The history and functions of self-timers on analog still cameras are diverse and have evolved over time. Early mechanical cameras often did not have built-in self-timers, but it was possible to connect external self-timers. These were often powered by clockwork mechanisms that created a delay between the shutter release and the shot being taken. Often this accessory was attached to the cable release connector. This gave the photographer enough time to position himself in the picture or to avoid camera shake with longer exposure times.
Later, cameras with built-in self-timers came onto the market. In most cases, the self-timer had to be cocked. By pressing the shutter button, the mechanics ran and the recording was captured on the film material.
In analogue cameras with integrated electronics, which came onto the market later, the triggering was then triggered by an electronic signal. In the 1990s, most 35mm cameras had a built-in self-timer. The lead time, i.e. the time between the start of the self-timer and the recording, was usually ten seconds. Some models also offer the option of taking several pictures in a row.
Areas of application for a self-timer
There are many different uses for the self-timer on analogue cameras. Here are some of the most important:
Group photos
When trying to take a group photo, it is often difficult to get everyone in position before the photo is taken. With the self-timer you can put yourself in the picture after placing the camera on a tripod or a stable surface.
Self-portraits
When trying to take a self-portrait, it’s often difficult to release the camera’s shutter button in time while staying in position. With the self-timer you can place the camera on a tripod or a stable surface and then go into the picture in peace.
Long exposures
When you want to take a long exposure, you often have to hold down the camera’s shutter button for several seconds or even minutes. With the self-timer you can place the camera on a tripod or a stable surface and then activate the self-timer. This allows you to let go of the camera while the photo is being taken.
Avoiding camera shake
Holding the camera by hand can easily result in camera shake, which blurs the image. With the self-timer you can place the camera on a tripod or a stable surface and then activate the self-timer. This way you can avoid camera shake and take sharp pictures.
Experimental Photography
The self-timer can also be used for experimental photography. For example, you can place the camera on a tripod and activate the self-timer before dropping the camera or exposing it to some other unforeseen event. In this way, interesting and unusual images can be created.
Model overview
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica BMS
The Praktica BMS is a camera from Pentacon from the late days of the East German company.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica DTL 2
The Praktica DTL 2 is an M42-SLR from the 70s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica DTL 3
The Praktica DTL 3 is a camera for the M42 lens thread.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica EE 2
The Praktica EE 2 is a 35mm SLR with light meter from Pentacon.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica EE 3
The Praktica EE 3 is a camera from the late 1970s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica LLC
The Praktica LLC is an East German SLR camera and was built from 1969 to 1975 by VEB Pentacon Dresden.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica LTL
The Praktica LTL is a film camera from the 1970s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica LTL 2
The Praktica LTL 2 is a SLR made in the 1970s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica LTL 3
The Praktica LTL 3 is a SLR made in the 70s by Pentacon.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica MTL 3
The Praktica MTL 3 is a camera with M42 lens thread from Pentacon.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica MTL 5
An SLR for 35mm by Pentacon from the GDR.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica MTL 50
The Praktica MTL 50 is an East German camera.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica PLC 2
The Praktica PLC 2 is a camera made in the splitted Germany in the 1970s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica PLC 3
The Praktica PLC 3 is a German SLR from the VEB Pentacon.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica VLC 2
The Praktica VLC 2 is a SLR camera for M42 lenses from VEB Pentacon Dresden.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Praktica VLC 3
The Praktica VLC 3 is a SLR camera for M42 lenses.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 120
Praktisix
The Praktisix is a single lens reflex camera for medium format film from East Germany. It is the predecessor of the Pentacon Six.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Prinzflex 500E
The Prinzflex 500E is a Soviet-made SLR camera.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Quantaray RZ 800
The Quantaray RZ 800 is a single lens reflex camera. The 35mm camera was built by Cosina and built by Ritz Camera.
Revue 10
The Revue 10 is a rangefinder camera built by KMZ in Russia and sold by Foto Quelle, a German photo dealer, in the West.
Revue 400 SE
An inexpensive rangefinder camera with light meter by Revue (Foto Quelle).
Revue 900 AF Multi
The Revue 900 AF Multi is a compact 35mm camera from Foto Quelle of Japanese production.
Revue Auto S22
The Revue Auto S22 is a Japanese-made camera from Revue from the 1960s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue Auto-Reflex
The Revue Auto-Reflex is a SLR constructed by Konica for the german photo dealer Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue BC 2
The Revue BC 2 is one of the last versions of a Pentacon single lens reflex camera under the Revue brand from Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue DF-300
The Revue DF-300 is an SLR camera from Chinese production marketed under the Foto Quelle house brand "Revue".
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue ML
The Revue ML is a single reflex camera from Foto Quelle from East German production.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue SC 4
The Revue SC 4 is a single lens reflex camera. The 35mm camera was built by Cosina and sold by Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue SC 5 auto
The Revue SC 5 auto is a camera sold under the Revue by Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue Solar 100
The Revue Solar 100 is a SLR camera from Foto Quelle with a solar cell.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue SR
The Revue SR is a single lens reflex camera. It was presented by Revue in 60s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revue V6
The Revue V6 is a manual SLR camera from Japan for the 35mm format.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex 2000 CL
The Revueflex 2000 CL is a reflex camera from Japanese production with M42 thread.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex 3000 SL
The West German version of the Chinon CX from Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex 5005
The Revueflex 5005 is a SLR camera from Foto Quelle and was built by Chinon.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex E
The Revueflex E is a single lens reflex camera. It was built by Zenit and introduced in the 1960s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex EM
A version of the Zenit EM from the German company Foto Quelle.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex TL 25
A West German version of the Praktica MTL 5.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Revueflex TL I
A West German version of the Praktica MTL 3.
Ricoh Auto Half S
The Ricoh Auto Half S is an advanced half-format camera with self-timer from Japan.
Ricoh Auto Half SE
The Ricoh Auto Half SE is a half-format camera with a self-timer from the 1960s.
Ricoh FF-70
A 35 mm camera with a 35 mm lens with a built-in flash.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Ricoh KR-5
The Ricoh KR-5 is an affordable 35mm SLR camera from the late 1970s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Ricoh Singlex TLS
The Ricoh Singlex TLS is a SLR camera for M42 lenses and was built by Cosina.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Ricoh XR 500
The Ricoh XR 500 is a 1978 35mm SLR camera with manual controls and Pentax K-mount.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Ricoh XR Solar
The Ricoh XR Solar is an analog SLR camera from the 1990s that is equipped with a solar cell.
Rollei 35
The Rollei 35 is a compact camera from the 1960s and one of the most legendary cameras from Germany.
Rollei 35 LED
The Rollei 35 LED is a compact 35mm camera from the late 1970s.
Rollei 35 S
The Rollei 35 S is a compact camera from the 1970s with a Carl Zeiss Sonnar lens.
Rollei 35 SE
The Rollei 35 SE is a viewfinder camera from the 1980s for the 35mm format.
Rollei 35 T
The Rollei 35 T is a 35mm camera from the 1970s in a handy format.
Rollei 35 TE
The Rollei 35 TE is a viewfinder camera from the German brand made in Asia.
Rollei AFM 35
The Rollei AFM 35 is a high-quality compact camera with the Rollei logo for the 35mm format.
Rollei B 35
The Rollei B 35 is a viewfinder camera from Rollei with a selenium exposure meter.
Rollei C 35
The Rollei C 35 is a 35mm camera without a light meter from the late 1960s in the Rollei 35 series.
Rollei XF 35
A 35 mm camera with rangefinder and light meter.
Samsung AF Zoom 1050
The Samsung AF Zoom 1050 is a zoom camera for the 35mm format from one of the most famous brands from South Korea.
Samsung ECX 1
The Samsung ECX 1 is a snapshot camera with zoom lens from the Korean company with the design by Porsche.
Samsung ECX 2
The Samsung ECX 2 is a snapshot camera for 35mm film with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens.
Samsung Evoca 140S
The Samsung Evoca 140S is a point-and-shoot camera for the North American market.
Samsung Fino 105 Super
The Samsung Fino 105 Super is a camera with 38-105mm zoom from the South Korean manufacturer.
Samsung Fino 700S
The Samsung Fino 700S is a camera with zoom for amateur photographers.
Samsung Fino 70S
The Samsung Fino 70S is a camera from Samsung with 38-70mm zoom lens.
Samsung Fino 800
The Samsung Fino 800 is a snapshot camera with 38-80 mm zoom lens.
Samsung Kenox FX-4
The Samsung Kenox FX-4 is a point-and-shoot camera for the 35 mm format.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Samsung Kenox GX-1
The Samsung Kenox GX-1 is Samsung's only analog SLR camera for the South Korean market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Samsung SR 4000
The Samsung SR 4000 is the only SLR camera from the South Korean manufacturer.
Samsung Vega 140 S
The Samsung Vega 140 S is a point-and-shoot camera from the late 90s for the 35mm format with a zoom lens.
Samsung Vega 170
The Samsung Vega 170 is a snapshot camera with a zoom range from 38 mm to 170 mm.
Samsung Vega 290W
The Samsung Vega 290W is a 35 mm camera with Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan 28-90 mm lens.
Samsung Vega 700
The Samsung Vega 700 is a camera from the South Korean manufacturer Samsung with zoom lens and panorama function.
Samsung VEGA 77i
The Samsung VEGA 77i is a compact camera from Samsung for the 35mm format.
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- 120
Seagull 4
A TLR from Chinese production.
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- 120
Seagull 4A
A medium format from Shanghai with two lenses.
