Ising Pucky I

Pucky I is definitely one of the best toy cameras in my collection. Then again, I'm not sure if I should really call it a toy camera, as I'm not too fond of this categorization. So what if Pucky wasn't created with all of those levers and function that any self-respecting "serious" camera should have? It looks serious enough to me. Not a toy, by any means! This bulky and heavy pseudo-TLR medium format camera is made of cast metal. It takes 12 square photos on 120 film. It's got a 1:7.7 80mm meniscus lens (Achromat, according to one source) that focuses from 1,5m to infinity. The shutter can be set to Z (Zeit, the same as Bulb) and M (instant, around 1/50). The film has to be wound between consecutive photos, as there is a double exposure prevention mechanism. There is even a PC flash sync (which is compatible with modern flashes) just underneath the lens, so you can use it in the studio! Now isn't that a neat idea for a photoshoot?

Admittedly, I loaded it with a film without having any high hopes. I'd had bad experiences with some other box cameras, such as Baby Box Tengor, and had been slowly giving up on believing that I could get anything decent out of those simple and old contraptions. I was pleasantly surprised when the roll of Delta 100 I took out of the developing tank bore some excitingly good results.













It's a keeper for sure.