Tag Archives: Japanese

It’s A Canon, Jim, But Not As we Know It – The Canon EOS EF-M Review

Canon’s switch to the EF mount had let them neatly leapfrog their rivals like Nikon at the end of the 80’s. And during the 1990’s they would produce cameras that cornered both the high and lower end of the markets. The EF-M is not one of those. This probably is one of the most pointless SLR ever produced.

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The SLR that time would Rather Forget – The Nikon Pronea S Review

In the late 1990’s Nikon launched 2 new SLR cameras that they thought would be game changers. These were serious kit and offer incredible back and forward lens compatility and can still use Nikon lenses made today and from the 1970’s . But you’ll never find either of these Pronea models on a top 10 Nikon cameras list

That’s because they shoot APS film.

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A Proper dSLR For 15 Quid ? – the Canon EOS 300D revisited in 2020

So ever the eye for a bargain, I wondered how low you could go to get a digital SLR ? Over the years I’ve managed to snag some brilliant cameras both analogue and digital for peanut prices ? But how about a game changing Canon for less than the cost of Takeaway for 2.
But is it any good for 2020 ?

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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.

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It’s not a real Nikon but … – The Nikon FE10 Overview

Launched in 1996 few cameras get the goat of some ‘serious’ Nikon users as this and its sibling the FM10. The major sin is they aren’t made by Nikon.  Even wikipedia  describes both as “not a true member of the Nikon compact F-series SLRs,”.  But does that make them bad cameras ?

Of course things are not helped by that lens…

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Just pointless – The Nikon F-601m (N6000) Review

Nikon are one of the Key players in SLR design and manufacture. And I’d argue all the models they’ve produced using their F mount are useable cameras. But there are better cameras amongst the pack. The F-601M although arguably the most technologically advanced manual focus SLR Nikon ever made is not one of those.

It is perhaps the most pointless Nikon ever made

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The Poor Man’s F3 ? – The Overlooked Nikon F-301 or N2000

I’ve come across a few more basic cameras that pick up a mythic tag comparing them to a more esteemed classic. But the Nikon F-301 (or in my case weirdly the Americanised N2000) is perhaps the most bizarre of the bunch. That’s because some folks do compare it to the legend that is the F3

Whilst it’s no F3, if you’re on a budget this might be good compromise.

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Just Like a mju ? – The Olympus AF-10 Super Review

For the canny photographer, there have always been bargain cameras that are nearly as good as more expensive classic. But one camera recently I’ve noticed has been had that status elevated above that. Enter the Olympus AF-10 Super (aka infinity Jr) , described by some as “Just like a mju

But does this more humble camera measure up to arguably the prototype for the elite compacts that would follow ?

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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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You Get What You Pay for – Minolta F25 review

After a run of not so cheap cameras, I thought I’d better get back to basics with another Poundland challenge 2019 camera. In brief that challenge set out to find what you could buy for a quid and although we’ve had several high end cameras including the MZ-5 SLR, I’d rightly assumed that we’d be faced with several fixed focus plastic numbers.

But this no frill plastic flash camera doesn’t hail from Haking, Hanimex or Concord. This one’s a Minolta and it’s not good.

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