This was a chance finding on eBay earlier this year and on paper what’s not to like. Also known as the RZ-3000, the Shotmaster 130Z, or the Q-130Z, this is a Ricoh compact but in zoom format. it’s as cheap as chips and feature laden including Passive AF. But did it live up to the promise of being a bargain for those of us who can’t afford a GR1 ? Sadly on the 2 rolls I shot, it’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde number. And that’s not just down to the optics.
This is nostalgia for me. This was first proper camera I got given as a child by my dad, abet in its UK Export guise as the Cosmic Symbol. But enough nostalgia for the mo..If you fancy a vintage styled fully manual P&S with FSU character then this could be for you. Continue reading The Cosmic Comrade – A 1 roll Review of the Lomo Smena (Cosmic) Symbol→
At first glance things don’t look promising. We’ve a basic all plastic camera with its basic design and no features. It also come with that badge of dubious quality ‘Japan Lens’. So if you’re a fan of plastic cameras is it worth your time to click this le Clic ? Continue reading Le Clic est Freak ! – The Le Clic 170/C170 Review→
I’ll honestly avoid being too political about Brexit here. But as I type this the UK is still in the process of negotiating its departure from the European Union . Whether this leads to a prosperous future, disaster or somewhere in between remains to be seen. But is this oddly apt camera from Konica, a Negotiation Disaster or Brexit busting Deal. Continue reading Mini Brexit ? – Konica EU-mini Review→
Sunny day with a wide 21st century AF camera, some subtle street shooting might be on the cards ? Not if you’re using the Olympus Trip AF51. This has the lowest trigger for its autoflash I’ve ever seen.
Shame as there’s some other things that make this quite likeable. Continue reading Flash-drastic – The Olympus Trip AF51 Review→
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.
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 ?
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→
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Shooting Film on the cheap on the Border in Credit Crunch Britain
