What is the PhotoBlaster?

The Nickelodeon PhotoBlaster (Long Hall Technologies model N6800) is a compact "kid's" camera which has the useful feature of being able to take 4 images onto a single 35mm frame of film, one shot at a time. The camera uses standard 35mm film, and has a built-in viewfinder and flash, and works by shooting with 2 fixed lenses. The camera was sold for about $40 retail.

How does the PhotoBlaster look? See the Specifications page.

Why should it be worshipped?

In the days of digital photography, the PhotoBlaster should still be worshipped for a number of reasons:

  1. It makes taking "analog" photos very cheap. Do the math: instead of 24 shots on a standard 24-exposure 35mm roll, you can get 24 * 4 = 96 shots for the same cost of developing! You don't have to be afraid of taking lots of photos.
  2. The photos are intimate. I think the photo "vignettes" created by a PhotoBlaster are great for party photos.
  3. The quality is decent. Sure, it's not meant as a professional camera. But for casual occasions or other outings where quality is of secondary importance and capturing the moment is premium, the PhotoBlaster is hard to beat.
  4. It is not intimidating. You don't need to focus or worry a lot. It's about having fun taking photos, and hopefully capturing some great moments in the meanwhile. Heck, it's got green goo on the handle!

Who made the PhotoBlaster?

The Nickelodeon PhotoBlaster was manufactured until 1999 by:
     Long Hall Technologies
     500 Eastern Pkwy.
     Farmingdale, NY 11735
     Phone: 631-293-6900 Fax: 516-293-7130

The camera itself was made in China.

How much did the PhotoBlaster cost?

It used to retail for about $40. I found mine at K-Mart for $24.99.

When was the PhotoBlaster manufactured?

Production began in the 1990s. I called Long Hall on June 14, 2000, and was told that the company stopped manufacturing the camera before the 1999 holidays, i.e., sometime during Fall 1999. The company was not very helpful in providing information on what stores might still have these cameras.

Subsequently the Photoblaster has become somewhat hard-to-find, as a kind of photography "collector's item." But you can still find them, as I did today (6/19/00).