Classic Retro Thing: Strange Cameras

There's a lot more to the world of photography than digital and 35mm. Here are a few weird and wonderful medium-format and special purpose cameras. The great thing about oddball cameras is that they're usually quite cheap. It should be easy to pick up one or two of these wonderful gadgets for around $20.

Fujipet: A beautiful example of post-war design. Originally released in 1957 to shoot medium format (6x6cm negative) film, but the rising popularity of 35mm encouraged Fuji to introduce the Fujipet 35 in 1959.

Seagull: These Chinese-made devices produce respectable images and are priced from an incredibly affordable $140. The viewfinder is a nifty top-down Fresnel lens that's much more entertaining than a boring old digicam display.

Colorsplash: Imagine a camera that lets you dial-in colored filters to cover the flash. Then imagine that this camera has two clever shutter modes for in-camera effects.

Oktomat: The Oktomat is the photographic equivalent of an octopus, except that it's not a sea creature and isn't waterproof. It features eight lenses that capture a series of images on a single 35mm film frame.

Polaroid Impulse: The Polaroid Impulse was introduced in 1988, which makes it old enough to drink in most civilized countries. Thanks to a top secret accident involving a time capsule and a few cases of vegetable shortening, Lomography has unearthed a few hundred "pristine, brand new" deadstock units.