“That belongs in a museum!” Photographer tries out Indiana Jones’ real-world compact film camera
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Credit: Bethesda / Lucasfilm / MachineGames
A YouTuber has bought the film camera that featured prominently in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to see if it can really stand up to the rigors of archeological adventuring.
If you're wondering where in the famed Lucasfilm saga this particular chapter fits, it's actually a very well-received videogame developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks – it was released in 2024 and is set between the legendary movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade .
Throughout the game, players guide Indy through a series of adventurous locations, including temples with lots of puzzles. And in the game, the camera is used for a variety of purposes – but is mainly used to help when solving puzzles.
But as WatchingtheAerial points out in the video (embedded above) the in-game camera brand, Relic, doesn't actually exist. However, the camera is all but identical to the real-life Argus Model A , which was produced from 1936 to 1941.
Incidentally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936, The Great Circle takes place in 1937 and The Last Crusade in 1938, so the camera is cutting-edge tech when in-game Indy gets it.
The Argus Model A is a 35mm film camera made from Bakelite and aluminum. According to the Film Photography Project , some have called it "the second most important 35mm camera ever made".
It features a 50mm IRC f/4.5 Anastigmat collapsible lens and was originally priced at just $12.50. You'll have to watch the video to see this incredible photography relic in action, where WatchingtheAerial goes into great detail about its handling, durability and design.
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This isn't the only time cameras and video games mix. Can you believe all these photographs were taken in video games? If you're more into old cameras, take a look at the Nikon FM2 . And if you like old cameras, but don't want old handling, take a look at the best modern retro cameras .
