Designs for Reality

 A large part of the pleasure to be had from using vintage film cameras can be attributed to their tactile qualities, particularly in the compact models.  Holding an example of precise mechanical design in the palm of your hand is an experience which is not available from most modern consumer items like cell phones.

The weight, along with the placement and operation of the controls, communicates the functional potential of the mechanical device as well as engaging the imagination.

With negligible weight, no moving parts and menu-driven controls the cell phone or a tv remote connects you to an abstraction of reality.  The hand-held mechanical devices on the other hand are designed to operate on and manipulate parts of the real physical world.

I was reminded of all that recently when I was preparing to renew my passport.  When I pulled the envelope containing my passport out of a drawer I found that it also held a compact Braun 370 shaver that I had put away with the passport after returning from Greece seventeen years ago.

The little Braun shaver runs on a pair of Double-A batteries.  It is easily cleaned after use and it does a great job in operation, easily comparable to the performance of full-size models costing many times as much.

An online search reveals that compact Braun shavers similar to the 370 are still being sold.  I found an ad for the modern version selling at Walmart for $16.90.

The little Kodak Flash Bantam is one of my favorite cameras.  It uses 828 roll film, fits easily in a pocket  and needs no batteries.