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Contents:

- Introduction: disposable camera (r)evolution
- What is the Pocket Dispo lens?
- Out the box
- The set-up
- Taking a trip with the lens
- Using the lens
- Sample images
- What I love about the lens
- What could be improved/ what else would you do in the future?
- Final thoughts and next steps

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Introduction: the disposable camera (r)evolution

While the analogue 35mm film look is a well-established aesthetic in today’s image-making circles, another (somewhat linked) emerging trend is the resurgence of photos mimicking the cheaper and disposable camera aesthetic–photos resembling the look and feel of more affordable, mass-produced cameras.

What I mean by this is the look and feel of photos from the first digital cameras readily available to consumers in the late 1990s and early 2000s (I wrote about this in my trend predictions article from earlier this year) and, even more notably, the look and feel of images made from disposable cameras (also known as single-use cameras)—which were synonymous with photography in the 1980s and 1990s. That is what I’m going to talk about in this guide.

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Disposable cameras, in particular, have become hugely popular again for their retro feel, classic, nostalgic look, and imperfect photos. There was once a time not too long ago when many photographers believed that disposable cameras would be consigned to photography history for good–so it’s remarkable to see these cameras stocked on shelves again.

While disposable cameras are readily available now, they’re not always the most economical option to get that sought-after retro look (£20/$25 for a single-use camera with one roll of film?), especially if you regularly take hundreds of photos like me.

"...when I discovered I could turn my digital camera into a disposable camera with a single, mountable lens that costs $49 (or £39), I jumped at the opportunity to use one."

What about something else that could do the job?

Some exciting new products are coming on the market to cater to this demographic of photographers (who want to reflect the aesthetic of cheap and throwaway cameras in their images) but create them with the ease and functionality of their modern photography equipment. This is where the Pocket Dispo lens, the piece of kit I’m discussing in this feature, comes in.

I’m certainly one of those photographers interested in the mass-produced and disposable camera look (hey, I grew up with them, so it’s nostalgia for me). So when I discovered I could turn my digital camera into a disposable camera with a single, mountable lens that costs $49 (or £39), I jumped at the opportunity to use one!

I turned my Fuji mirrorless camera - my trusty X-T30 - into a disposable camera with a single piece of kit - the handy little Pocket Dispo lens.

The results? I was blown away, but read on to find out with my complete guide below. You’ll also see some spectacular sample images, my thoughts and impressions on the lens experience, and the steps you can take to transform your camera and achieve that disposable camera aesthetic.

So, what is the Pocket Dispo disposable camera lens?

A Pocket Dispo lens is a recycled disposable camera lens ingeniously incorporated into a 3D-printed mount to fit on to mirrorless cameras.

In a nutshell, this means you can mount an actual disposable camera lens to your mirrorless camera body and take pictures with it like you’re using a disposable camera.

It’s a brilliant option for photographers looking to recreate that look of classic lo-fi film photography and those seeking a 35mm disposable camera aesthetic–but using your digital camera rather than an actual single-use camera.

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From Pocket Dispo’s website and store, “Each Pocket Dispo is equipped with an authentic disposable camera lens designed to recreate the classic aesthetic of film and disposable camera photography.”

So you’re directly getting the entire disposable camera aesthetic on your mirrorless camera. Depending on your camera brand (Fuji, Sony, Panasonic etc), there are a range of different mounts.

The lens doesn’t come with a cap, so like traditional disposable cameras, it is constantly exposed to the elements. However, as described by Pocket Dispo; “Our patent-pending design features a recessed lens for fewer scratches and a compact form. The optimised aperture provides infinity focus, enhancing halation, chromatic aberration, vignetting, and the classic softness of film photography,” so you don’t need to worry about it getting damaged.

Below, you’ll see my review of the lens, including the setup and how I used it. Along with some beautiful sample images, which I hope you enjoy!

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Out the box

The lens came nicely packaged and included a good quality lens wipe and instructions on setting your lens up on your camera (more on that below).

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The set-up

It was very simple, and it didn’t take long to start taking pictures. However, I needed to do one or two things beforehand though, as mentioned above.

When I first mounted the lens to my camera (Fujifilm X-T30), I had to turn on the setting to allow the camera to take pictures “without a lens.” My camera doesn't recognise the Pocket Dispo as a lens, but that was expected–it is a 3D-modelled lens, after all, without any internal workings. That's also why there is an instruction card in the lens package.

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I also manually set the focal length of 28mm on my Fuji camera to match that of the lens, given that the lens isn’t automatically recognised when mounting to the camera body.

If you’re new to photography or the workings of digital cameras, it may take some time to understand how to perform these actions, but that’s where your camera manual comes in handy, read it!

You also have the instructions from Pocket Dispo, too. Once all set up, the lens works (and looks) fantastic with the camera body.
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Taking a trip with the lens

I wanted to plan something special for the first time I used the Pocket Dispo lens, so I took it to the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland and used it as my primary lens for the trip.

With its rugged landscapes and the sense of adventure on this type of trip, it thought it would be the perfect place to give the lens a whirl.

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The kit is small and very lightweight, so it was easy to pack and take with me wherever I went—literally, in my pocket. During the trip, whenever I wanted to use this lens rather than my primary lens, I could quickly substitute it, but I kept the disposable lens mountied on my camera most of the time.

The lens was straightforward to wipe down in all weather conditions (there is much variety in the far north of Scotland!), and due to its design, I wasn’t too worried about dust particles getting in or anything obstructing the view. The lens feels very robust, so I wasn’t too concerned about damage either.

Yes, the lens is from a disposable camera, and like any lens, it might not withstand the hardest knocks and blows, so you still need to be careful. But it is surprisingly robust.

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Using the lens

It really was a joy to use, and I’m so pleased I chose to use it as my primary (main) lens for the trip.

The kit is small and very lightweight, so it was easy to pack and take with me wherever I went—literally, in my pocket.

The lens is super compact and I didn’t have to worry about any focusing or lens issues–it was so nice just to be able to ‘point and shoot’. Which is something I’ve missed over the years, in all honesty. What I found surprising was how much more light was getting in compared to my other lenses, meaning that I could take images at much faster shutter speeds than I was used to with my regular lens.

There were also zero problems when using the lens, or having it fall off, it was all fine. Which also meant that I could snap away very intently… to the point where I took well over 1000 pictures on my trip (too much, but it happens)!

After spending time in Lightroom reducing my image collection from the trip to a manageable size, below are my favourite photos from the trip using the Pocket Dispo disposable camera lens.

I tried to capture as much as possible within my preferred genre (outdoor photography), but there are a few others in there, too.

Hopefully these images demonstrate to you the Pocket Dispo's fantastic ability to create beautiful, lo-fi style pictures.

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The look:

You can immediately see the dreamlike effect in the photos that the lens creates; this includes the typical distortion around the edges of images taken on disposable cameras, which has been beautifully replicated with the lens (just look at the corners of the photos).

When taking a close look, too, there is a good amount of detail still in the photos, and the ghosting effect (the flare causing the dreamlike blurriness effect) is doesn't totally distort the detail in the image.

What also looks great is the lens flare when the lens is angled towards the sun, you can also see this in some of the photos below, too.

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The colours:

The saturation and tones in the shots look beautiful, too and entirely true to the look of disposable camera images.

When looking at the images in post-production (in my case, as mentioned, Lightroom), I could easily tweak the photos to bring out the best of the details–meaning I didn’t lose any image information in highlights and shadows when using this lens. Disclaimer: I did shoot in RAW and didn’t try out the lens with only JPEG settings, but I doubt it would make huge difference.

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What I love about the lens:

A lot!

As discussed above, the biggest selling point for me is that it truly does resemble the look of disposable camera images, and that's primarily because the lens is a disposable camera lens, and it's an ingenious design to be able to incorporate it into a digital camera setup.

I also love its compactness, light weight and it's durability. And also once you've got it set up with your digital camera, it's remarkably easy to use.

Even after taking it on my trip to ‘test it out,’ I’ve found that I’m using it now as one of my primary go-to lenses. Here are some more from neighbourhood wanderings around my home city (Glasgow, Scotland).

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Using Pocket Dispo’s Preset package

A bonus to the lens itself, you can also purchase the Pocket Dispo preset pack to enhance the appearance of your images. The Pocket Dispo presets beautifully recreate the looks of Fujifilm, Ilford, and Kodak film and work both on desktop and mobile.

You can buy the Pocket Dispo presets alongside the lens as a bundle or separately if you want to try them out later.

Here are some images with the presets and the before-and-afters. Naturally, I mainly used the Fujifilm preset to complement to process mst of my images, to compliment the look of my pictures taken on the Fujifilm camera, but I did try out the other presets, too. I love them (many of the above sample images have also been processed using the presets, too)!

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The Fuji preset:

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The Kodak preset:

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The Ilford preset:

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I’d also recommend that when using the Pocket Dispo presets, you make minor adjustments to the photo like you would otherwise (such as exposure and contrast enhancements) to bring out the best elements in your shots.
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What could be improved with the Pocket Dispo lens?

A carry case for the lens would have been ideal, but this is no biggie. I could easily carry it around without worrying about it too much.

I have very little to fault with this lens. Yes, it won’t give you razor-sharp image results, but that’s not the point. The fact that it is supposed to replicate a disposable camera and, therefore, create images with a soft, dreamlike look is entirely the point!

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Where to buy the Pocket Dispo lens?

As mentioned in plenty of places in this guide - on their website! It’s quick and easy to purchase, and they ship worldwide from their HQ in California. Getting the lens to the UK didn’t take too long, about a week. I was also informed about its tracking throughout.

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Final thoughts:

As you can tell from the review, I love using the Pocket Dispo disposable camera lens!

I’ve been looking for something for a while now that truly mimics the look of film from the 90s and 00s in my photos. While I use a lot of 35mm presets with my digital images already (we have some fabulous ones available for free on our Presets page; download them here), nothing beats getting that look ‘in-camera’ right away.

And as much as I love the look of the disposable aesthetic, I’m more than happy using my mirrorless camera and the Pocket Dispo lens rather than buying a single-use camera and then getting the films developed and scanned. Using the Pocket Dispo means you get that hugely authentic look while easily using your digital camera and incorporating it into your usual photographic workflow. It’s a win-win for me, and what’s better is that it’s affordable too.

So, if you want to achieve that stunning single-use camera aesthetic for your digital images without breaking the bank and still within your regular photographic workflow, I’d absolutely recommend the Pocket Dispo lens!