In the last year or 2, I’ve shot a lot of 110 cameras. They have tended though to fall into 3 camps – modern toy shooters with plastic lenses for the lomo crowd, simple 70’s cameras with that classic minox 110 shape or the bonkers high end SLR & rangefinders. The 430E & 430Ex sit in that middle group but with some high end features that raise them above the average. Continue reading One Hand in My Pocket – Minolta Pocket Autopak 430Ex review
The lady goes East – The curious tale of Lomography Lady Grey
It was during my rush to get my hands on some F2/400 that I bought some rolls of lady Grey and on a recent dive into Boots I picked some more up on a buy one get one half price deal. I’d heard the stuff was marked as and made in USA and was basically Kodak Tmax. But then I stumbled across this Flickr discussion post which rightly pointed out they ain’t made in the states no more but is marked as made in the Czech Republic. Continue reading The lady goes East – The curious tale of Lomography Lady Grey
Three Takes on the Halina Panorama – (1) Hamish’s Tale
The Halina Panorama (aka Ansco Pix Panorama) has a bit of weird cult status for such a plastic simple plastic camera and is something you can pick up for a fraction of the cost of some classic plastics like the VUWS. When a few turned in a job lot I decided to have a bit of fun and send them out to some willing victims for their views. First up we have Hamish Gill of 35mmc fame, an unashamed lover of compact cameras but is usually more at home discussing the merits of the likes Yashica and Contax T series.
How would he cope going Lo-fi ? Continue reading Three Takes on the Halina Panorama – (1) Hamish’s Tale
Behind the Mask – Reader’s Digest PN919/Vivitar PN2011 Review
Although Vivitar in terms of plastic cameras are best known for the legendary VUWS, they produced several at the turn of the century, some of which have also got a cult following like the PN2011 (commonly seen in Reader’s Digest PN919 guise). But does this live up to its more famous sibling ?
Continue reading Behind the Mask – Reader’s Digest PN919/Vivitar PN2011 Review
Some Thoughts About 38mm/2.8 Camera – Guest Post by Al Mullen
This is just a broad overview of what seems like it was the most popular non-slr 35mm camera from 1970-1985. I have 5 that are similar with mostly mechanical differences. Continue reading Some Thoughts About 38mm/2.8 Camera – Guest Post by Al Mullen
Holy Lomo Moly – The curious case of light spots on Lomography 110 film
Lomography have proved the savours of the 110 format and deserve serious Kudos for being the main supplier of 110 film packs. But there might be a wee issue with the backing paper… Continue reading Holy Lomo Moly – The curious case of light spots on Lomography 110 film
We’re not in Kansas – Olympus OZ-10 Review
Given my recent trouble with mju’s you might have thought I’d stay clear of Olympus compacts for a bit but then this budget number landed in a job lot and you know it’s not that bad. Continue reading We’re not in Kansas – Olympus OZ-10 Review
The Italian Job – A Tale of 2 ‘New’ Films
Goodness what a year for film 2017 is turning out. A resurgent Kodak kicked things off right at the start with the announcement that Ektachrome will be back by the end of the year. But in March it has been gone a bit Italian with 2 launches of 2 very different films made just 50km from Genoa. Continue reading The Italian Job – A Tale of 2 ‘New’ Films
Konica Pop Review – Guest Review by Al Mullen
The Konica Pop was a 35mm camera made from 1982 to 1984 in this form, with changes coming in 1985 and 1988 to optics and flash. It was well selling, it’s compactness and color variations helped it stand out in that era when most manufacturers had smaller automatic 35mm’s in their lineup. Continue reading Konica Pop Review – Guest Review by Al Mullen
Rehash Trash or Class ? – Hanimex 35SE Review
This simple fixed focus flash number was actually made by Haking and is based on the Halina Flash 350. But is this rebrand a contender in the toy cam class or just reheated left overs ? I took one for a stroll at dawn one morning to find out. Continue reading Rehash Trash or Class ? – Hanimex 35SE Review