The Camera No One Cares About: Fuji DL400 Tele

Point and shoot film cameras have now all been forgotten but to serve a specific niche: those who would rather not sweat over a manual camera in quick situations, or those who would simply rather not learn the intricacies of one. In a world of Penta-whatever and Leica-who-cares, the common man shines like a star. A small, but reliable star. Enter Fuji: perhaps one of the most common point and shoot 35mm cameras on the market, but certainly an undervalued gem of one.

The design is reminiscent of its era; red highlights run through the boxy edges of the body with gold text labeling its papyrus fonted name: DL400 Tele. A small Pac-Man like symbol opens your lens, a tiny rubber button turns off the defaulted auto flash, and the big red button takes the photos. How much simpler could it get? Even though the body is entirely made out of plastic(the good old 80’s who cares about the earth, plastic), somehow this little machine feels solid in hand, and all seems to function just as well as the day it came off the shelves.

I picked this camera up as a bundle about three years ago off of an eBay lot that sold for $15: the price of a single roll of Portra or Cinestill today. It came with another no-name 35mm that was complete junk, breaking within the first couple days of use, but I couldn’t complain; I would’ve paid double, triple, even, for this charming little camera alone. The whirring and humming vibrations of the film loading mechanism puts a grin on my face without fail, and looking through the indigo tinted viewfinder takes me back to a time I wasn’t even there to experience. This is precisely why these relics of the past are ever so important. They capture something beyond that eight thousand dollar 20 megapixel mirrorless camera can’t: emotion and a longingness for a simpler time. When photos were held in a small scroll of chemicals that represented the ethos of a bygone era. No do-overs, no machine-gun shutters or electronically controlled ISOs. Real life.

While this is all true even for your fancy SLR, small point and shoots like these are a fantastic way to get into the hobby at a fraction of the cost. 35mm is making a big comeback, and these type of cameras just might be the perfect dip before the plunge, especially for individuals with no prior camera knowledge.

Though I do own an assortment of SLRs, I often find myself picking up the Fuji out of the bunch due to sheer convenience. Take this picture(no pun intended), for example. It’s not exactly the type of image you can take five feet away from your car, where your 30 pound bag of gear is stowed. When going on hikes, adventures, or anything that’ll require more than two hours of walking, I’d rather have my handy little DL400 in my pocket rather than a Canon A1 breaking my neck. No, its not the most crystal clear image in the world, but there’s a sort of charm that comes about using a subpar camera in spectacular places.

At this point I’ve probably put in about ten times worth the cost of the camera of film into its spring loaded chamber, but I don’t regret it one bit. The DL400 is small, convenient, and tactile; but most importantly, it’s never let me down. I’ll keep this camera as long as I can, and when it breaks, I’ll let it rest in peace on my display case for as long as I live. This camera truly represents that there is really specialty in mediocrity.

So this one goes out to all of the film snobs, the purists, and the “thats not a real camera” folks. It absolutely is, and a great one at that.