Vintage Polaroid and Kodak Cameras on Etsy from UpcycledClassics!

Today we have an Etsy store spotlight for UpcycledClassics! This awesome shop offers vintage and upcycled Kodak and Polaroad cameras (plus more!).

This shop is run by Gary from Santa Rosa, California - while preparing for this blog post, I asked him what his inspiration was for opening his Etsy shop. Here is his reply - it has so many hints of nostalgia (which why I love vintage items)!

 

Q: What inspired you to open your Etsy shop?

A: "Currently, my Etsy store is the upcycling of vintage cameras. There is a special fun in shooting film where a person isn't shooting a million quick photos on their smartphone, then touching up with an app & sharing with millions. Yes, I do that every day still. But, vintage cameras create the need to think about what is in the photo, what is the message. 

 

Film cameras mean that the result isn't back from a developer for a few days. Camera wise, I'm best known for the Polaroids I find & get working again, many with an extra splash of color to make them unique. New film is currently available for those Polaroids so people can go back in time to the days of snapping a photo & gather around to see the photo print appear."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I love Gary's reply! It's true - although it's extremely convenient to be able to use digital cameras and upload photos via apps, there's something very special about vintage cameras. There is no deleting a bad photo and just retaking it, so it forces the photographer to be thoughtful about what they post. It's a very eloquent way to view these neat vintage cameras!

Below, I've selected some of my favorite items from his shop - let's take a look!

This particular camera, a Kodak Junior Six-20, is from the 1940's and it just completely took my breath away. I LOVE the classic look!

Fortunately, the shutter, winder, lock/stand, film and focus dial all work smoothly. There are no light leaks in the door, leather bellows or lens areas. This camera still has the nice film counter hole cover, which is very important with the new higher quality films. Also, tall or wide photography viewfinders - Tall uses a small lens off the main shutter area and the Wide is through a pop up view finder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 

This super sweet 1980's bold green camera is a Autofocus Polaroid Impulse AF! This camera has been cleaned and tested, and even comes with the original neckstrap!

 

Want more details about this camera? Read on!

 

The simplicity and automatic features of the Impulse AF makes it a great Instant Photography camera. Polaroid photos like lots of light, the Impulse has a flash built in. Since each shot taken results in an automatically print, the autofocus means less waste through bad focusing. The built in self timer means you can get in the shot (12 seconds delay). The lens is protectively covered till the camera is turned on. Everything is powered through the film cartridge battery so there are no batteries to change or risk leaking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

This awesome cherry red 1960's vintage camera is a Polaroid Big Swinger 3000!

What's the history on this camera? According to the description, the Swinger cameras were for the on-the-go fun person. Generally, ads showed the camera out being used at the parks and beach where friends came together and needed the moments remembered. Perfect for those who love to snap nature photography while on the go!

The Swingers use a unique squeeze trigger (runs off of 2 AA batteries, new installed). The same button the photo is captured with is squeezed and turned to adjust the camera to the right settings, a light up area inside the view finder shows a YES when everything is good.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

For the future, Gary is working on vintage items like classic radios and lamps. The radios are being both made to work with original parts and others are being updated to modern technology. The 'modern technology' is a radio made in the 40s, now with current technology to be connect to the internet and providing full household multi-media. That sounds great!

Want to see more? Just click here to visit UpcycledClassics on Etsy!