Der Fotogerät

What Der Fotogerät is

Der Fotogerät is a photo booth rented out by Izedin Arnautovic, who goes by Edi, a photographer with a studio in Sarnen in the canton of Obwalden. The page offers it for weddings, birthdays and company events in Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne, Zug, Schwyz, Uri and Central Switzerland generally. Its headline figures are a 4.9 Google rating from 101+ reviews, 100+ events and "Seit 2015" (since 2015). The business behind the site is Arnautovic GmbH, and the page is written entirely in German, in a chatty first-person voice.

The pitch is a booth that simply works. Edi built his first photo booth in 2014, and in his words "aus purer Neugier und einem kleinen Funken Wahnsinn" (out of pure curiosity and a small spark of madness), then kept developing, testing, discarding and rebuilding it. The result, he writes, is a booth without frills and without technical frustration, made for people who want to celebrate rather than tinker.

The booth itself

Inside the box is a single-lens reflex camera with what the FAQ calls a great lens, plus a good studio flash. The page contrasts the results with disposable and Polaroid cameras, which it calls much worse and less sustainable. Guests operate it through a tablet, and the page describes it as self-explanatory and able to run without anyone looking after it. The only jobs during the party are setting it up and changing the printer roll if it runs out. It needs one power socket and nothing else.

The design is deliberately plain. The base measures 60 by 60 centimeters, the box roughly 60 wide, 75 high and 45 deep, and Edi recommends keeping at least 1.5 by 1.5 meters free around it. Everything sits inside the box with no parts sticking out, and the flat base is meant to stop anyone tripping over it late in the evening. The page promises it will be the first guest to arrive and the last to leave, and that it stays sober all night.

Every picture is saved digitally, printed or not, and storage is large enough for what the page calls a practically unlimited number of photos. With the printer, guests get a print within seconds. The page suggests the duplicate print can go straight into the wedding guest book with a message. The booth ships with a roll already started plus a spare, and one roll lasts 400 prints, or 1,600 photos with the four-pictures-per-print layout. After the party the couple receives every picture in a password-protected online gallery to share with family and friends.

Three packages

• Basic, 350 francs: self-pickup without printer. Booth rental, an unlimited number of photos, pictures as download, the online gallery, a dressing-up box, phone support and pickup in Sarnen.
• Standard, 500 francs, marked "Popular": the same, plus a printer and a spare printer roll, still collected in Sarnen.
• Deluxe, 750 francs: the printer and spare roll, plus delivery and setup at the venue. Delivery covers 20 km from Sarnen, then costs 2 francs per km.

For the self-pickup packages the page says the booth fits in any car at least the size of a VW Up. Setup is advertised as taking 8 minutes. The hardest part, according to the FAQ, is lifting the box onto its tripod, for which two people are recommended depending on build, though Edi says he manages alone; after that it is a matter of plugging in the power and switching on the tablet.

Booking and delivery

Booking starts with a date request: the couple sends a date and Edi checks whether the booth is free. A few days before the party they speak by phone and agree when the booth will be collected or brought. With the Deluxe package, the page says he comes in person to set it up and collects it again afterward. If something goes wrong during the event, he keeps a list of the most common fixes and is reachable by phone. Contact is info@izedin.ch or 078 744 70 61, and the footer also links to his general terms (AGB).

The photographer behind it

Edi writes that photography has been part of his life for more than 20 years. The Google reviews on the page are mostly about his work as a photographer and teacher rather than the booth: portrait clients, course participants, and one couple who hired him as their wedding photographer. That couple praises natural, unstaged pictures and adds "Er war diskrekt, man hat ihn kaum wahrgenommen" (he was discreet, you barely noticed him). Another client mentions easy parking at the Sarnen studio, which is useful for anyone collecting the booth.

The "about me" section is short and personal. Edi describes himself as 1.90 m tall and uncomplicated, says photography is his great passion, and admits that he also loves basketball, canoeing and time with his son. It reads as a one-person business, which has an upside for a couple: the person answering the enquiry is the person who built the booth and, on the Deluxe package, the person who brings it to the venue.

What the page leaves open

The page is in German only and says nothing about working in English, so a couple who does not read German should write in English and see how the reply comes back. The terms on cancellation, deposit and payment are not on this page; they may be in the AGB, which we have not read. The page does not say whether the delivery fee beyond 20 km has a ceiling or whether Edi travels outside the cantons he names, and it does not address outdoor use. Its sample photos show the print style but not the frame designs available for a wedding.

Who it suits

Der Fotogerät suits couples marrying in Central Switzerland who want a solid booth with published prices and no surprises: the three packages are clear, the per-kilometer delivery charge is stated, and the equipment is a proper camera with a flash. The compact footprint makes it a good match for a restaurant or a small hall. The cheaper packages rely on someone with a car collecting and setting up the booth, so couples flying in will mostly want Deluxe. The caveats are the German-only site and a service area centered on Sarnen.