The Fotron was a camera produced by the Traid Corporation of Glendale, California between 1962 and 1971 and mainly sold door to door. It had a highly unorthodox design and boasted several firsts for a consumer camera, including a built-in electronic flash, built-in motor drive, and drop-in film loading (beating Kodak's popular Instamatic to the market).[1] Other unusual features included push-button exposure and focus controls and an integrated rechargeable battery. The camera used standard 828 rollfilm packaged in a proprietary snap-in cartridge which had to be returned to the company for processing. It was aimed mainly at women, marketed as a "goof-proof" alternative to traditional cameras.[2]
Although innovative, the Fotron was also extremely expensive, unwieldy, and reportedly suffered from poor optical quality. Introduced at a list price of $139.95, by 1971 the camera was selling for $520 (equivalent to $3,912 in 2023), plus $3.98 per 10-exposure roll for film and processing (equivalent to $30 in 2023). Despite this, Traid claimed the cameras were sold at a loss and only the film processing operation was able to turn a profit.[1] Due to the high price, vendor lock-in of film and processing, and aggressive direct selling techniques used to market the camera, it is often regarded as something of a scam.[3] Traid faced multiple class-action lawsuits brought by Fotron customers and stopped selling the camera in 1971.[4]
- ^ a b Auerbach, Alexander (April 25, 1971). "Suits Claim Camera Firm Distorts Picture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Desfor, Irving (September 9, 1962). "Camera Built for Ladies". The Eagle. AP Newsfeatures. Retrieved May 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McKeown, James M (1994). Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 9th ed. ISBN 0-931838-21-5.
- ^ Walker's Manual of Western Corporations & Securities. 1974. Retrieved May 8, 2018.