Over the past year or so I've developed a habit of not being able to walk past an Op Shop, vintage or antiques store or flea markets without being able to resist having a peek inside. It's partly because I like to scratch that itch for old film cameras, and partly because I like to rescue the old 'mum n dad' cameras that were used to record so many special occasions over the years.

I bought this old camera for the princely sum of $30 complete with original leather carry case a few weeks ago and finally got a chance to play with it. As the headline says it's a Houghton-Butcher 'May Fair' box camera made in 1933-34. This camera is really quite rare and for its age, in remarkably good condition. The camera was made in England and is unique amongst cameras of this type because of its pressed metal construction. Most box cameras were made of cardboard to keep costs down! Box cameras like this one were designed to make photography as simple as possible. A simple fixed focus lens, view finders, fixed shutter, simple meniscus lens behind the shutter and a knob to wind the film on. Nothing else. When you bought these cameras the idea was you bought the 'special' film that was made for it. If you had a Box Brownie by Kodak you bought Kodak 120 film. This one takes Ensign E20 film but in reality any similar film would do. And, yes, you can buy the film today in B&W and colour for about $15 a roll.

I've referred to this camera as a Houghton-Butcher May Fair, really it was released as a May Fair only. Houghton-Butcher were the maker and there are plenty of these old Houghton-Butcher branded cameras in existence. This one was simply known as 'The May Fair camera' without the Houghton-Butcher branding because it was never sold retail. Most of you are familiar with card based shopper rewards programs but back in the day you would get coupons to exchange for products from a catalogue. This camera was made for the Ardath Tobacco Company and I'd hate to think how many ciggies you'd have to puff your way through to get one of these, let alone the optional portrait lens for a few coupons more. Ardath discontinued its coupon program in 1934 so that pretty accurately dates the camera.

So what's this relic from the past like to use in real life? Remarkably easy and quite difficult at the same time. Certainly not like the point and press of a modern camera phone. A whole bunch of things need to come together to get a good shot. First you need the right film for the light conditions: ISO 50 for bright sunlight, ISO 125/100 for overcast conditions. Something to rest the camera is a good idea because the shutter is so slow you easily blur the photo if it's hand held. To frame the shot you hold it at waist level (or rest it) and look down into one of the two reflective viewfinders. Then it gets tricky: move the camera to the right and the viewfinder image moves the wrong way so you need to compensate for that rather disorienting effect. Then there's the shutter which is a single action flip, wind the film on, flop wind the film on type. So easy to get an accidental double exposure it's not funny. Well it can be if you get a cool effect.

So what are the photos from such an old camera like? Surprisingly good because the negatives it produces are huge by today's standard, some 60mm wide and 90mm long. They're this big because back in the day enlargements were expensive and most people contact printed them. That is the size of the negative was the size of the print. Any camera is only as good as the lens it uses and distortions are clearly visible in the photos as is blurring as you look towards the edges and a bit of vignetting in the corners but that's part of the charm of the old cameras. In fact there's a whole school of photography called Lomography which is dedicated to retro style low-fi film photographs and quite a few digital photographers who spend a lot of time and money replicating the look and feel of these old cameras in editing software.

So will I be using this camera much? Not every day. I has it's place and when I want to achieve a certain result or have a particular subject in mind, yes I will. Will it stay on a shelf as an ornament? Definitely not. Vintage cameras, like vintage cars need to be taken out regularly and used.