This shot 110 format film.
The magicube flash they were talking about is this. The film winding mechanism would spin the cube to a new face after each flash was used.
My first camera! I totally forgot about that.
I wonder how many kids who grew up with smartphones realize that back in the day it was necessary to take a full 12, 24, or 36 pictures, then wait days for a photo lab to develop them, before you got to see any of them.
Some photo labs here in Germany had automatic photo developing machines which were installed in the front window of the shop so the newly processed pics paraded before the eyes of people passing by.
Sometimes a juicy pic was seen to the joy of the public.
This was also common in Australia. I remember it well!
Probably more like 72, since it says “New pocket instamatic” and that looks like the first version of the pocket version.
Wow-wee!!: $28 in 1972 is worth about $223 in today’s (2026) dollars, based on CPI inflation data — a cumulative increase of about 697% over that period (average ~3.9%/year).
I guess that sounds right. They weren’t super cheap, but way less than a “nice” camera.
Well spotted.
Add the flannels on everyone in the photo too!
Plus I think by about 76 they would’ve been advertising the built-in electronic flash
Good point about the flash. I sure remember the cubes.
The first time I heard the name brand Instamatic is from Eddie Murphy’s Delirious standup special, where he borrows an audience member’s camera. He first acts like he’s gonna take a pic of the whole audience and asks “everyone over here” to move more toward the center and then proceeds to take a photo down his pants.
(Pissed-off white guy’s voice):
Hey, I said one fucking picture, man!
I rewatched this during grad school with a lotta neophytes and in between lols I had to cringe at how bad it’d aged. It was great for its time though.
