William Kahn Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>What? No votes for the Holga?? Oh, wait......this is the <em>classic</em> camera forum. Never mind! :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.p._dahl_n Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>Voigtländer Vitomatic and other 60's cameras of that style. Zeiss Ikon Continette, Contessamat, Agfa Optima...<br> http://www.marriottworld.com/stock_pics/pictures/vitos/vitomatic2b01x.JPG<br> http://www.rolandandcaroline.co.uk/optima/originaloptima/orgoptima.jpg<br> http://farm1.static.flickr.com/50/146324742_033e1cf4da.jpg</p> <p>And, yeah, the Canon T80 and most 80's P&S cameras.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Currie Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>While some of the examples above are certainly not beautiful, I don't think "ugliest" really should apply either. The Photomic F's, for instance, while ungainly, at least get their appearance from a functional addition, rather from an abortive stab at styling.</p> <p>For pure ugliness, I think the 60's and 70's are the best resource. Some I don't even remember the names of, but a classic example of unbridled, rampant ugliness might be the various Imperial box and box/flash cameras, with odd colored plastic cases, and aluminum grille panels, usually imprinted with some pattern, all designed, apparently, to look like....well, maybe a vacuum cleaner or a table radio of the sort that was itself designed to look vaguely like something the Jetsons might have on their space ship. </p> <p>Many of the plastic Polaroids are of a high level of ugliness, but I think the Kodak instant cameras outdid them. </p> <p>But finally, how about one whose name I can never remember, but it comes up here from time to time - some time in the 70's, a hugely overpriced automatic camera that used a proprietary film cartridge that had to go back to the manufacturer, and a hefty rechargeable battery. I'm sure someone will remember the one I mean and find a link. It was a monster of a thing, ugly to the bone.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Williams Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>Kodak did much worse than the 35RF. Perhaps most hideous of all was their ill-fated line of instant print cameras:</p> <p>http://www.ozcamera.com/k-instant.html</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_marvin Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>I love my Kodak Medalist II, and have convinced myself that it's so ugly that it's beautiful, but I guess it IS pretty ugly. However I think the prize for ugliest MF rangefinder goes to the original Omega 120 (not the later Koni-Omegas). Many years ago I read a description of it as a 'bombsight for vultures".</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlen_c._elkins Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>It has mentioned in passing earlier in this thread, but IMHO the Fotron camera takes bottom marks for Design, Function and as the original poster mentioned is a camera "stupidly built to give the user a pain in the neck"</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fotron">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fotron</a></p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_harvey3 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>Gene M has several prime candidates for the "fugliest" here:</p> <p>http://westfordcomp.com/classics/ugger/ugger.html</p> <p>and here:</p> <p>http://westfordcomp.com/classics/xl399/XL399.html</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabor_szabo3 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>The XL399 ( above) is what you'd call a "Vintage" BBF .... <br> I just might shell out $119 for this one in red insytead of a new BlackBirdFly. Gene, care to part with it?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>The most ergonomically perfect camera ever made -- the Omega 6x7 was also the ugliest.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p><a href="http://www.peterlanczak.de/omega120_b2.jpg">http://www.peterlanczak.de/omega120_b2.jpg</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_the_waste Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>Bill, stop it. I'm drooling.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Currie Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>Fotron! That's the one I was thinking of before. I doubt that one can be topped for ugliness on all fronts, aesthetic, functional and even ethical! </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 <p>so many contenders, it's hard to choose. Kodak 35RF tops my list. The original American Omega Rapid is way up there too. The Kalimar Reflex is pretty ugly, but I like it anyway.</p> <p>The new Panasonic digitals are probably worse than any of them though.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_shewmaker1 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 <p>The Kodak Startech camera has to be in the running for ugliest camera.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_shewmaker1 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 <p>Tom--<br> At least the XL-399 has big manual control knobs; no freatures hidden deep in menus.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 <p><a href="http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2006/04/sam-memorial-dog-camera-award.html">http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2006/04/sam-memorial-dog-camera-award.html</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.art.photo. Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 <p>OHHH BLISS.. they are all just beautyfull.. specially the older ones. if you find a very, very ugly camera please send it to me. i dont mind!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_shewmaker1 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>Tom--<br> At least the XL-399 has big manual control knobs; no freatures hidden deep in menus.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sg_adams Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 <p>I think on of the ugliest cameras and not very user friendly is the Graflex XL series. Lots of issues there. I also vote for any camera that falls on its face when you set it down, which the XL likes to do. Ugly ass camera. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcantel Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 <p>I think the omega 120 by Bill M beats the argus hands down</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yefei_he1 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 <p>I happen to find the Graflex XL is the neater looking one among the school of 6x9 press cameras, such as Mamiya Press/Universal, Koni-Omega, Linhof Press, etc. It certainly is more compact than the Mamiya Press cameras.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christin_buehrer Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 <p>this might be a little off topic...but how could something as amazing and wonderful as a camera be ugly?<br> considering that beauty is an abstract idea, never right or wrong, but simply color, shapes or ideas themselves that appeal to our eyes; it's very hard to call anything ugly.<br> but then to call something you are suppose to love ugly seems kind of shallow and off point. Manual cameras (along with there digital counterparts) are amazing tools to express your opinions, thoughts and emotions with...how could that be ugly?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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