9/15/2024
I will sometimes set aside my digital cameras, and load up some film in an old folder (bellows type) camera or an old Kodak or Agfa box camera. They are fun to shoot with.
When out and about with an old camera I will hear “Oh wow, my Great Aunt Lily had one of those” or “My Grandpa left me his old Kodak like that. Can you still get film for those?”
They are fun cameras and great conversation starters.

These cameras have simple meniscus lenses with little or no focal adjustments, and sometimes fixed apertures. They typically have shutter speeds somewhere between 1/20th to 1/50th of a second if the camera is in good serviceable shape.

I was taught years ago that shutter speeds less than 1/60th should be stabilized to avoid camera shake. This holds true for any camera. Since box cameras and some Bakelite cameras do not have the threaded insert to mount to a tripod or monopod, I would find myself looking for a post or tree to lean against, or a table or chair to set the camera on. Anything to help steady the camera to help eliminate camera shake, which can be undesirable, unlike motion blur which can be a desired attribute.

Then I found out about the BoxTopper. A handy gadget that will attach to any camera tripod and secure hold a box type camera in place with adjustable clamps and Velcro straps. It's an ingenious device that indeed stabilizes the camera.