The handheld camera dates back to 1879, but a disposable camera was not developed until 1949. It was not initially successful in the market, but its design directly prefigured the modern disposable camera. The technology had a resurgence in the 1980s, with modern disposable cameras being introduced by Fujifilm and followed by Kodak. Japan was at the forefront of this trend. The competition led to advances such as waterproofing, flash and panoramic capabilities. In 2004, a disposable digital camera was introduced. It has yet to achieve the success of disposable film cameras, which are as popular as ever.
The Birth of Disposable Cameras
The disposable camera was invented by A. D. Weir in 1949. It was marketed as the Photo-Pac and retailed for $1.29. While handheld cameras had been around since 1879, they were expensive, prompting many owners to keep them close to home. The disposable camera was simple cardboard enclosure for a roll of 35mm film, which was good for eight shots. The film was then processed at a mail-in facility.
The 1980s
Despite their low cost and effective design, the Photo-Pac cameras did not catch on enough for one-use cameras to become a viable part of the camera industry. It would take Fujifilm's Utsurun-Desu (Japanese for "it takes pictures") to do that in 1986. The Utsurun or QuickSnap 35mm models were followed in 1987 by Kodak's 110 film Fling model. A 35mm model hit the market the following year, and in 1989, the Kodak FunSaver replaced the Fling.
Competition
Japan had suffered from a surfeit of affordable cameras on the market, and one-use cameras caught on in a big way, becoming particularly popular with families and tourists. Disposables caught on steadily in America as well. The success of Fujifilm and Kodak's disposable cameras led to similar models from Nikon, Konica and Nikon. In an active market, Fujifilm updated its products with features previously unavailable in disposables, such as panorama, waterproofing and flash.
Disposable Digital Cameras
The disposable digital camera was released in the United States in 2004. Disposable digital cameras have been decidedly less successful in the market than single-use film cameras, due to poor picture quality and the inconvenience and price of the process. Disposable digital cameras are returned to the store for processing, but their vulnerability to hacking to extract the data makes them less profitable to manufacture.
Uses of Digital Cameras
Digital cameras with waterproofing cases are useful for inexpensive underwater photography. Some cars contain disposable film cameras to be used in the event of an accident to document damage. Even though digital cameras are more common than ever, disposable film cameras still enjoy immense popularity with tourists for one of the reasons they were invented in the first place: People worry about losing their cameras when traveling.
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