For Point and Shoot Camera stuff. For Any camera that either has fixed or guess (scale or Zone Focus) focus
This year I managed to pick up a Goko UF a pretty rare fixed focus plastic flash shooter with a patented Universal Focus system which promises the ability to remain in focus both near and far.
But how does that work in practice and with a camera with a fixed aperture ? Continue reading Goko UF Review : Universal Focus Plastic Flashtic
Haking by the 80’s had produced a series of increasing complex 35mm compacts. The MW series of camera added motorwind capability and the MW35E is one of the best examples of these pre-autofocus Point & Shooters. And despite some serious limitations, it can be a capable beast (during a recent holiday in Skegness it outshot a Olympus XA2 !) Continue reading Halina MW 35E Review : 80’s motorised flashy fun
This 120 roll film camera is a bit of an oddity for Haking a company with a TLR (Halina A1) and a smattering of pseudo TLRs (e.g. the Halina Viceroy. But it perhaps serves as model for how Haking cameras were to become in the 35mm age and the styling is more like a 35mm than 120 film camera of the era.
And for a basic 120 film P&S, it is pretty good. Continue reading Halina 6-4 Review: Point and shoot 120 class with Pilkington Glass
The Halina 1000 is wee bit of an oddity. Launched in the 70’s it was the little sis of the Halina 2000 & Halina 3000. Unlike those scale focus, multiple settings cameras, the Halina 1000 was pretty much all plastic fixed focus fun with minimal settings. Pretty basic by the standards of the day but now presents sharper alternative to the Diana Mini in the Toy Camera class. Continue reading Halina 1000 Review – 70’s plastic fun to take on the Diana Mini
This little oddity (here wearing it’s Revue 35FC guise) has become labelled as the Hong Kong Lomo due to its LC-A like styling. Infact both cameras are arguable different takes on the Cosina CX-2 and are very different. The Micro 35 is probably Haking’s best styled compact and certainly is a lot more interesting to look at than some of the brick like beasts of its era. Continue reading Halina Micro 35 Review : Hong Kong not so Phooey
This gorgeously bonkers 35mm compact hails from 1980’s Soviet union but looks like a mix of 60’s & 70’s with its bling gold styling and Olympus Trip-esque selenium meter array. A relative rarity in the west it does make for quite an interesting & useful choice for a point and shooter. Continue reading FED 50 Review: The shape of things that might have been
This quite gorgeous lump of Aluminium hails from 50’s Italy. It’s a pretty basic 120 film camera from the era but has a couple of trump cards to play. It’s first trick is that it’s a half frame (3×4.5cm) camera allowing you to take a whooping 24 shots on a roll of 120 film. Continue reading Bencini Koroll 24s Review : The canny man’s vintage 120 film camera
Okay I suspect the dog and his dinner has blogged about this camera but it feels like a right of passage for a camera blog and what the heck I love it.
This little design classic arrived in the Mid 60’s and set the standard for Point & Shoot (P&S) camera right into the 80s. The classic styling is married to an excellent sharp Zuiko lens and a simple but effective metering system. That meter is driven by the selenium array (the glass bubbly bit) around the lens. This means no batteries ever required.