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.
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
The Konica pop has acquired some zeitgeist as the a potential king of the fixed focus flash compacts. But how does it measure up wehn compared against it’s successor the Konica pop 10 (here in the sought after Konica Tomato guise). Which one is flavourful and which is a bit mushy ?
This is probably the weirdest camera I own. I wasn’t too sure if I if I should provide a breath sample with it or take photos. Welcome to the Minolta Zoom 110 SLR. Not only is it one of the weirdest looking in the world. But it’s also a fully functioning SLR that takes 110 film and arguably if not a bridge camera then sets the path for them.
So as I munch the last of the Xmas cheese board and polish off the port. It is time for our annual humour look back of the highs and lows of film photography in 2018.
In the first part of this series we’ve seen the much maligned Yashica Y35 actually prove it’s much better than proper toy cameras and even an awful £11 ‘new’ cam from eBay. But how does it fair against some genuine entry level digital cameras.
In 2017 a Kickstarter was launched bearing the name of Yashica, The resultant camera was much maligned before it even got to market and QC issues didn’t help once it arrived. It has become much derided. But is it that awful and is it no better than a kid’s toy camera ?
3 packs of instax square and some rather good crisp days later I’ve got a grasp of Diana Instant. But does it live up to the Hype as being the lomographer’s instant camera. And does it stay true to the Diana concept & style ?