Photon 120

The Photon 120 is a viewfinder camera. It was built in Hong Kong. The medium format camera can be counted in the class of, from today’s point of view, toy cameras. In terms of functionality, it has the same notch as the Debonair, Holga or Diana. In which period of time it was built exactly is not definitely known, probably in a range from the 1950s to 1960s.

The camera comes with a fixed lens. It is called a Superior Lens 1.8 Speed 1/50 SEC. The Photon 120 has no autofocus. It is manually focused. The minimum distance to the subject must be 120 cm. There are four levels to choose from, 1.2 m to 2 m, 2 to 4 m, 4-6 m and 6 m to infinity.

Exposure is not metered by the 120 camera. Except for the three aperture stops, not much can be set anyway. The largest aperture is f/8.

An external flash can be connected via hot shoe. The camera was originally delivered with a matching flash. The housing is partly made of metal and the design reminds of a larger version of the Olympus Trip 35.

Films for the Photon 120

The Photon 120 requires 120 films. Films are still being made for this type of film format. Possible films for the Photon 120 are the Kodak Portra 160* for color images and the Ilford FP4 Plus* for black and white shots.

The exposure of the films is done in 6×6 format. With this size twelve square photos fit on one film. A power source is not needed for taking pictures.

The viewfinder camera can only be found used. The costs for the Photon 120 differ depending on accessories and condition. The price is usually between 20 and 40 euros. But you can find similar models a little cheaper.