The rise and fall – and rise again – of disposable cameras

There's no two ways about it, photography is an expensive hobby, especially in this digital era. At the heart of any digital camera is the sensor – a pricey and sophisticated electronic component, particularly if it's a decent enough size to take quality images – and wrapped around it is all manner of tech gubbins – such as LCD screens to view your images on, sophisticated control interfaces to enable the myriad settings to be inputted, and rechargeable batteries to keep all the demanding electronics powered up.

Traditional film photography, by contrast, is pretty simple. The camera's prime function is to open a shutter for a fraction of a second to expose a frame of the film inside, meaning that at its most basic all you need is a shutter and mechanism to advance the film. The upshot is that a basic camera body can be quite cheap and cheerful, none more so than the best disposable cameras, which can be picked up for a few dollars. Once you've shot your way through the included roll of film, you simply get it processed and chuck the camera body away.

Convenient it is, environmentally friendly, not so much.

British Youtube channel 73 Degree Films has produced this intriguing half-hour video that charts the rise and fall and – as the host argues – rise once again of this fun but throwaway media.

As the video explores, the first true disposable camera was the Photo-Pac, launched at the 1948 Texas State Fair. Once you'd snapped the eight exposures, you'd mail the entire $1.49 camera to the manufacturer and receive the developed prints back – though not the camera body itself.

It wasn't until the late-’80s when disposable cameras gained mainstream popularity, with the advent of Fujifilm Quicksnap and Kodak Fling, and soon they were found for purchase everywhere that you might find the need to take a photo but find yourself without a camera.

Models with built-in flash, or in underwater housings followed, as did branded promotional cameras – to promote movies, motorbikes and even Marlboro cigarettes!

Read more about disposable cameras:
• Kodak launches disposable camera with Tri-X 400TX film
• 338% surge for disposable cameras
• 5 reasons to buy a film camera over a disposable