Plastic Trash cam or sheer Genius ?
Both are descriptions I’ve heard about the Halina Panorama also better known in the US as the Ansco Pix Panorama . But where does the truth lie with this no frills Shooter.
The 35X is perhaps the model that most folk remember when the word Halina is muttered. That Leica look-a-like is perhaps the best known of Haking’s creations but the Super 35X refines the mechanics and gave rise to a more unique style.
The Barclaycard Visa Camera was a freebie camera that has the infamous optical color lens moniker. A true plastic trashcam which is now worryingly brittle. But there is something endearing about this lump of plastic toy camera,
The Vilia is yet another fully manual shooter from the later years of the soviet union from MMZ-BelOMO in Belarus. Unlike its obvious soviet rivals the camera styling is more akin to Japanese compacts of the era. But how does it measure up compared to its rivals like the Smena Symbol ?
Wanna turn your scale focused point and shoot into a rangefinder ? Well an external rangefinder could be for you and good old Lomo produced a decidedly modernist one in the Blik (Блик – meaning ‘Speck of light’).
The XR 500 auto was one of Ricoh’s entry level manual focus SLR in the 1980’s. This lightweight but very limited camera body remains in my collection but why ?
Soviet manufacturer Lomo is best known these days for the LC-A that arguably launched the whole Lomography movement. But they produced a range of other cameras which have some cachet including the Lubitel series of Twin Lens Reflex Cameras. Infact the Lubitel lives on in manufacture these days with the LSI produced 166+. Now this will set you back almost 300 GBP for which isn’t really an option for the Canny photographer. Luckily you can buy its 1980’s predecessor for much less in working order.
These 60’s viewfinder point and shoot cameras drew influences from the German models of the day. But how do they fare as a retro shooter today and compared to their 70’s successors the Halina 2000 & 3000 ?