What is a Use and Throw Away Camera - Everything You Need

I own a lot of cameras and I love taking them with me when I venture out into the world. Trips with the kids to the zooamusement parkscampinghikingexploring communities and just heading out to the park or a night out at a concert are great places to take photos and make memories. But taking my super expensive mirrorless camera or even one of my older DSLR’s is somewhat of a pain and a source of anxiety. Bulkyheavyand difficult to store while you're enjoying the moments make them ridiculous. Something smaller like a point and shoot digital or film camera is lighter and easier to cary aroundbut they are still expensive and if its a film camera not very easy to replace if they were to get stolen or broken.

The good news is that disposable cameras are still being produced and are cheapruggedand take really great pictures that have a very unique look. A use and throw away camera is the perfect choice for so many events! Let’s explore this topic in a little bit more detail!

What is a Use and Throw Away Camera?

Disposable cameras have been around for decades now. They became extremely popular during the 1980’s and 1990’s and have remained popular even after the film apocalypse occurred. These cameras are made of durable and rugged plastic and have a very simple film winding and shutter mechanism as well as a simple yet powerful flash. Disposable cameras were originally designed to go places nicermore expensiveand more cumbersome film cameras could not go. Even though almost everyone exclusively uses their phone’s camera todaythere are many times it would be more convenient to have a dedicated camera to keep your phone safe and secure.

These throw away cameras were designed to be trashed or recycled. Most of them have to be broken to get the film out however many companies have figured out ways to recycled almost every throw away camera type out there.

Where can you buy throw away cameras?

Several retailers still sell disposable cameras in stores! WalmartCVSWalgreensand Best Buy all carry single-use cameras from Kodak and Fuji. Some larger convenience stores and gas stations might also carry themespecially around tourist areas.

You can also purchase disposable cameras online from AmazonB&H Photo and Shutter Junkies. These cameras range in price from about $15 to $20 depending on the retail store and the type of camera you buy.

How Many Pictures does a Throw Away Camera Take?

Almost all disposable cameras have 27 exposures. There are some that have 24 and some that have 39. Usually Kodak and Fuji offer 27 exposure cameras while only Kodak offers are 39 exposure variant. Have shot A LOT of disposable cameras in my lifeI can tell you that for most eventsthe 27 exposure camera works best. There isn’t much difference in weight and there is no difference in the /type of camera but the 27 exposure disposable camera is a little cheaper. However if you’re at an even or traveling and you only have room for one camera but you need to take a lot of photosdefinitely opt for the 39 exposure model.

How do you get the picture off of a Throw Away Camera?

Each picture is literally exposed on a roll of 35mm film. These rolls of film have to be removed from the camera safelyin a dark or controlled environment to prevent accidental exposure to light and then developed chemically to produce a negative image. The negatives will have a color reversed image that will allow you to see what the picture is ofbut will need to be scanned and inverted to turn it into an actual photo. While you can do this process at home on your ownit requires a significant amount of trainingequipmentand chemistry. One wrong move during the developing or scanning process could ruin your images.

For this reasonmost individuals choose to send their disposable cameras to a photo lablike Shutter Junkies to have their images developed and scanned. If you’re looking for a place to get your throw away camera developedhere’s another blog post that goes into quite a bit more detail. You can read all about “where to get my disposable camera developed” Here.

Conclusion

Throw away cameras can be fun and a great alternative for situations where a big or expensive camera just isn’t the best choice. They are rugged and durableeasy to useand take great photos in almost any situation. A little bit of research will help you pick the right disposable camera for your event and help you figure out where to send your camera to be developed. Of courseif you have any specific questionsyou can always send us an email at [email protected] and we will be glad to answer any questions you might have about throw away cameras!