This
is a so-called toy camera, a simple plastic toy camera. It's a widely
spread standard model sold also under Vivitar PN 2011, the PN 919 was
marketed by Reader's Digest as a camera to have in your car in case of
an accident for documentation and then as a gift during promotions. It
has an ultra wide lens and a panorama switch. It's very small and light.
There is a "flipped lens" version at the end of the page.
Camera
back. Viewer, film type window, film advance and panorama switch.
Camera top. Film rewind, film counter and and shutter release. Camera bottom. Film rewind release and a tripod socket, the latter doesn't make sense with 1/125 single speed.
Film compartment. No curved film plane, so there is more vignetting of the simple plastic lens.
These
are the ultimate basics of a camera, focus free, single shutter speed
and about F8 fixed aperture. Point and shoot only. If you choose the right
film, ISO 400 in general and ISO 200 on very sunny days, you can shoot
outside photos that look o.k.. The rest will be "Lomo" style. As I always say: You should have used one of these
once in your life!
As promised, here is a "flipped lens" version of the camera. If you
take a single meniskus lens camera apart and flip the lens inside out,
this does not change the focal length. But it can change the image
quite a lot. In this case the center remains sharp, but the rest is
much softer, a "bokeh" style of image impression, in reality it's just
unsharp...
The flipped lens. The sliding cover does not work anymore, but the switch still blocks the shutter.
