Home 23 Vintage Camera Ads That Put Instagram to Shame

23 Vintage Camera Ads That Put Instagram to Shame

Editor’s note: This post was originally published by our partners at PopSugar Tech.

You’ve already seen all the hilarious vintage tech ads the world has to offer, and it’s now time for retro camera ads. From classic brands like Kodak, Leica, and Polaroid, we bring you a mix of visually appealing ads as well as ones that will have you scratching your head because they’re just so weird. Much like a photo, you won’t soon forget them.

In the 1960s, Polaroid launched a campaign called “the 60-second excitement” around its new color pack camera.

And then Nikon came out with a mocking “60-second disappointment” ad bashing the fake “Parloraid” brand. So smooth, Nikon. [Update:As reader Jim Kaplan notes in comments, this image may actually be is actually a Mad Magazine parody and not a real ad that ran on the back cover of the magazine’s June 1967 issue. The photo is credited to Irving Schild, a longtime Mad photographer, and the use of the fake “Parloraid” brand is a hallmark of Mad parodies. We regret the error.]

Let’s remember the good times indeed. 

Dick Van Dyke + Kodak = gold. 

Anyone else think these “sayings” are a little weird? By giving a little girl a camera for her birthday, what you’re really saying is, “Now you can get pictures of that boy next door you always say you don’t like.” Yikes.

Run, little guy, run. 

Because only mothers were in charge of taking family photos. 

And in today’s world, she’d upload that picture to Instagram stat. #Summer

Easy as 1, 2, 3 

“Pose for me, baby” 

Very cool Nikon timeline. 

Michael Landon says what he means — don’t get it twisted.

Another Michael Landon ad, because why not?

A camera and a viewer? No way! 

Get outta here, frustration. 

Biggest camera ever? 

Flower power for the win. 

 How many times have we heard that one before?

Way to hit at our hearts, Leica. 

The “think” camera — aka the camera for people who don’t like to shoot on auto.

So retro, so cool. 

Let us now grab our significant others and wrap one camera strap around both our necks.

Nice composition there, Kodak. 

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