Fly Away

The commercialization of the toy camera movement has resulted in some rather mind-boggling boondoggles, the latest of which is pictured above. The Blackbird Fly twin lens reflex camera is aimed directly at the checkbooks of the Lomographists who are happy to shell out big bucks for marked-up Holgas, ersatz Diana clones and the very limited, one-note Lomo fisheye camera. The Blackbird Fly, or BBF as it's currently being marketed by Japan's Superheadz, however, is in a class by itself, retailing for $120US. Instead of 120 roll film, this overpriced Harajuku bauble shoots 35mm film and provides for three image sizes: square, rectangular, and a full-strip exposure that extends the image over the sprocket holes. There's a sluggish plastic lens, pictogram range focus and two aperture settings: cloudy and sunny.

Online comments about the Blackbird Fly run to the ecstatic, though it's not clear if all members of the amen corner are actual users. Almost everyone compares it to the Rolleiflex, which is categorically correct (yes, it is a twin lens reflex camera) but qualitatively silly. A better comparison might be to the execrable Seagull, a $100 Chinese TLR best known for breaking after the second roll of film. I imagine the BBF is sturdier than that, though the Seagull most likely has a better lens.

I can't imagine what demand this item fulfills. There's no advantage to the TLR format when shooting 35mm, and the negative seems a little small for a low-resolution plastic lens. It's a high price for a bit of vignetting and a sketchy image. I'll continue to bring out my modified Holga (relatively cheap at $40, including modifications) when I want the low-tech look.

There's also the far more affordable option of creating low-tech images with old thrift store cameras. I picked up the plastic camera pictured below for $3 at a thrift store in Dunedin, Florida. The images are pretty good (it was not a cheap camera for its time, retailing for $44 in 1957), and it's an exercise in toy-style shooting, with its approximate range focus and "exposure values" instead of F-stops.

And of course you can't beat the rudimentary images you get from these throwaway, focus-free shooters, found on the crap shelves of thrifts everywhere. Note the price on the one on the left. Below, an image from the Bell and Howell. Just as delightful as the images from the expensive poseur prop.

Frankly, I'd rather spend the $120 on processing and printing film.