Time was when film compacts had to have a swirl and a curve in the design. Here’s a Nikon with a curve to show you what I mean. I wanted to be a serious photographer, and curves that didn’t seem serious.
And look at the Tronic MiniCam KH35, and the bump at the end, as though they couldn’t fit the flash in so they added a bit on the corner.
High End Film Cameras
Curves only applied to point and shoot compacts. High end cameras didn’t look like that. In fact you could tell they were high end just by the look of them, like this Contax. Doesn’t that look the business?
Digital
When digital cameras came out, the whole idea of digital was that they were functional and so the designs were much more minimalist and straight lines. Like this Canon. The only nod to the old is the slight curve at the end of the body.
Except Mju
What I said is mostly true, and some curvy cameras were a lot worse than the Nikon. But one film camera that was kind of curvy but still looked good was the Olympus Mju II.
I owned Mju II at one time, but before I got to own one I had a go at owning one that didn’t come off.
I was on Broadway in New York, and looked in the window of a camera store.
The store was narrow and deep with a counter running all down the left side. Maybe I asked to look at a Mju II or maybe the conversation went in that direction. Whichever it was, the man got one out and I looked it over. Did I start to haggle or did he just start to come down in price to see at what price I would bite?
It was obvious to me and to him that I was hesitating, and then the price got crazy low. I didn’t know how to ask him without offending him. But this was Broadway, known for cheap goods and knock-offs and fake brands.
So I approached the subject in what I hoped was the gentlest of ways. With the price being so low, I asked, do you think there is any possibility that this is not a genuine Olympus?
The man was maybe Iranian or Iraqi. He didn’t answer me. Instead he picked up the camera and threw it right down the length of the counter to the back of the shop. It was a long throw and he obviously didn’t care whether the camera survived.
I was shocked. My bargain had slipped away. But would it have been a bargain? Now I didn’t have to think about it. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time.
He didn’t order me out of the shop or any anything like that, but I felt my time in the shop was up. I kind of admired the man for not giving a sh*t about offending customers. And then I was on the street and happy and in New York.