box camera

American  

noun

1. a simple, boxlike camera, without bellows, sometimes allowing for adjustment of lens opening but usually not of shutter speed.

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box camera British  

noun

1. a simple box-shaped camera having an elementary lens, shutter, and viewfinder

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Etymology

Origin of box camera

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

box camera

He likely used optical devices, including a camera obscura, a precursor to the box camera.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Christina Broom only began to experiment with photography in her forties, using a box camera.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024

The novel sight of an old box camera elicits excitement and curiosity – even among those who police the new rules.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

Mr. Sokolsky was an untrained photographer who grew up in a tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, snapping pictures with his father’s box camera as a child.

From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2022

With his savings he acquired a printing press, a box camera, and a damp, low-ceilinged office in the rear of a fish-precessing warehouse.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson