Snaps from the Daylight: A Review for Kodak Disposable Camera
Perhaps, this is your sign to try a disposable camera soon.
It seems that film photography still manages to find its way to take over social media. Although film photography never really dies and it has always been there, it seems to me that the community has rapidly expanded in the recent times. I am not really sure how the trend started or who initiated it. But each time I browse through social media platforms of TikTok and Instagram, ‘it’s a sign for you to use disposable camera’-contents alike would be recommended to me. There is no complains about this though because these reels and short videos usually show great photos of a group of friends or pretty places all over the world accompanied with upbeat popular songs. Surely, it is quite entertaining.
Plus, more and more A-List celebrities and well-known influencers on the internet have been showing their interests in film through their contents. For example, Gigi Hadid has her own specialized Instagram account @gisposable and Jack Antonoff showed up to the 2021 Grammy Award with a disposable camera. Ashley a.k.a @bestdressed also has shared great photos and contents which she took with her own film camera. The list would go on and it’s no wonder that disposable camera would attract a newer, younger audience.
Some would say they use the disposable camera for the ‘vintage aesthetic’ or just for the sake of trying something new. Perhaps, there would be a group of people who just follow the trend or simply switch to film because their favorite internet personas do so. Regardless the reasoning, it is undeniably true that film photography or disposable cameras are quite appealing to the young.
I am no stranger to disposable cameras either although my experiences with it can be classified as little. This time, I decided to try out Kodak Daylight Disposable Camera 800 from Kodak. When I ordered the camera in early February 2021 and it arrived shortly after. However, I did not use the camera until a couple months after due to the pandemic restrictions. Frankly, there was a little concern that it might affect the quality of the camera as I stored it in room temperature. To my luck, all of the pictures came back nicely.
When it comes to Kodak Daylight 800 specification, as its name the camera has ISO of 800 with C-41 development. According to Kodak, this camera is applicable for high outdoor lighting and low lighting condition.
From its price point, Kodak Daylight 800 is debatably affordable. I bought this single-use camera at around IDR 177.000 (roughly USD $12.45) after a discount and excluding its shipping fee online. That being said, it means you are going to pay around IDR 4.600 (USD $0.32) for each shot. Now, it is up to you to make every single short worth the price or you don’t mind the cost at all. Depending on your own personal budget, for a singular use this may be worth it. However, if you choose to get a new one after each use, over time this can be costly.
Personally, I find this camera can be effortlessly used to get fine results. Furthermore, what I really like about this single-use camera is that it is lightweight, and they can easily fit my purse so I can take it anywhere.
Kodak Daylight 800 does not come with a built-in flash, which I assume could be the deal-breaker for some people. Well, if you would like to try a disposable camera with flash features, there are alternatives you may easily find. Personally, I do not find the lack of flash feature as a flaw because I am not a huge fan of flashes from film cameras. I find them a little too blinding and can be quite too harsh on the skin based on my few experiences before. I also tried to capture some photos indoor with limited lighting simply out of curiosity how they’re going to turn out. Some of them resulted well and some ended up being too underexposed. Based on personal experience, I can conclude that Kodak Daylight 800 is still very usable when you’re shooting films indoor as long as you’ve got plenty natural light or adequate light in general.
For instance, I snapped a couple photos in front of a vanity mirror in a quite dimmed public restroom (because why not). Originally, there was not many expectations from me knowing the camera works best under direct sun and this room may be too dark. To my surprise, the picture came out much better than expected. It is quite grainy, but my favorite part is the how the light is sort reflected on to the mirror and you could still see the background.
Again, this disposable camera certainly works best under direct sunlight or on a sunny day, which I think it quite lives up to its ‘daylight’ name. In my opinion, unfortunately this may come off as a limitation to the period for best time to use the camera itself. I tried to take some pictures during gloomy evenings and the pictures came out a little underexposed. Personally, I thought that if these were taken on a sunny evening it would turn out much better. It is still not a huge problem for me as I understand that each camera would come with its own limitation. Still, even with limited lighting, Kodak Daylight 800 manages to produce vibrant and vivid colors which I quite like from this camera.
However, in some pictures I took, there is a quite noticeable curve in the lower part of the photos. Those curves also seem to be out of focus as well. Though I do not find it as a huge problem, it still irks me a little because I am not fully certain what causes it. Perhaps, the lens could be the root cause of this, but I am just writing this to let you know in advance.
What I can say with confidence using disposable cameras is that it has its own one-of-a-kind playful experience. It’s beyond the ‘aesthetic’ that comes on the photos after being developed. I find it exciting that I can not see the photo straight away after being so used to be able snap several shots in one simple click from digital cameras. It’s the lingering curiosity of the end results. Despite of its fun experience, using disposable camera in the long run can be quite costly. As it’s a single-use you’re going to keep getting yourself another disposable camera after you’re done with it. Although there are ways to reuse your single-use cameras and you can easily find the tutorials to do so online. Moreover, keep in mind that you’re going to spend some extra cash to get it to the lab and developed. Unless of course, you have your own tools to develop your photos at home.
Plus, it may not be the best decision for the environment if your discarded camera ended up not being properly taken care of. Although reusing disposable camera can be an option (you could check out some YouTube videos for this), I would kindly suggest getting yourself a film camera instead if you plan to experiment more with films. Alternatively, you may also begin with simple point and shoot camera. With film being quite the trend, film cameras are quite easy to find on e-commerce.
Personally, I find Kodak Daylight 800 very likeable and even foolproof for beginners like myself. Comparing it with its price tag, seeing the results was definitely worth it for me and there’s a huge chance for repeat order in the future. If you are looking for a simple point-and-shoot with 35mm lens that this would definitely a great option for you. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is just now interested in gradually switching to film photography. Or to those who simply want to get experimental with film. If you wish to get a single-use camera for your upcoming vacations or simply just roam around the town by yourself or a group of friends, I’d say Kodak Daylight 800 may be one of your best choices.
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Opinion. Not sponsored. Not an ad.
