In 1998 Samsung weren’t exactly the obvious name for a camera. Whereas these days Samsung and Japanese competitors Panasonic & Sony are often top dogs at photoshows, back in ’98 they were better known for non camera stuff. Samsung’s modest range of compact point and shoots including this one were hardly stars of 1998 Photokina show in an era still dominated by Japanese marquees.
This is my second dalliance with this East German camera. This series of basic viewfinders have a sound a like name to Bond’s original firearm before Fleming gave him the Walther PKK and like its namesakes compact and stylish. But is this camera worth taking on her majesty’s secret service or has been a Quantum of Solace ?
Beirette K100 35mm simple compact from 70’s East Germany
This gorgeously styled 120 shooter hails from around 1960 with pretty impressive retro styling this camera looks like a classsic TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) camera
Halina Viceroy Pseudo TLR for 120 film. Ironically shot via instagram
And finally we get to a true British camera the Conway Popular. Made from around 1931 it was produced until the 1950’s but despite some innovations this box camera was actually less flexible than the Kodak Brownie No 2. It is however the oldest camera for a quid or less I own
Conway Popular Model . British made 1930’s box camera for 120 film
The last Century saw the rise of the average man as a photographer. We now think that we’re in era with mobile phone cameras of being ever-ready shooters but we forget that by 2000 most of us would carry some form of film camera to almost every leisure event we did. Point and shoot cameras (P&S) have little in the ways of user controls and just either fixed, basic scale/zone focus or later AF.
