Fujifilm QuickSnap: disposables still have an undeniable charm
Disposable cameras are bulkier than your phone, cost more to develop than an ordinary roll of film, and don’t even have the decency to let you know your finger is in the shot. They also cost a fair amount of money (the cost of the camera+film upfront, and then the cost to develop is more than a regular roll of film would’ve been).
Despite all these drawbacks, the humble disposable camera still has its place: the shots bear an uncanny resemblance to the photos of my own 80s/90s childhood, and the camera itself is rugged and less precious than any of my film cameras so I didn’t feel bad about taking it to a theme park.
Camera: Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 One-Time-Use Camera - amazon.com
Film: Already inside!
Sample photos: Fujifilm QuickSnap
All sample pics are unedited, straight out of the camera.
Camera #1 went to Walgreens. Camera #2 went to The Darkroom. (TL;DR: The Darkroom did it better)
Let’s start strong: I took this photo at dawn in the local nature preserve. This might be one of the most pleasing photos I’ve ever taken. It looks like a painting. Of course, this one came out of the camera developed by thedarkroom.com
Here’s another strong one (also from the camera that went to The Darkroom). As long as you’re shooting in daylight, motion shots turn out lovely on these cameras.
This backyard oasis turned out good with plenty of detail in the shadow areas. (Another winner from The Darkroom’s lab)
I love this photo, but the pink tint is inaccurate to the environment. I enjoy these imperfections of the film medium and accept them as part of the fun. (This one is from the Walgreen’s lab)
This one is almost indistinguishable from photos I took at various theme parks in the 1990s. (Walgreen’s lab)
This one has a dreamlike quality to it. I love it. (Walgreen’s lab)
Finally, this shot from inside a theme park choo choo train made me feel like the whole “inconvenience myself by taking a film camera to a theme park” experiment was worthwhile. (Walgreen’s lab)
Who developed it better? Definitely The Darkroom, and I appreciate that they sent me my negatives back. Walgreens does not return your negatives, so you’re stuck with whatever scans they produce. For that reason alone I won’t bring a disposable to Walgreens in the future even though they were significantly less expensive than The Darkroom. I strongly prefer having my negatives.
Thoughts on the experience Carrying a disposable camera for the first time in like 25 years was definitely different. I had to carry a larger bag than I would have otherwise, and I had to be mindful of its delicate lens. I’ve gotten very used to just whipping my phone out and taking candid shots, but with the disposable I found I had to be a lot more careful and deliberate.
The photos have an undeniable “look” to them, though, and I find myself looking at them longer, and more often, than snapshots from my phone. There is something special and tangible about them.
Where the camera (and I) struggled
Indoor shots without flash were just pure grain and not worth the bandwidth to show them to you. Imagine lots of noise over a uniform brown surface.
Indoor shots with flash have a vintage look to them. However, I chose this shot to also demonstrate a shortcoming of the camera (and myself): the viewfinder does not show what the lens sees, and as a result, I had no idea I was sticking my finger in so many shots.
I like this shot, but something about either the camera or the development process was not ideal for the high contrast between the sky and the rest of the scene. My early morning shots (like this one) were not nearly as great as my midday shots.
This one makes up for it, though.
Overall, I loved the results. It wasn’t a cheap experiment, though, so I ended up investing in a Kodak Ektar H35 to use going forward. This half-frame camera is a lot like a reusable disposable with the added advantage of taking 72 “half frame” pics instead of the standard “full frame” 36, so you get more photos out of each roll. I shot several more rolls of different film stocks on the half-frame over the course of 2025’s summer (see the other posts on this blog).
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.