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
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Konica Z-up 150 VP
The Konica Z-up 150 VP is a compact camera designed for ease of use and versatile zoom functionality.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Konica Z-up 80
The Konica Z-up 80 is a 2x zoom snapshot camera from the late 1980s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Konica Z-up 80 RC
The Konica Z-up 80 RC is a compact 35mm autofocus zoom camera from the late 1980s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera Slim T
The Kyocera Slim T is a 35mm camera with a built-in flash and Carl Zeiss lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera T
The Kyocera T is a compact 35mm camera with a fixed focal length from Carl Zeiss.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera T Proof
The Kyocera T Proof is a compact camera for the 35mm format from the Japanese company Kyocera.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera T Scope
The Kyocera T Scope is a 35mm camera with a compact housing and Carl Zeiss Tessar lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera T-Zoom
The Kyocera T-Zoom is a compact camera with a Carl Zeiss zoom lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Kyocera TScope2
The Kyocera TScope2 is a 35mm camera from the Japanese brand Kyocera with a Carl Zeiss lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Leica AF-C1
The Leica AF-C1 is the German company's first compact camera for the 35 mm format.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Mini
Leica Sofort
The first instant camera by the traditional company from Wetzlar, Germany.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Mini
Leica Sofort 2
The Leica Sofort 2 is a hybrid instant camera from the legendary German camera brand.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Mini
Leica Sofort 2 Burton
The Leica Sofort 2 Burton is an edition of the instant camera in collaboration with a snowboard brand.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square
The Lomo'Instant Square is an instant camera for Fujifilm's square film format.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square Black Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square Black Edition is a camera from Lomography with a black body.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square Ginza Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square Ginza Edition is a luxurious edition of the Lomography instant camera.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square Kickstarter Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square Kickstarter Edition is a limited edition of the instant camera.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square Pemberley Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square Pemberley Edition is a special edition from Januar 2025.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square Pigalle Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square Pigalle Edition is an edition of the Lomography instant camera.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square The Blues Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square The Blues Edition is a variant of the Lomography instant camera from 2025.
- Instant camera
- Fuji Instax Square
Lomo’Instant Square White Edition
The Lomo'Instant Square White Edition is an edition of Lomography's 2017 instant camera.
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- 120
Lubitel 166
The Lubitel 166 is a Twin Lens Reflex camera for medium format film and the successor of the Lubitel 2.
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- 120
Lubitel 166U
The Lubitel 166U is a Twin Lens Reflex camera and the last model of the Lubitel family.
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- 120
Lubitel 2
The Lubitel 2 is a Twin Lens Reflex camera for medium format film built in the Soviet Union. The camera is the predecessor of the
- Single lens reflex camera
- 120, ...
Mamiya 645 Pro
The Mamiya 645 Pro is a professional medium format camera from the 1990s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Mamiya Sekor 1000 TL
The Mamiya Sekor 1000 TL is a SLR for 35mm shooters.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta 5000
The Minolta 5000 is an early autofocus SLR camera from 1986.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta 7000
The Minolta 7000 is an autofocus, autoexposure SLR camera from the 1980s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta 9000
The Minolta 9000 was the first SLR camera with automatic focusing from the Japanese manufacturer.
- Rangefinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta A-2
The Minolta A-2 is a rangefinder camera from the 1950s for the 35mm format.
- Rangefinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta A-2 LT
The Minolta A-2 LT is a rangefinder camera from the 1950s with interchangeable lenses.
- Rangefinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta A3
The Minolta A3 is a 35mm camera. It is part of the group of rangefinder cameras.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-S
The Minolta AF-S is a simple compact camera from the 1980s with built-in flash.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-SP
The Minolta AF-SP is a snapshot camera with built-in flash from the 1980s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-T
The Minolta AF-T is a simple snapshot camera with two focal lengths for 35mm format.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Tele
The Minolta AF-Tele is a compact camera from the 1980s with two focal lengths.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Tele 60
The Minolta AF-Tele 60 is a compact form factor camera from Minolta.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Tele Super
The Minolta AF-Tele Super is a 35mm camera for snapshots from the 1980s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Z
The Minolta AF-Z is a 1980s point-and-shoot camera with built-in flash for the 35mm format.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Zoom 65
The Minolta AF-Zoom 65 is a 35mm snapshot camera from the Japanese company.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF-Zoom 90
The Minolta AF-Zoom 90 is a 35mm camera. It is part of the group of snapshot cameras.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta AF50 Big Finder
The Minolta AF50 Big Finder is a 35mm camera. Introduced in 1997, the camera with a plastic body and a big viewfinder.
- Rangefinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta AL-E
The Minolta AL-E is a rangefinder camera with light meter for the 35mm format from the 1960s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 101si
The Minolta Alpha 101si is a 1980s auto exposure SLR camera for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 2xi
The Minolta Alpha 2xi is an entry-level autofocus SLR camera for the Asian market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 3
The Minolta Alpha 3 is a 35mm camera with modern features for the Chinese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 303si
The Minolta Alpha 303si is a 1990s SLR camera with interchangeable lenses, panorama function and data back for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 303si Super
The Minolta Alpha 303si Super is an entry-level SLR camera from the 1990s with panorama function and built-in flash for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 360si
The Minolta Alpha 360si is a 35mm camera with automatic exposure for the Japanese market from the 1990s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 3700i
The Minolta Alpha 3700i is a 35mm SLR with automatic exposure for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 3xi
The Minolta Alpha 3xi is an automatic SLR camera from Japan with built-in flash.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 5
The Minolta Alpha 5 is a compact SLR camera for the Chinese market from 2001.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 50
The Minolta Alpha 50 is a modern entry-level SLR camera from the 2000s for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 5000
The Minolta 5000 is an early 1986 autofocus SLR camera for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 507si
The Minolta Alpha 507si is a single lens reflex camera from the 1990s with panorama mode and data back for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 5700i
The Minolta Alpha 5700i is a SLR 35mm camera with program automatic and built-in flash.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 5xi
The Minolta Alpha 5xi is a camera with interchangeable lenses, built-in flash and autofocus system for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 7
The Minolta Alpha 7 is a professional SLR camera for the Japanese market from 2000.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 7 Limited
The Minolta Alpha 7 Limited is a limited edition camera for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 70
The Minolta Alpha 70 is a 2004 35mm interchangeable lens camera for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 7000
The Minolta Alpha 7000 is an autofocus SLR camera for the Japanese market from the 1980s.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 707si
The Minolta Alpha 707si is an SLR camera with some automatics for the 35mm format from Japan.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 7700i
The Minolta Dynax 7700i is a 35mm camera with four exposure modes for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 7xi
The Minolta Alpha 7xi is a modern SLR camera with autofocus system from the 1990s for Japanese photographers.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 807si
The Minolta Alpha 807si is a modern SLR camera for 35mm film that was sold in Japan.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 8700i
The Minolta Alpha 8700i is a 35mm format camera from Minolta with interchangeable lenses and autofocus system.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 9
The Minolta Alpha 9 is a professional SLR camera for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 9000
The Minolta Alpha 9000 was the first SLR from Minolta with autofocus.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 9Ti
The Minolta Alpha 9Ti is a limited edition 35mm camera with a special camera body.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha 9xi
The Minolta Alpha 9xi is a 1990s SLR camera with autofocus and interchangeable lenses for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha Sweet
The Minolta Alpha Sweet is an SLR camera from the late 1990s with panorama and date function for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha Sweet II
The Minolta Alpha Sweet II is an interchangeable lens camera from the 2000s for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha Sweet II L
The Minolta Alpha Sweet II L is a modern SLR camera for the 35mm format for the Japanese market.
- Single lens reflex camera
- 35mm
Minolta Alpha Sweet S
The Minolta Alpha Sweet S is a 1990s SLR camera with exposure programs, built-in flash and more for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Apex 105
This is a 35-105 mm zoom camera from the 90s. It was sold in Japan by Minolta.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Apex 70
The Minolta Apex 70 is a classic camera from the 90s for quick snapshots for Japanese photographers.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Apex 90
The Minolta Apex 90 is a compact camera with 38-90 mm zoom from the 90s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Apex ZF900
The Minolta Apex ZF900 is a compact camera from the 1990s with 35-90 mm zoom lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Autodate Zoom
The Minolta Autodate Zoom is a camera from the 90s with zoom for 35mm format.
- Viewfinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta Autowide
The Minolta Autowide is a 35mm camera from the 1950s and was the first mass-produced camera with a coupled light meter.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 115
The Minolta Capios 115 is a compact camera from Minolta with zoom for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 115S
The Minolta Capios 115S is a compact 35mm camera with a 37,5-115 mm zoom lens for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 125
The Minolta Capios 125 is a 35mm camera from the 90s with zoom and built-in flash for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 125S
The Minolta Capios 125S is a 35mm camera for the Japanese market with 37.5mm-125mm zoom lens.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 130S
The Minolta Capios 130S is a compact camera with a 37.5 mm to 135 mm zoom lens for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 140
The Minolta Capios 140 is a 90s camera with a 38-140 mm lens and built-in flash for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 140A
The Minolta Capios 140A is a 35mm camera with zoom lens from 2001 for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 150S
The Minolta Capios 150S is a compact 35mm camera with zoom function and built-in flash for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 160A
The Minolta Capios 160A is a 35mm camera with zoom lens from 2001 for the Japanese market.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 25
The Minolta Capios 25 is a compact camera from Minolta for the Japanese market from the 90s.
- Snapshot camera
- 35mm
Minolta Capios 70
The Minolta Capios 70 is a 35mm camera with a compact body and a collapsible zoom lens.
- Rangefinder camera
- 35mm
Minolta CLE
The Minolta CLE is a rangefinder camera. It was produced between 1980 and 1984 by Minolta.