This was the first camera to arrive from my Poundland challenge. For less than a quid (99p plus P&P) this was the first of the poundland challenge camera to arrive and my first red halina. But Did I end up red faced or flushed with excitement with this 99p fixed focus number.

The camera came pretty quickly and although had some usage marks was in pretty good condition. The Halina arrived on the UK shores in 1984. It’s a fixed focus compact which is about the same size as an Olympus XA series with its flash screwed on. I suspect this was not unintentional but worth noting the speedy is a bit more angular and deeper as well as heavier. Mines was a mid red & black number but you can also get an all black number. The Sears FF35 appears to be the same camera bar a slightly different ISO/ASA settings

Unlike the XA2, the camera’s meter only serves to warn you of low light. You set the  ASA  by a slider and a second slider  allows you to both open  the lens cover and set up the exposure by choosing between Sunny, Cloudy, Flash and Flash Close up. If you set the camera to cloudy and fire with the back open , it becomes apparent things are at a fixed shutter speed but the film speed setting affects the size of the aperture.

There is a simple viewfinder with no frame marks. On the rear there is a low light LED and Flash ready LED and a rewind button. There is no cable release or timer but there is a tripod mount. Loading is easy simple put film in and slot feeder in to take up roll.  Open shutter and take a shot to ensure film starts to wind on and close the back. The film count is on the base. Not sure I’d use the term of speedy for the camera (the winder is 1 fps or less). The mechanism is similar to the Halina MW 35E in that if you keep the shutter depressed after a shot it doesn’t wind on until you release. The winder is noisy but no worse than many 80’s cameras.

The rewind button is recessed but I still managed to hit it on Roll 1  with some XP2 in it – doh…

The camera works well enough. The 400asa shots are probably sharper (probably as the aperture is narrower). The 200asa shots do confirm that this is probably best for midrange with medium speed film. The sweet spot seems to be a 3-5 meters as you can see on the below shot. The film plane however seems even and vignetting isn’t a big issue. The wide angle is handy

Likeable enough as fixed focus camera which gives you more control of shutter and flash than others This isn’t going to give you crisp shots and exposure does rely on your brain getting it right but that isn’t the point. The fixed focus Olympus XA1 is a bit sharper though and is much more compact, lighter and doesn’t sound like a train. The Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim is more sharp despite the plastic lens but of course has no flash or exposure controls. Then there is the rather excellent Halina MW35E.

We’re holding onto the speedy (mainly as my daughter wants to give it a go). They come up now and again on eBay but you should be able to get for just a few quid

Alternatives

• Olympus XA1 – Sharper, more compact fixed focus
• Halina MW 35E – Want a motorwind Halina that can focus ?
• Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim – Tiny but fantastic fixed focus

Helpful links

• Halina Film Camera Club at Flickr
• Halian Speedy 33 at Camera-wiki.org