Diana. Holga. Leaky Piece of Crap...

By whatever name you choose to call it, a toy camera is a special thing. A close companion. Always there for you and always ready to take a slightly out-of-focus photo that's streaked with light leaks and strange color anomalies.

It's a love that can not be denied.

So end the cycle of denial. Don't be ashamed of that crappy hunk of plastic. Dust it off, put a strap on it and sling it around your neck. Load some film into it and go out and take pictures. And share them!

Come out of the closet, woshippers of plastic lenses and warped film backs. Play in the sun (play on this wiki!)...and don't forget your camera.

Take the poll!	What's tagged with "toycamera" at flickr?
So, what's a "toy camera" anyway?
Let's start here: if it's made of plastic, feels kind of flimsy, and delivers unreliable results...it's probably a toy camera. A toy camera is any one of a number of inexpensive cameras that are insanely fun to shoot with as long as you have a healthy appreciation for the unpredictable. Because of the offset of the viewfinder to lens, you're never quite sure what you've got in the frame...and that's part of what you'll love. Most of the cameras that are considered to fall in this category are film cameras (What? Film? People still use that?? Um, yes. Sometimes.), but given the boom of digital photography and some of the cheap options out there, it's safe to say that there are digi-cams that fit into this category as well. If you are a control freak, toy cameras are probably not for you. Some qualities you might possess if you enjoy toy camera photography: You like a little bit of chaos in your world You enjoy poking around in thrift and junk stores Swap meets and flea markets sound like a great place to spend a few hours on the weekend Quirky photographs make you laugh You like to pick out animals, fairies, and "spirits" in the funny light streaks and shadows in photographs You think photography is more like fun than work You hold fast to the belief that film is not dead You have a healthy sense of adventure