The WORST Cameras of all time..

[Erik van Straten]

The Krauss Eka. See Cartier-Bressons pictures with this camera. I'm so happy that he bought later a Leica 1.

Btw. He bought the Leica in Paris (not in Marseille as many people think) from the importer Tiranty. "It was very expensive" he said. He borrowed the money from his father.

But I would love to have a Krauss Eka.

Erik.

 

[pvdhaar]

I have had very bad luck with Olympus Mju ii Stylus Epic cameras. Great in theory, with a stellar lens, but a focussing nightmare. I got a mint black one and the battery door broke for no reason at all. Another one was so bad at nailing focus that it ruined a complete film at a friend's wedding. I bought mine before all the hype, and certainly wouldn't pay what they are currently fetching. Now the Original Mju I Stylus infinity is a different thing entirely. I have 2 great examples and they punch well above their weight. Just goes to show that sometimes the new improved version is far from all that it is cracked up to be.

I have to agree.. I went through two Mju II, and they only gave trouble with exposure and film transport, while the Mju I is still going strong. I guess you can carry miniaturization too far..

 

[raydm6]

The Krauss Eka. See Cartier-Bressons pictures with this camera. I'm so happy that he bought later a Leica 1.

Btw. He bought the Leica in Paris (not in Marseille as many people think) from the importer Tiranty. "It was very expensive" he said. He borrowed the money from his father.

But I would love to have a Krauss Eka.

Erik.

Thanks for showing this Erik. Never heard of this one nor knew HCB shot with it. Looks like there a few available and for sale online. Not cheap!

 

[Sierra Club]

The worst camera I ever had did not have bad optics, looks or ergonomics. Even the materials it was manufactured from were good.

It was a small compact AF film camera my dad bought in the 90s thinking it would be better than his trusty old Zenit because it was "automatic".

Problem with this camera was precisely that it was fully automatic, didn't even have flash "off" control.
I consider it the worst because it had no manual controls and because of it I wasted good chunk of my life missing out on photography.
Every picture was basically the same - sharp but flat.
It didn't allow me to control and learn how aperture affects image, how to focus properly, how with different shutter speeds you could achieve various cool effects.
In other words, it didn't allow me to experiment/explore photography as a kid and I lost interest in it back then.
It was only in early 2000's when dad let me use his Zenit that I realised that photography is just so awesome. Kinda sad though, wasted a lot of time.

 

[Dralowid]

I see no one has mentioned the Pentina - a lens shuttered left hand wind left hand release SLR from Pentacon.

I have had one of these and used it to good effect. It took good pictures (or I did at the time).

When I got it it was jammed, I pulled it apart and sorted it out. It is unconventional yes, but very cleverly made and would never have jammed if it hadn't been misused.. Don't knock it, in some ways it is something of a masterpiece.

 

[Pál_K]

I see no one has mentioned the Pentina - a lens shuttered left hand wind left hand release SLR from Pentacon.

It has a strange appeal for me. I would use that camera.

The absence of ornamentation, the simple functionality, the design for mass production - maybe it’s a Bauhaus inspired camera.

 

[johnf04]

I have had one of these and used it to good effect. It took good pictures (or I did at the time).

When I got it it was jammed, I pulled it apart and sorted it out. It is unconventional yes, but very cleverly made and would never have jammed if it hadn't been misused.. Don't knock it, in some ways it is something of a masterpiece.

I have 2 of them, and both work, except for the slow speeds (a common problem with any older leaf shutter camera). I must admit my original suggestion was tongue in cheek.

 

[Canyongazer]

ah yes, Vincenzo, I agree on the Sony NEX 7.
Used one for a time but finally, reluctantly, sold it.
Excellent IQ but the menus drove me bonkers.

 

[Joao]

...I see them at garage sales and thrift stores...seriously, who buys these pieces of junk...

Someone offered me one of those .

It is easy to remove the "optical lens" from these things and upgrade them to pinhole cameras. Film to pinhole distance is 38,6 mm (aprox) . A 0.260 mm pinhole allows photos to be exposed at f:147. The camera can be mounted on a tripod and automatic winding and rewinding (using two AA batteries) are a bonus.

I have currently my first roll in one of these. I look forward to see what sorts out.

Regards
Joao

 

[DougK]

I noticed a couple of folks offered up the Lubitel and Seagull TLRs as the worst and I'd have to challenge that. I've owned both (sold the Seagull 4A-109, kept the Lubitel 166U) and gotten great pictures from both of them, no mechanical issues whatsoever. I'll admit that it's possible I owned cameras where the stars aligned properly as they were made.

One that I will agree with being truly terrible is the Kodak Disc 4000 that was posted earlier. Truly a terrible camera in use and in results, but I was a kid who didn't know better.