Mycro macro

Not too long ago I was doing a tidy up in my home office and came across this little camera, originally my dad's. I left it on my desk for a few weeks until I decided to take a few photos of it just for fun. Unfortunately, I didn't really know how best to present it and so what you see here is about the best of the bunch. I tried some darker shots, not sure what that style is called, and well...they came out sort of shit in my opinion, but I'm thick-skinned and can take the criticism if the shots draw any.

The Mycro is what's called a subminature camera and hails from Japan, originally released by a company around 1939 and sold throughout World War Two and beyond. By the 1950's it had gained a cult following and the original company name was changed to Mycro (MYCRO CAMERA COMPANY. LTD)

I'm not sure when my dad got this camera however, being a Mycro IIIA which was released in around 1953, I'd imagine it to have been about then. My dad would have been in his mid-20's at that time and working as a school teacher so I guess he had the money to spend on a little fad-item like this.

The camera came with a pretty cool brown leather case and looks and operates just like any other camera. One could also get a tripod and filter for it however I have neither and am not sure if my dad ever got them.

I'm not sure if this camera still works and I'd need 17.5mm film to find out. It was capable of ten exposures from a roll and I guess it took a reasonable photo considering that many thousands of people bought one...or maybe the temptation to buy this novelty/cult camera was simply too difficult to deny.

My dad's camera isn't in very good condition, it's seventy years old after all and carried some wear and tear with some of the plating beginning to come off. I wish it worked though as I'd be interested to see what photos were possible and it'd be nice to take some shots on a camera my dad once used.

Alas, I can't make it work so I'll have it as a keepsake and pass it on to my niece of nephew when the time is right, I think they'll appreciate having something that their granddad once owned and used.

I don't suppose anyone here has had any experience with, or exposure to, this camera before, but if you have and also have some shots taken on one I'd be interested to see. I don't expect the quality to be very good, certainly nothing like what a full-sized camera would produce I guess, but it'd be interesting to see nonetheless.

So that's it for this post on my dad's Mycro camera. Feel free to comment below whether about this post, a micro-camera you may have had or have, or even an old camera you have laying about the place. I'd like to hear from you.