Tony Kemplen on the …
Asimple-to-use disc camera that fits in the palm of the hand
Disc cameras were a short-lived phenomenon introduced in 1982.
Unlike most other cameras, which used rolls of film, they utilised a stiff circle of photosensitised acetate, which had the capacity for 15 exposures. The negatives were tiny and the quality was dire.
Large numbers were made, and large numbers were discarded after a few years. At one time no self-respecting charity shop was without at least one disc camera, generally priced at a pound or less. They were by this time neither use nor ornament, though to be fair there were one or two models that would not look out of place in a display case.
Disc cameras were last made in 1990. With the last films rolling off the production line in 1999, the days of being able to use any of the cameras are definitely numbered. Unlike some other obsolete formats, there’s no practical way of using anything other than a genuine disc.
Inevitably supplies are dwindling, with only a handful being listed on eBay at the time of writing.
The Hanimex Snap Shooter fits in the palm of the hand, and takes no effort to operate. A simple plunger serves to both advance the film and fire the shutter in a single stroke, a system that could almost have been designed to maximise the risk of camera shake. The f/4 lens had a focal length of 12.5mm, which sounds quite wide, but when you take into account the small size of the negative it equates to around 40mm on a 35mm camera.
My particular example has a faulty shutter; it remains open as long as the release is depressed, effectively putting the camera in a permanent ‘B’ mode. I decided to exploit this fault by using my Snap Shooter on bonfire night at a local fireworks display. I was able to make exposures
