As Mariah is being put back into cryo sleep the cave and the staff party hangover still hurts, let’s have a light hearted look back at the last 12 months in photography land and the gear I’ve tried
As ever we’ll start with the news, discuss what I though was good (and bad) this year and then my predictions
A little unexpected pre Christmas surprise arrived this month. Nons are teasing a new camera. But this is no instax SLR. What we may see is the first non-Leica 35mm rangefinder to be released in over a decade. But this Nons 35mm has a format twist.
To many the Hasselblad Xpan is a legendary 35mm that offers a massive 65mmx24mm frame. But these days selling for over a grand you’ll not likely see me picking one. But turns out there is a lo-fi equivalent that actually shots not just wider but taller frames. And if it dies it wont be a 3-4 grand brick sitting on on you shelf. Meet the Lomography Sprocket Rocket.
Out doing a bit of festive shopping yesterday in the retail heaven/hell*(*delete as you feel) that is TK Maxx. When I spotted near the checkout a camera for just £12.99. Let’s meet the Cylo 35mm although Oddly I feel I’ve met it before.
Escura are a name that have kicked around for a while. This HK & Thai based company are best known for their Kickstarters. A retro instax and the Hasselback – the long delayed Instax back. But they make other cameras and faster that you can say Dubblefilm Show clone, I ordered the Escura Snaps 35, a delightfully shabby chic styled erm….. Dubblefilm clone.
If Lo-fi film cameras are no longer just the core of the analogue camera market. There weirdly has started to be a trend for digital cameras of the same ilk. This year saw the launch of the Camp Snap camera, specifically aimed at being given to kids. Intended for that great North American tradition of setting them miles away for the Summer to camps. With almost no features and no screen, it aims to recreate disposable like feel. But with 8MP and 4GB or more of storage.
Ah ! Christmas is almost upon us. With Black Friday arriving tomorrow what to get your film photog family and friends. Well here is my list of 12 cameras that won’t break the budget and will add some lo-fi analogue sparkle to your loved ones festive shooting.
Another month another premium Half-Frame. Reto are back with a updated version of arguably the most talked about film camera of 2022. But does the Ektar H35N live up to the hype of it Predecessor ? Nope – it smashes it . Arguably the best Plastic fantastic both half or full frame in years. So I decided to take it to Helsinki.
I’ve been a fool once more . I was trying out the new kid on the Ali Express/wish block, Temu. I got a discount that let me buy this Kids camera for less than £9. And crap it might be but it’s a whole lot better than the Vlogging camera from Ali Express and the 4K crap from Wish.
Something quite special arrived a week ago. Brand new ultracompact. With actual automatic exposure and up to lens options built in. Oh ! and it’s British. Welcome to the half frame world of the Alfie Tych