I’ve been a big fan of shooting small gauge film for years. I love the extra grain you get with a smaller negative, and shooting 110 film is a great way to emulate the 16mm motion picture film look for stills. I’ve shot with cheap 110 cameras and high-end 110 cameras, but this binocular camera was something new for me: a 110 camera with a long lens specifically for capturing nature and sports photos.
The Tasco 8000 110 Binocular Camera is a fairly unique camera concept. Only a couple cameras like this were ever made, and they tend to be pricey. I found a deal on one a couple years ago and snatched it up. The camera pairs its lens with the binoculars, so whatever you’re looking at through them is what your lens will see and capture as well. They’re not perfect, and I found the photos I captured were generally much larger than what I saw through the binoculars. Also, the shutter speed isn’t that fast and the focus is not paired to the binoculars–you have to set it manually–so I found that many of the photos I captured came out blurry. The camera does have a tripod foot but I found it too cumbersome to use with a tripod when on the go. Here are some of my favorite images I’ve created with this camera:
All negatives aside, I was able to capture a few pretty stunning 110 film images with this camera, and the binoculars are good enough to watch wildlife with even after I run out of film. Despite its shortcomings, the Tasco 8000 remains a treasured camera in my collection.