In 1963 Togodo launched the first post war Meikai camera. Our subject the Meikai SL was alter revision. Strangely these have acquire a slight cult toy camera status. Not sure why if you ask me.
Continue reading The long Winding Road -Meikai SL ReviewTag Archives: 1960’s
Last of the Line – Ihagee EXA 500 Overview
1966 is known for many things. The first screening of Star Trek, the Cultural revolution in China, Luna 9 making the first successful soft moon landing. Plus a host of other things including a certain football match. But it was also the year that saw the launch of the last but probably the best true Exa camera.
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To Boldly go where No Fixed Focus Has Gone Before – Ricoh Auto 35
The 1960’s was the decade that Japan transitioned into the worlds major Camera maker usurping the century old strangleholds of European makes. It was a also a period of rapidly changing camera design with increasingly compact & futuristic designs. But is Ricoh Auto 35 Enterprise class or space junk ?
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A Very British Affair – Kodak Colorsnap 35 Review
Kodak’s British arm was more than a mere sales outlet for George Eastman’s company. The company made its own cameras, not just British versions of the parent company. The Colorsnap cameras are to my knowledge, the only 35mm cameras the UK branch solely made. But are they worth your time ?
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The Ricoh that’s a Nikon made by Mamiya – Welcome to the Ricoh Singlex
Ricoh developed a bit of a reputation for good SLR bodies and lenses using the M42 & Pentax K Mount. The company still makes K mount dSLR under the Pentax brand. But weirdly their first SLR the Singlex wasn’t developed by them. In fact it is basically a rebranded Nikon. But a Nikon that wasn’t even made by Nikon.
Curious ? Read on.
Continue reading The Ricoh that’s a Nikon made by Mamiya – Welcome to the Ricoh Singlex
A Very British Mistake – The Kodak Brownie Cresta 3 Review
Weirdly this camera sums up a lot of the UK’s current political & economic situation. A rehashed plastic version of a 1950’s British number pushed out by a global corporation that misses the zeitgeist and lags behind it’s European counterparts. But hey it’s British made and we might be able to sell it to the Yanks.,,,
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A Petite Love Affair – Konica EYE Review
Although Olympus dominated the Half Frame market, they didn’t have a free run. Many a Japanese rival producing their take on the format. But only one is arguably one of the most beautiful cameras ever made. And that camera was the only half frame compact of that era to be copied by the soviets
But what made the Soviets copy her ? And why has it partially usurped my PEN EE-2 from being my favourite half frame ?
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Dirty Diana Goes To the Fair
Recently I got my grubby hands on the American Windsor and took her to the our local music Festival. Before you get worried that I’ve a Summer run in the Tower coming up, I am of course talking about a Diana Clone called the Windsor Camera.
I loaded it up with the new Kosmo Foto Mono 120. But all did not go to plan thanks to the camera,
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Voigtländer Vitoret – 99p for Fungus
When I decided to relaunch the Poundland Camera Challenge, I was pleasantly surprised when 2 Voigtländer turned including this quite stylish but basic viewfinder. But sadly this wasn’t going to be a camera that even got to the test bed. The lens was Fungus central
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Retro Medium Format Lo-Fi- The Samtoy – an original Diana Clone
Lomography’s launch of the Diana F+ in 2007 wasn’t a step forward in lo-fi photography. It represented a hommage to the medium format camera that would lead to the development of that movement – the original Diana camera and its numerous clones. So how does one of these stack up to the 21st century. Continue reading Retro Medium Format Lo-Fi- The Samtoy – an original Diana Clone