Photographer Challenges Herself To Shoot With A $1 Camera, Here Are The Results

When Skyler Adams realized she was more obsessed with buying new expensive gear than actually taking photographs, she decided to do an experiment. She bought a Canon Sure Shot camera for $1 and an expired roll of Fujifilm Superia 400 film. “I wanted to challenge my gear acquisition syndrome, so I decided to shoot with a $1 camera for a month,” she wrote.

„I was pleasantly surprised at the quality I could get from the 38mm lens stopped down,“ Skyler said on PetaPixel. „The manual ISO setting also let me play with exposure compensation. Most of the battle is finding good light.“ Film processing and scanning was $8 more, so Skyler spent $10 for the whole experiment.

There is a common misconception that you need expensive gear to take great pictures. However, Skyler successfully proved that even the cheapest equipment can provide amazing images if you have the required skills.

More info: Instagram | Cover Image: flickr (h/t: petapixel)

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Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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What do you think ?

POST

Mark Roy 8 years ago

You know what would be a challenge? Buying that camera anywhere for $1.

63points

Sean Brassman 8 years ago

$35 seems to be the going rate for a tested working unit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004R7U4JE/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

0points

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Jerilyn Balonan 8 years ago

am I the only one who.thinks the photos are mediocre?

43points

Benny Lava 8 years ago

At best...

7points

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Heather Alisse 8 years ago

exactly! as soon as you say you're a photographer suddenly boring photos are works or art... those wouldn't get any likes on my Facebook page ;)

0points

Thuong Vu 8 years ago

The compositions are excellent, but poor lens quality affects the quality immensely. Don't go for any extreme. Take a quality but affordable camera body then spend all the rest money on the best lens money can buy, and you will not be disappointed.

0points

Strega Nera 8 years ago

I also dont like them. And for the record, the composition on all except the one with the park isn't good. And that one has burns in the background. You simply need a camera where you can work the settings, to achieve quality. That's a photographer, a person with knowledge how to make his camera serve his view. All of this here is just lazy and pretentious.

-1point

Clayton Adams 8 years ago

Possibly the only one.

-1point

Yvonne Bernal 8 years ago

I think the photos say more about the photographer than they do about the camera

15points

Sean Brassman 8 years ago

I agree and think that's the point.

2points

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Melina Pothier 8 years ago

I don't like any of these photos... Except for the self portrait. I don't find her eye for photography to be the best

8points

Sin-Mae Chung 8 years ago

I asked a photographer if I could sit down next to her at a fashion show, she saw the DSLR camera I was holding which had on a 35mm fixed lens. She then eyes me up and down and goes on to say "yeah, but just to let you know.. I will be taking real photos". What are REAL photos? She was sitting there with her camera and a very long long lens in front row. I sat away from her, I didn't want to be whacked in the face with her lens, plus.. didn't want to be near her bad juju either. D:

5points

Sin-Mae Chung 8 years ago

Whoops, hit send too soon. But anyways, I walked off with the impression that because I had a cheaper camera she didn't think I was a photographer. True, but I am a creative, it doesn't matter what medium I use.. does it?

9points

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Karen Bunn 8 years ago

I have a 14 year old second cousin who uses her Mom's iPhone 4 to shoot with and her pictures are fabulous. She's a natural and just experiments with that raggedy old phone in ways professional photographers wouldn't think of because she has to. Almost afraid to get the family to pitch in and get her a decent entry level professional camera for fear it will ruin her.

3points

Denise Lee 8 years ago

I think they look pretty good from a composition, lighting and subject points of view. Well done.

3points

Richard 8 years ago

So she challenged her gear aquisition syndrome by buying another camera, lol..

2points

home_with_you 8 years ago

good job!

2points

Anthony 8 years ago

Great shots! Camera is the tool, but the photographer is the tradesman - great challenge and results!

2points

Kevin Camp 8 years ago

As a professional photographer, you learn that there are two things that matter the most in your best images: 1. An interesting subject and 2. can you capture what you saw and felt in the image. The equipment only gives you options and technical flexibility, not a great image. Its the difference between a photo as a math exercise or a photo as a piece of art.

1point

Richard Petch 8 years ago

Well done young lady these are very good pictures taken on that old cheap camera, keep it up and maybe you will make a famous name for yourself.

1point

Melissa Nunya 8 years ago

It's clearly not a good camera but I think her talent is still there.raw

1point

Антон Алексеевич 8 years ago

There isn't that much to see, actually.

1point

Charlotte Cui 8 years ago

1$ camera, 100% quality on the photos. ♥

1point

Miruna Moldovan 8 years ago

Beautiful photos!

0points

No Name Needed 8 years ago

the camera doesnt make a photographer. photoshop does.

0points

Antonia 8 years ago

The challenge is a nice idea, but ???the photos??? ???what even??? ???no???

0points

Aleksandra Boguslawska 8 years ago

Japan's an extremely photogenic country so it's not that hard to take pictures like this... Also, expired Fujifilm Superia 400? That film is a legend :O

0points

Joanne Palmer 8 years ago

The Park one is my Fav, I love the shadows the braches make <3

0points

Alexandru Guraliuc 8 years ago

Great !

0points

Marius Andrei 8 years ago

I think it is a good challenge for any photographer. Sure NOT ALL the photos are good, but that is OK. You will get better once you shoot and shoot , and then shoot some more until the percentage of good photographs / film roll or shootout increases. I saw a lot of comments saying that "most of the photos will not receive likes on their facebook pages" or that "the composition is not good on some photos"....well, every PRO photographer will have good and bad photographs on a regular shootout or if he shoots for a whole day. Selecting only the good ones and posting them on social media, well that is another story.

0points

Alexies Ra 8 years ago

Some of my favorite photos I took were from a 30 cents camera I got in a surplus store.

0points

Lazy_Potato 8 years ago

These are amazing! You can hardly tell that it's a $1 camera. Great photos don't in my opinion depend on the quality, more or less the actual picture. Quality is simply a feature that helps you see the picture from the photographer's perspective. However, this is entirely my opinion.😊

0points

chachkimooch 8 years ago

The second to the last one reminds me of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

0points

Megan Pawlak 8 years ago

You still need a camera that you can control the exposure and you can only do that with cameras (like the one she used) that have manual controls or DSLRs. You cant get these results with a common "point and shoot" camera.

0points

Keanureaves 8 years ago

The red-head is beautiful ^^ Love the shots, hope to see more!

0points

Manu Schuster 8 years ago

It is a good camera.

0points

Cenk Karaferya 8 years ago

Pretty terrible pics...

0points

Nino Stoyanov 8 years ago

The Sure Shot is one of the best point and shoot cameras - therefore the name...

0points

Quant 8 years ago

Oh, you mean like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDAnNjRJxOQ or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX76k-chflo or perhaps that one ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VS3C183G8g

0points

Poornima Varun 8 years ago

very true.. i had the same experience.. the fujifilm I had shot one of the best pics and it was most basic cams..

-1point

POST

Mark Roy 8 years ago

You know what would be a challenge? Buying that camera anywhere for $1.

63points

Sean Brassman 8 years ago

$35 seems to be the going rate for a tested working unit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004R7U4JE/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

0points

Load More Replies...

Jerilyn Balonan 8 years ago

am I the only one who.thinks the photos are mediocre?

43points

Benny Lava 8 years ago

At best...

7points

Load More Replies...

Heather Alisse 8 years ago

exactly! as soon as you say you're a photographer suddenly boring photos are works or art... those wouldn't get any likes on my Facebook page ;)

0points

Thuong Vu 8 years ago

0points

Strega Nera 8 years ago

-1point

Clayton Adams 8 years ago

Possibly the only one.

-1point

Yvonne Bernal 8 years ago

I think the photos say more about the photographer than they do about the camera

15points

Sean Brassman 8 years ago

I agree and think that's the point.

2points

Load More Replies...

Melina Pothier 8 years ago

I don't like any of these photos... Except for the self portrait. I don't find her eye for photography to be the best

8points

Sin-Mae Chung 8 years ago

5points

Sin-Mae Chung 8 years ago

9points

Load More Replies...

Karen Bunn 8 years ago

3points

Denise Lee 8 years ago

I think they look pretty good from a composition, lighting and subject points of view. Well done.

3points

Richard 8 years ago

So she challenged her gear aquisition syndrome by buying another camera, lol..

2points

home_with_you 8 years ago

good job!

2points

Anthony 8 years ago

Great shots! Camera is the tool, but the photographer is the tradesman - great challenge and results!

2points

Kevin Camp 8 years ago

1point

Richard Petch 8 years ago

Well done young lady these are very good pictures taken on that old cheap camera, keep it up and maybe you will make a famous name for yourself.

1point

Melissa Nunya 8 years ago

It's clearly not a good camera but I think her talent is still there.raw

1point

Антон Алексеевич 8 years ago

There isn't that much to see, actually.

1point

Charlotte Cui 8 years ago

1$ camera, 100% quality on the photos. ♥

1point

Miruna Moldovan 8 years ago

Beautiful photos!

0points

No Name Needed 8 years ago

the camera doesnt make a photographer. photoshop does.

0points

Antonia 8 years ago

The challenge is a nice idea, but ???the photos??? ???what even??? ???no???

0points

Aleksandra Boguslawska 8 years ago

Japan's an extremely photogenic country so it's not that hard to take pictures like this... Also, expired Fujifilm Superia 400? That film is a legend :O

0points

Joanne Palmer 8 years ago

The Park one is my Fav, I love the shadows the braches make <3

0points

Alexandru Guraliuc 8 years ago

Great !

0points

Marius Andrei 8 years ago

0points

Alexies Ra 8 years ago

Some of my favorite photos I took were from a 30 cents camera I got in a surplus store.

0points

Lazy_Potato 8 years ago

0points

chachkimooch 8 years ago

The second to the last one reminds me of A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

0points

Megan Pawlak 8 years ago

0points

Keanureaves 8 years ago

The red-head is beautiful ^^ Love the shots, hope to see more!

0points

Manu Schuster 8 years ago

It is a good camera.

0points

Cenk Karaferya 8 years ago

Pretty terrible pics...

0points

Nino Stoyanov 8 years ago

The Sure Shot is one of the best point and shoot cameras - therefore the name...

0points

Quant 8 years ago

Oh, you mean like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDAnNjRJxOQ or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX76k-chflo or perhaps that one ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VS3C183G8g

0points