Tag Archives: 1990’s

Budget Zoom-Off – Vivitar Mega 200 Versus Ricoh RZ-728

As the Poundland Challenge 2019 has proved again you can actually buy a lot for a quid. So why don’t we take 2 AF compacts for a walk that cost around a quid and see what you get for your buck.

Continue reading Budget Zoom-Off – Vivitar Mega 200 Versus Ricoh RZ-728

A SLR for 99p ? – Pentax MZ-5/ZX-5 Technical Review

One of my targets in my Poundland Challenge of getting cameras for a quid or less was to get a SLR body. I knew this was still likely and I’d come close with a Mamiya camera with a non interchangeable lens (some sneaked in at last minute with a £1.20 bid. I’d also passed on a Nikon F55 (already own) and a Praktica BM series body that went for 99p. Still I was bit surprised when the MZ-5 (ZX-5 in US), a 1996 Pentax prosumer AF SLR arrived for just 99p.

Continue reading A SLR for 99p ? – Pentax MZ-5/ZX-5 Technical Review

1 roll good one roll bad -Tentative Ricoh Myport 330 Super Review

This was a chance finding on eBay earlier this year and on paper what’s not to like. Also known as the RZ-3000, the Shotmaster 130Z, or the Q-130Z, this is a Ricoh compact but in zoom format.   it’s as cheap as chips and feature laden including Passive AF.  But did it live up to the promise of being a bargain for those of us who can’t afford a GR1 ?  Sadly on the 2 rolls I shot, it’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde number.  And that’s not just down to the optics.

Continue reading 1 roll good one roll bad -Tentative Ricoh Myport 330 Super Review

Le Clic est Freak ! – The Le Clic 170/C170 Review

At first glance things don’t look promising.  We’ve a basic all plastic camera with its basic design and no features. It also come with that badge of dubious quality ‘Japan Lens’.  So if you’re a fan of plastic cameras is it worth your time to click this le Clic ? Continue reading Le Clic est Freak ! – The Le Clic 170/C170 Review

Mini Brexit ? – Konica EU-mini Review

I’ll honestly avoid being too political about Brexit here.  But as I type this the UK is still in the process of negotiating its departure from the European Union .  Whether this leads to a prosperous future,  disaster or somewhere in between remains to be seen. But is this oddly apt camera from Konica, a  Negotiation Disaster or Brexit busting Deal. Continue reading Mini Brexit ? – Konica EU-mini Review

Perestroika shooting – LOMO Smena 35 Review

Remember the Smena 8M ? A Soviet Camera that combined a killer lens, 50’s shutter and cheap plastic body ? Well the folks at LOMO didn’t stop with the Smena 8M, refining it further finally producing a last gasp bad boy – the Smena 35 (Смена-35). But whilst there is a lot of improvements there are issues to be aware of.

Continue reading Perestroika shooting – LOMO Smena 35 Review

It’s a ‘Roid Jim but not as we know it – Polaroid 170BV Review

Polaroid produced some of the most Iconic cameras of the latter half of the 20th century and were the pioneers of instant film decades before the term instax was dreamed up. However this isn’t one of those and actually is just a ‘roid in name only. Does it stack up as just another cheap basic camera or is there more to meet the eye ?

Continue reading It’s a ‘Roid Jim but not as we know it – Polaroid 170BV Review

Leica Likely ? Minolta Riva/Freedom Zoom 90c review

Most film photographers dream of owning a Leica, if even just for the Kudos. Social services got a bit upset when I tried to swap one of the weans for a mint M6 (with lens I hasten to add). But there are a few routes to owning a Leica for less financial pain. One is where this Minolta kinda comes in if you get a working ‘un Continue reading Leica Likely ? Minolta Riva/Freedom Zoom 90c review

Step Class – The compact AF camera’s hidden secret (or How the mju won the compact war)

Think your mighty compact focuses seamless ?

Well think again ! Even high end models focus in a series of zones called focusing steps, Not that most manufacturers let you know. But in 1991, Olympus were only too keen to tell us with the μ[mju:] (aka mju-1 or Stylus) a camera that changed the face of the AF compact market. Continue reading Step Class – The compact AF camera’s hidden secret (or How the mju won the compact war)