35mm Point & Shoot camera stuff
Remember the Smena 8M ? A Soviet Camera that combined a killer lens, 50’s shutter and cheap plastic body ? Well the folks at LOMO didn’t stop with the Smena 8M, refining it further finally producing a last gasp bad boy – the Smena 35 (Смена-35). But whilst there is a lot of improvements there are issues to be aware of.
Continue reading Perestroika shooting – LOMO Smena 35 Review
Polaroid produced some of the most Iconic cameras of the latter half of the 20th century and were the pioneers of instant film decades before the term instax was dreamed up. However this isn’t one of those and actually is just a ‘roid in name only. Does it stack up as just another cheap basic camera or is there more to meet the eye ?
Continue reading It’s a ‘Roid Jim but not as we know it – Polaroid 170BV Review
The Olympus Trip 35 is one of the most revered compacts ever made. Sadly Olympus had a bad habit of producing some decidedly basic & sometime awful cameras trading on its name. However not all are that bad But has this plastic trip the potential to be Olympus’s Lomo ? Continue reading The Olympus Lomo ? – The Olympus Trip 500 Review
One of my favourite Toy/Trashcams is the Barclaycard Visa camera, so when another banking promo camera turned up on eBay for 99p I couldn’t resist. But was I overdrawn to this plastic-flashtic camera or did i get a good return ? Continue reading Safe Return ? – Lloyds Headway Camera Review
Another year another Halina ! The smart S is one of Haking most recent recent 35mm cameras and their site still lists the its sibling the Vision smart as an active product. But is this modern spin on cheap and cheerful any good ?
Continue reading Smarty Pants ? – The Halina Vision Smart S Review
Most film photographers dream of owning a Leica, if even just for the Kudos. Social services got a bit upset when I tried to swap one of the weans for a mint M6 (with lens I hasten to add). But there are a few routes to owning a Leica for less financial pain. One is where this Minolta kinda comes in if you get a working ‘un Continue reading Leica Likely ? Minolta Riva/Freedom Zoom 90c review
Not exactly the pinnacle of Ricoh’s output, this little cheap ‘n’ cheerful fixed focus compact actually was surprisingly good despite my review one being half knackered. But it actually still managed a better run than the Olympus AM-100. Continue reading Fixed focus runner – Ricoh YF-20 Review
I’m a bit of a sucker of Olympus’s overlooked fixed focus shooters from the legendary PEN EE to the Supertrip. But how does this 1987 budget number measure up and does it match its predecessors despite newer bells and whistles ? Continue reading Blacksheep Radio – Olympus AM-100 Review
2017 has become one hell of a good year for film. With various artisan launches and the imminent return of Ektachrome., much of the buzz has focused on not just one but 2 films hailing from Ferrania’s plant. What better way to test them out than shooting on a Vintage Ferrania Camera !! Continue reading Ferrania on Ferrania – Ciao Italia !
Think your mighty compact focuses seamless ?
Well think again ! Even high end models focus in a series of zones called focusing steps, Not that most manufacturers let you know. But in 1991, Olympus were only too keen to tell us with the μ[mju:] (aka mju-1 or Stylus) a camera that changed the face of the AF compact market. Continue reading Step Class – The compact AF camera’s hidden secret (or How the mju won the compact war)
