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
So when I finally got a working one I headed out with a roll of trusty Kodak BW400CN.
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.
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 35mm film Camera. The alleged inspiration for the LC-A
I’ve a bit of a thing for German Cameras of the late 50’s and 60’s. I still miss my Boots badged Franka 125 and the German made Ilford sportsman was one of the Joys from the Poundland Challenge. I’ve always fancied a legendary Braun Paxette series camera and a viewfinder version came my way a few weeks ago
Braun Paxette 50’s 35mm viewfinder (precise model unknown)
If you’ve been following my blog you’ll be aware I’ve a somewhat love-hate relationship with the Olympus XA2. At times I’ve been amazed and other times underwhelmed. Well it turns out one of the two XA2 I had over the last 2 years whilst superficially working produced naff results (the other in hindsight was pretty good)
Olympus XA2 ’80s classic supercompact
And this got me thinking about me and other reviewers of film cameras. What happens if we get a wrong ‘un ?
I don’t really like reviewing cameras that haven’t worked but I recently acquired a Yashica Samurai X4 which had a a sticky shutter. The actual other mechanics of the camera worked (bar flash) so these are my musing on this unique camera half frame SLR despite not actually successfully taking a shot on it
Yashica Samurai X4.0 half frame AF SLR from late 1980’s