Evaluating the best-selling film cameras of all time has to start with a guess. Logically, the candidates should be so obvious that their names stick in our minds and consequently the big sellers can be expected to be humble and uninteresting role models.
Clearly, some of the best-selling film cameras have been those with the longest production cycles, so I’ve taken care to differentiate between distinctly different models that shared a common name. For example, a Zorki 4, which is on my list, is a different camera than its similar successor, the Zorki 4k.
Furthermore, determining the best-selling cameras is not necessarily a matter of volume sequencing. It must be recognized that the world of, say, the 1930s was a very different place from that of the 1980s. In the earlier period there was less disposable income, less free time, more trade barriers, and a smaller population. Selling 1 million cameras in 1930 would have been a far more significant achievement than selling 1 million cameras in 1980. I haven’t tried to get into the complicated math, but I did use this fact to differentiate between close rivals on a simple volume basis. .
Here are my takeaways, in reverse order, and starting with the 10th best-selling camera.
10. Canon Canonet (first version)
Introduced in January 1961 and produced until about mid-1963, the Canonet was the first in a series of mid-range rangefinder cameras produced by a company normally associated with high-end products.
It is well documented that by the end of a two and a half year production run, one million Canonets had been sold.
The success of this camera was due to the fact that it delivered simple, high-quality photography while giving the user creative control, where needed.
9. The Canon AE-1
The Canon AE-1, a 35mm SLR, was introduced in 1976 and was produced until 1984. During a relatively short run of eight years, it is estimated to have sold over 1 million units.
The AE-1 was the first microprocessor-equipped SLR, and it was so successful because it marked a revolution, rather than an evolution, in camera design. Like Canonet, it made SLR cameras accessible to those who demanded quality performance without the need for technical knowledge.
8. A Kodak box brownie
The first and original Kodak Box Brownie camera was introduced in 1900 and there seems to be general agreement that Brownie cameras were made for about 70 years.
There were roughly 125 different variations of the Brownie, and these were clearly all distinctly different cameras. For example, the different film formats used by members of the Brownie family included 110, 117, 120, 116, 122, 124, 125, 130, 127, and 620 sizes.
The claimed number of Brownies sold ranges from 100,000 to 250,000 in a year. For lack of easy math, I have taken the average of these two extremes, multiplied by 70 (years) and divided by 125 (camera models). The result is that the average model probably sold just under 1 million units. I have no doubt that some models sold much better than others, but sadly there is no method to quantify this. However, given the time period in which the Brownie gained popularity, I have no hesitation in placing it above the Canon AE-1.
The Brownie’s success was largely due to extreme simplicity, low cost ($1 to start in the US), and mass-market appeal.
7. A Kodak Instamatic
The Kodak Instamatic was an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera, using a cartridge of 126 film, and cameras bearing this name were made between 1963 and 1970. Although 1970 did not mark the end of the Instamatic, I have used this date as a starting point. cutoff to qualify the available sales data. Briefly, the name stuck past 1970, but the design of the camera began to change significantly.
Although estimates of the number of units sold vary, I stick with Kodak’s own assessment that some 50 million Instamatic cameras had been produced by 1970.
During the period up to 1970, there were, by my calculations, about 47 different Instamatic models (and I excluded those made specifically for export to individual countries). So simple math suggests that each model could have accounted for just over 1 million sales, though some were undoubtedly more popular than others.
Unlike the Brownie, one measure of the success of the Kodak Instamatic was that the name “Instamatic” became a generic term. In addition, Kodak achieved its sales against increased competition, as many other manufacturers successfully sold Instamatic-type cameras (eg, Agfa, Ilford, etc.), and on that basis, I have ranked the Kodak Instamatic in number 5 on my list.
Like the Brownie, the key to the success of the Instamatic in all its variants was economical simplicity and mass appeal.
6. The Fox 4
The Zorki 4 was a simple mechanical rangefinder camera and possibly the most popular of all Zorki cameras, due to its being the first model exported to the West in large numbers.
Produced between 1956 and 1973, the number of cameras made is claimed to be a very precise 1,715,677.
The draw of the Zorki 4 seems to have been its affordability coupled with its passing resemblance to a Leica.
5. The Argus C3
The Argus C3 was a low-priced rangefinder camera, produced from 1939 to 1966: a period of twenty-seven years.
The base C3 model underwent minor revisions throughout its life. The number of shutter speeds was reduced from ten to seven to five. Added an accessory shoe. Removed the exposure reminder dial on the back of the camera. There was a variant with color-coded exposure controls (Colormatic). A second generation C3 had an improved lens and more comfortable controls. There were three variants of the basic C3 (Matchmatic, Golden Shield, and C33), but they were introduced towards the end of production, so they can be effectively ignored.
It is estimated that around 2 million units of the Argus C3 (and its variants) have been sold.
The success of the Argus C3 was that it brought quality optics and solid mechanics to the masses, where previously these features were only available to the moneyed elite.
4. The Pentax K1000
The Pentax K1000, a fully mechanical SLR, was introduced in 1976 and was largely hand-assembled in Japan. In 1978, production moved to Hong Kong, and then to China in 1990. Minor changes were implemented by Chinese cameras to reduce production costs. The meter components were changed, the metal on the wind shaft was recut from the steel, and the plastic was replaced with the original aluminum top and bottom plates and film rewind assembly. The “Asahi” name and “AOCo” logo were also removed from the pentaprism cover. However, the first and last K1000 were the same camera. Production ceased in 1997, giving the K1000 a production run of twenty-one years.
The Pentax K1000 is claimed to have sold over three million units.
Like all good cameras, the success of the K1000 is due to its simplicity. It has found its fortune among photography students, since its operation depends on a knowledge of the general principles of photography.
3. The Zenith E
The Zenit E was a very simple, mass-produced 35mm SLR camera, manufactured between 1965 and 1982. The 17-year production run racked up an accurately documented 3,334,540 units. The camera was also sold as the Prinzflex 500E by the UK camera store Dixons.
Once again, simplicity and affordability created a winner.
2. The trip to Olympus 35
The Olympus Trip 35, a simple but effective point-and-shoot camera, was introduced in 1967 and discontinued in 1984 after a 17-year production run. Although the Trip was subject to very minor changes during its lifetime (for example, the shutter button’s change from silver metal to black plastic in 1978), it essentially finished the same as it began.
The manufacturers claim that over ten million units were sold (and that’s evidence enough for me).
The Trip was so successful because it was easy to use, yet capable of producing excellent results. It was compact and portable, and slow to carry on excursions. It was just a very good camera.
1. A Kodak disposable camera
Disposable cameras in various forms have been around almost throughout the history of photography. Fujifilm was the first manufacturer to introduce the modern disposable camera (to the Japanese market) in 1986. The camera became available overseas the following year, and production targets are rumored to be between three and four million (per year). Kodak soon followed Fujifilm with its own disposable cameras.
In 1989 it was said that a real “disposable camera craze” was taking place. Disposable cameras sold in the United States increased from 3 million in 1988, to 9 million in 1990, to 21.5 million in 1992 (quotes Della Keyser).
It’s not entirely clear who made and sold what (so I assumed Kodak dominated), but there hasn’t been anything that can compete with these sales levels for a long period of time. More than that, today the disposable camera is still popular.
It’s a somewhat disappointing conclusion, for anyone who collects or appreciates the best cameras, to find that the most successful version is little more than film in a box, but it’s obviously what Joe Public is drawn to. Simplicity and affordability have always been the cornerstones of a successful camera design.