Box camera

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A classic box camera.

The box camera is, with the exception of the pin hole camera, a camera in its simplest form. The classic box camera is shaped more or less like a box, hence the name. A box camera has a simple optical system, often only in the form of a simple meniscus lens. It usually lacks a focusing system (fix-focus) as well as control of aperture and shutter speeds. This makes it suitable for daylight photography only. In the 1950s, box cameras with photographic flash were introduced, allowing indoor photos.

Typical box cameras are:

The Kodak introduced in 1888, the first commercially successful box camera for roll film -- the advertising slogan being You press the button - we do the rest.
The Kodak Brownie, a long lasting series of classical box cameras using roll film.
The Ansco panda was designed to compete directly with the Brownies. It used 620 film.
The Kodak Instamatic using 126 film, later 110 film.
The modern disposable camera using 135 film.