If you enjoy the old-school feel of silent films and street photographers, you might like the Alfie BOXX camera. It's currently on Kickstarter.
The BOXX is a wooden camera with a retro design. It blends the slow, careful photography of the 1800s with modern ease of use. You can develop black and white 6 x 9-cm prints right inside the camera, even when you're out in the field.
British product designer Dave Faulkner created the BOXX. He also made the Alfie Tych half-frame camera. Faulkner says the BOXX lets you "go from photo composition to printmaking." It offers a "complete analogue experience in the palm of your hand."
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With a 100-mm lens, the camera measures 139 x 98 x 118 mm. It's made from stained and lacquered hardwood with brass parts. It has a spring-loaded back and a traditional ground glass screen for viewing.
The BOXX uses an interchangeable lens system. Three types of lenses fit its 75-mm square lens board.
- Wollaston: This 100-mm f/8-f/32 portrait lens focuses manually from one meter to infinity. It's based on an 1812 design.
- Steinheil Periscopic: This 55-mm f/16 wide-angle lens adjusts manually from 50 cm to infinity. It's based on an 1865 German design.
- Pinhole: This 65-mm f/190 pinhole lens has a magnetic shutter. It creates a soft-focus, camera obscura effect.
The camera also has 1/4-inch tripod mounts on its side and bottom. This lets you shoot in portrait or landscape mode.
In-Camera Processing
You expose images manually using the lens cap for the 55-mm and 100-mm lenses. This is how early photographers worked since there's no shutter.
Once you're ready to take a picture, you attach the magnetic Pocket Darkroom film holder. This exposes the image directly onto black and white photo paper. Then, you develop the prints using a four-step black and white reversal process. This uses about 10 ml of chemicals to create positive 6 x 9-cm prints without needing a darkroom.
For beginners, an in-depth guide book with videos explains all the steps. This helps those new to darkroom processing get the best results.
What's Included
Each BOXX camera comes with a 25-pack of pre-cut photo paper. It also includes four 10-ml labeled syringes for the photo chemicals. Adox Black and White Reversal Kits are available as an add-on. These kits have instructions adapted for photographic paper. Faulkner says other brands are also compatible.
You can order more paper packs after the Kickstarter campaign. You can also cut down larger sheets of photographic paper to fit the holder.
The Alfie BOXX camera, including the pinhole lens, costs a pledge of £176 (about US$237). Manufacturing is set for summer 2026, with delivery expected in the fall if funding goals are met on Kickstarter.
