Videos

Here at Shutterbug we pride ourselves on comprehensive product reviews of great imaging gear that will help you choose the best equipment for your style of photography. So it’s a bit of a departure for us to present the WORST cameras and photo gadgets of all time.

Photographers Tony & Chelsea Northrup compiled the following video collection of “garbage gear,” and while there’s a humorous bent to their selections, the criticism is all grounded in reality. One of our favorites from yesteryear is the Minolta Talker, a compact 35mm point-and-shoot model that actually spoke to the user with phrases like “too dark” “use flash,” and “load film.” Unfortunately, this goofy camera was unable to say, “don’t buy me.”

In the modern digital era, it’s difficult to find a product that was introduced with more fanfare, and later engendered greater disappointment, than the Lyro Illum “light field camera” that offered users an ability to “shoot first and change the point of focus later.” Despite claims that the Illum would “revolutionize photography,” many who shot with the camera quickly concluded they had purchased a $2,000 paperweight.

Other products on this gear-of-infamy list include selfie sticks, a variety of  “crappy light modifiers,” Kodak’s ill-fated Disc camera, and many more. So sit back, watch the video, and have a good laugh. Then check your camera cabinet, fill up a garbage bag, and head for the dumpster.

You can find more cool content on the Tony & Chelsea YouTube channel, and take a look at our story from last year, with the best and worst camera gear of 2016.