Kodak Snapic A1 – the cure to overthinking everything

The biggest difference for me when shooting with an SLR and a point-and-shoot is getting to choose all the settings for each shot. Making sure the exposure is correct. Is the subject backlit? Is the subject in deep shadow? Making sure the subject is in focus. Do I want to isolate the subject more from the environment? Maybe I should choose a different lens. Is the shutter speed fast enough now to freeze any motion? Is there any motion? Do I need to go back checking what the correct exposure was?

A point-and-shoot takes a bunch of those options out of the equation. No choice on exposure, no choice on focus, and often no choice on focal length. This leaves you to concentrate on composition, waiting for the right moment, and then hoping the camera makes the right choices for everything else.

There is always a chance that the point-and-shoot doesn’t make the same decisions you might have made. What if it was confused about the lighting? What if something confused the autofocus? What if it went for a slower shutter speed and more depth of field?

Sometimes I definitely know better than the camera.

Maybe a more advanced point-and-shoot is the answer. One with exposure compensation, something to compensate for backlight. Maybe one that allows you to manually select the speed of the film you’re shooting allowing you to shoot that roll of Portra 800 at EI200. How about a point-and-shoot that allows you to set the focus as well? But those cameras tend to be hard to come by and terribly expensive, and were almost certainly manufactured a long time ago, with aging parts and certainly with warranty.

At this point it is probably easier for me to get out an SLR or rangefinder, and then I can be in control of everything again. Slow down, take a light reading, check the aperture, check the shutter speed. Focus back and forth on a hard edge of the subject to check focus. At least I know what my intent is for a shot, even if I do make mistakes they are mine to make.

But maybe the better option is a camera with no exposure control at all, no regard for the film speed, basically no focus control.

The Kodak Snapic A1, made my Reto who also make other Kodak-branded “reusable disposable cameras”, removes all but the most basic control. There is a single shutter speed, 1/100. A fixed f 9.5 aperture. A flash that you have complete control over and that remembers the last setting you chose! It also has a neat sliding switch on the lens to jump between “almost everything out to infinity in focus” and “it’s basically close enough to touch with an outstretched arm” in focus.

Unlike most other reusable non-disposable cameras the Snapic A1 features a glass, 25mm lens, which is surprisingly good. It will of course flare when shooting into direct sun, but still manages to holds onto enough contrast. The 25mm also gives you a fair bit or room to crop and straighten images if you struggle to get a level horizon as much as I do.

What I really liked about shooting with this camera was just giving in to the limitations and enjoying the process of framing and taking snap shots. It’s small and light and easily fits in a pocket. There is nothing to extend or fold out, just a simple switch right near the shutter and it is ready to go. It isn’t the quickest camera between frames, the film auto advance is smooth and reliable, but it does seem a little patient.

The film I have shot in the Snapic A1 so far has all been ISO400. When I purchased the camera I grabbed a roll of XP2 Super – available in the shop, cheap, and I could get it developed anywhere. It does also have a very wide exposure latitude, given the limitations of the camera this seemed like a good fit, and I believe it is. If the images turn out too dark you can easily push them during scanning/inverting and just enjoy the extra grain.

The second roll was Fujifilm 400. It is always an awful lot easier to pull details back out of the highlights than the shadows ISO400 colour negative film works great, even in bright sun. I would consider shooting ISO200, but not sure I would load any ISO100 film unless I knew I was only going to be shooting in direct sun the whole time. Even then, ISO200 just to be safe?

The third roll of film was Kentmere 400 which I developed using stand development. The idea being it might help even out exposures with the constraint of 1/100 at f9.5. I am not sure how well that idea worked, probably not well. The idea might have worked better with HP5.

Even with a point-and-shoot I would sometimes wonder if the camera was going to get the exposure right for a scene, a fear largely unfounded, but with the Snapic A1 I know the camera is not making any decisions at all and whatever is developed on the film is what I get. As for focus, I do worry that a point-and-shoot will decide the background is more interesting than me, particularly when handing the camera to a friend, no risk of missed focus when everything is in focus.

I was thinking about what I would change about the camera. The fixed shutter speed is a feature, but would a bulb mode make it more useful when it gets dark? The built in flash is fine when working close to a subject, but useless beyond a couple of meters. But a choice on shutter speed and trying to make this camera fit more situations really feels like it could ruin the simplicity and experience. It has no tripod socket or self-timer, but I think the best option for selfies is just to flick the lens to close-focus and hold the camera at arms length.

That is what I enjoy most about this camera, the simplicity and the constraints mean it is impossible to overthink the process. It leaves me to think about what I want in the frame and that’s it. The uniqueness of the 25mm lens also adds to the appeal. There isn’t much out there offering such a wide field of view in something so compact, especially with the quality of the lens. It hasn’t replaced an SLR or even a rangefinder for me. There are times when I know the image I would like to capture will require something that the Snapic A1 can’t do, and that is OK. It doesn’t have to do everything, but it does do a lot surprisingly well.

You find more of my photos on Instagram as I continue looking for the perfect compact camera and trying new developers.

Editor’s note: I have also share my review of this camera here – where Timmy has spoken about how this camera is a cure to overthinking, I have talked about the way I did overthink it… 

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