November 16, 2018The Kiev 30 is a camera that inspires day dreams of cloak and dagger spy games. It belongs to the subminiature class of cameras, which are specifically designed to be as small as possible. In reality, if they were ever used for international espionage they had to be small to stay discreet. You’re not going to get away with breaking…
October 19, 2018The BelOMO Agat 18K is a bit of an oddity. It is a camera that by all intents and purposes sells itself as a toy camera, but has functionality which even some “better” made cameras lack. When you first pick it up is feels very light and is considered one of, if not, the lightest film cameras that use 35mm…
August 10, 2018Everyone loves a little bit of luxury. The finer things in life. Not that surprising we then have a camera with gold trimmings like the Nikon Lite.Touch 140 Zoom ED AF. A camera that gives the feeling you are using something with leather seats and a top class gold finish. That is if you ignore the fact the camera body…
June 1, 2018Beautiful. Clean Lines. Minimalist. These are all words uttered about the Carl Zeiss Werra cameras. Cameras with a top plate that only house a shutter release and an exposure value display, sitting within a smooth metal finish that would have made Steve Jobs proud. Only, the Werra 2 covered in this review was produced decades before Apple computers, yet alone the iPhone…
April 6, 2018Summer means sunshine, longer days, heat, sun screen, swimming and fun. During this time, a camera that can be used at the beach, the pool, on land and is not overly expensive or complicated is quite a wish list. The Canon Sure Shot A1 aims to fulfil this, all the time maintaining quality in both the water and on land. …
March 2, 2018Box cameras are without a single doubt the longest line of a particular type of camera ever produced. It can be argued that they ran for 140 years, possibly longer depending on how loose the interpretation is. There is even a new one being produced now in 2018! The Kodak Brownie Six-20 Model D is considered one of the more…
February 16, 2018The Minox 35 GT, a review of one of the smallest 35mm cameras ever made. This camera packs a big punch for such a small package.
January 12, 2018Square format, instant(ish) images, iconic and fun. No, not insta-social media, but a camera developed at the pinnacle of a company’s history. The Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus Land Camera was sold at the time when Polaroid was a powerhouse in the photographic industry and was considered one of the most innovative companies across the world. There must be something hardwired…
November 5, 2017Everyone knows that red cars go faster. Ok, they feel faster. Does this translate to cameras? It sort of does with this one, as the Olympus XA3 does meter for faster film than the camera it replaced, the XA2. The argument does break apart though, as they did come in black, blue and white as well as red, but as…
October 22, 2017Most people have a love/hate relationship with half frame cameras. They love that you can get 72 frames out of a 36 exposure 35mm film roll, but they also hate that it takes 72 frames to finish off a roll. Also factor in that the frames are quite small, which again leads for some people to like them for small…
September 5, 2017The Agfa Isolette range of cameras have a cult following. That includes me as I own both Isolette and Jsolette labelled cameras. The ability to shoot medium format, especially 6×6, with a camera that is small and at a stretch pocketable, is very enticing. Throw in the fact that they look lovely, and you can understand the popularity. I personally…
August 22, 2017Scale focus cameras can be fun. There is no precise focusing, you pre-set focus points in advance, allowing a quick “draw” approach, and the viewfinder is very uncluttered. They are also generally cheap, so a very easy way to get into film photography. There is occasion though, where some precise focusing would be helpful, which is where accessories like the…