Panorama Wide Pic Camera : Poundland Camera Challenge No 18

This lump of plastic arrived in 2 of the Poundland job lots. It’s providence is unknown  but eBay seems awash with them. However there is a reason – they’re Rubbish.

Panorama Wide Pic 35mm Plastic Camera
Panorama Wide Pic 35mm Plastic Camera. Fixed focus shutter and aperture.

Continue reading Panorama Wide Pic Camera : Poundland Camera Challenge No 18

FED Mikron Camera 1 roll Review

Since I got my Olympus PEN EE-2, I’ve been seeking out a more focusable Half frame camera. As well as the obvious EES-2, one camera caught my attention from the Old USSR, the ФЭД Микро or in English  the FED Mikron/micron sometime dubbed the Soviet PEN.

FED Mikron (ФЭД Микро) half frame 35mm soviet camera
FED Mikron (ФЭД Микро) half frame 35mm soviet camera

So when I finally got a working one I headed out with a roll of trusty Kodak BW400CN.

Continue reading FED Mikron Camera 1 roll Review

New hand at Ilford – What does this mean for the future of C-41 B&W ?

In the last few weeks, Harman Technologies (aka Ilford and Kentmere) has been taken over by a venture capital group.

Unattended Kids
Carlisle, UK, April 2014. Olympus XA1 with Ilford XP2

But what does this hold for the C-41 B&W market especially as Ilford are the last makers ? Continue reading New hand at Ilford – What does this mean for the future of C-41 B&W ?

Kodak Star 735 : The Brazilian Job

This fixed focus shooter came to me as BNIB in eBay parlance. The camera was still sealed in its retail pack with film and batteries and was in pristine conditions.

Kodak Star 735
Kodak Star 735 fixed focus 35mm 1990’s compact

Kodak had a knack of making a good basic cameras but how did this 90’s time traveller fare ? Continue reading Kodak Star 735 : The Brazilian Job

Cosina CX-2 Review – The Grandfather of Lomo ?

Lomography’s Mythology¹ describes this quirky zone focus shooter as the progenitor of the camera that started Lomography, the LC-A. But how does this camera that the Russians so slavishly copied, stand up on its own ?

Cosina CX-2 film Camera
Cosina CX-2 35mm film Camera. The alleged inspiration for the LC-A

Continue reading Cosina CX-2 Review – The Grandfather of Lomo ?