cameras ever made

Before I click through...Ricoh TLS 401? Ricoh Mirai?


Steve

[BigMackCam]

Before I click through...Ricoh TLS 401? Ricoh Mirai?


Steve

The Mirai is in there... Not the TLS 401, though. GXR is

[UncleVanya]

Before I click through...Ricoh TLS 401? Ricoh Mirai?


Steve

The Mirai is there. Not sure if I missed the other. The Olympus and Sony viewfinderless lens mount cameras are missing, Nikonos is missing, the two part Pentax digital camera with separate viewfinder is missing, Minolta's spy cam 110 camera is missing, Barbie is there but loads of other novelty cameras are missing, it's honestly a bit of a weird list.

[photoptimist]

Fun article!

However, they completely missed the swing-lens panorama concept such as:

• FT-2 - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
• Horizont - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
• Noblex - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

[Wasp]

Some interesting things on the list. It's not hard to seen why so few of them sold well.

[zapp]

Tornado jet plane. Fly in one direction, open a slit and move film across the slit for correct exposure.
Wild APK1. Artillery photgrammetric camera. 4x5 inch camera for taking 6400 per mil shots. Comes with dedicated backpack for camera, compass, film magazines and tripod.
I did not see a panoramic camera in the list. Seitz roundshot, Google Earth camera...

[UncleVanya]

The U2 spy camera should make the list.

U-2 spy plane camera, radars gather intelligence over the battlefield - Business Insider

[BigMackCam]

The Olympus and Sony viewfinderless lens mount cameras are missing, Nikonos is missing, the two part Pentax digital camera with separate viewfinder is missing, Minolta's spy cam 110 camera is missing, Barbie is there but loads of other novelty cameras are missing, it's honestly a bit of a weird list.

they completely missed the swing-lens panorama concept such as:

• FT-2 - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
• Horizont - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
• Noblex - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

Tornado jet plane. Fly in one direction, open a slit and move film across the slit for correct exposure.
Wild APK1. Artillery photgrammetric camera. 4x5 inch camera for taking 6400 per mil shots. Comes with dedicated backpack for camera, compass, film magazines and tripod.
I did not see a panoramic camera in the list. Seitz roundshot, Google Earth camera...

Tough crowd

Yeah, it's an odd and incomplete list. I'd guess it's just one person's opinion based on their knowledge of what's out there. Maybe we should come up with our own list?

[stevebrot]

Some interesting things on the list. It's not hard to seen why so few of them sold well.

Agreed! That said, there are a few that sold sufficiently well over their product lives that they are readily available even now. The short list might include:

• Rollei 35 -- remained popular as a travel/adventure camera up until it went out of production. I've known several enthusiastic owners.
• Zenit Photosniper -- both as full kit or rifle-style support only, these sold well and remain easily available now, sometimes as NOS
• Pentax Auto-110 -- If you want one, they are out there. I even had a kit go through my hands a few years back.
• Ricoh GXR -- While a strange concept and a niche item, GXR paired with the A12 M-mount module was popular enough, simply for being what it was at the time.

Steve

(...if I came across a GXR in M-mount, I would likely snap it up...)

[photoptimist]

Tough crowd

Yeah, it's an odd and incomplete list. I'd guess it's just one person's opinion based on their knowledge of what's out there. Maybe we should come up with our own list?

For truly "most unusual ever made" I'd also add:

• This Camera Will Capture a 1,000-Year Exposure That Ends in 3015 for History's Slowest Photo -- the idea of a pinhole in front of a thick layer of fugitive pigment (ISO 0.000001???) seems really interesting.
  
• Campbell–Stokes Recorder: A Simple Device That Measures Sunshine | Amusing Planet -- this simple camera with a one-element lens takes a time-lapse photograph of the sun's intensity.
  
• Ground Zero Indicator - Wikipedia -- camera for determining where nuclear blasts had occurred.

[StiffLegged]

I don't know why the Rollei 35 (that's a 35T shown) made that list, it was a little jewel and took good images – of course that was the poor man's version, real gearheads bought the 35S. The Pentax Auto 110 was a much better idea than the Minolta 110 Zoom which never looked right. The Zenit Photosniper – well it was still a Zenit-E fixed to the long lens and I never liked the Soviet Tankflexovitch, tovarich. Or the Zorki 4K. Or Kiev 4A. Mind you, you could beat a mugger over the head with one and still take photos of him running away.

[ramseybuckeye]

Interesting article, but quickly turned into a promotional tool for the current cameras on the list.

[stevebrot]

I never liked the Soviet Tankflexovitch, tovarich. Or the Zorki 4K. Or Kiev 4A.

I have both the Zorki and the Kiev and strongly prefer the Kiev 4A over the Zorki. In fact, I prefer my FED-2 over the Zorki. I am not sure why, but it might have something to do with the lack of strap lugs.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Interesting article, but quickly turned into a promotional tool for the current cameras on the list.

I noticed that. No bookmark for that page!


Steve