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Here’s a sample frame from the press kit. It looks pretty sharp (to be fair, the sharpest out of the bunch). I’m certainly curious about the potential of this camera as it seems to fit the current environment of increasing film prices (analog.cafe/r/film-prices-…).
Seasoned film photographers may be able to find used film cameras with better build quality, lens, and shutter specs at a comparable price on eBay (i.e., Canon Demi analog.cafe/r/canon-demi-2… or Welta Penti analog.cafe/r/welta-penti-…). However, finding a working vintage camera is not an easy leap to make for a first-time film photographer.
I requested a review copy from the company, very curious how the lens will work out for me. Autoreply said everyone is out of the office until Sept 4 “as Super Typhoon Saola edges closer.” 😬🤞
A new half-frame 35mm film camera by RETO Project, KODAK EKTAR H35N, is now available for pre-order at retopro.co/
This new “reusable” film camera can make 72+ exposures on a single standard roll of 36exp. 35mm film. It comes with a flash, a built-in optional Star Filter lens, and a coated glass lens with an aspherical acrylic lens design that “helps to improve the sharpness of the images” according to the press release.
A “reusable” a.k.a. “toy” camera is a simple plastic body design typically with a fixed ~1/100s shutter and a fixed or limited aperture. Lomography is perhaps the best-known manufacturer of toy cameras, i.e., Diana Mini (analog.cafe/r/diana-mini-7…). These cameras are fully functional and are sometimes used as creative and/or everyday tools by skilled photographers.
The presumably sharper lens on EKTAR H35N is a welcome upgrade as distortions and imperfections become more apparent on smaller formats such as this camera’s half-frame exposure area. Other improvements include redesigned viewfinder/flash switch/rewind knob, tripod hole, a Bulb shutter mode, and the Star lens filter.
EKTAR H35N has a fixed aperture of 𝒇8 and a fixed shutter speed of 1/100s. You can use the Sunny 16 Calculator to find the optimal film ISO for your scene (analog.cafe/app/sunny-16-c…).
There’s an earlier video that interviewed a bunch of NYC street photographers, many of whom stopped shooting film: “Are photographers abandoning film?? Asking NYC Photographers if they still shoot film 2023.”
In terms of sharpness, Yashica T*s are very close to the other cameras you’ve mentioned. Big minis tend to under-expose slightly and add some vignetting in certain situations, which you may or may not like (Yashica T4/T5 does not do that). Mjus are more prone to autofocus issues.
So if the lens was the only factor I cared about, I’d choose Yashica T*. But it’s not a hands-down all-hail type of a difference.
The best lens on a point-and-shoot for me is on Minolta TC-1; it is hands-down, all-hail type of a glass (even though it tends to show strong vignetting in some cases). But it’s at least 2x the price of any of the above. analog.cafe/r/minolta-tc-1….
How did you find the lens compared to other well regarded point and shoots? This is supposed to be the main selling point of the T4/T5. Is it really a step above models like the big mini or the mju ii or is it more or less in the same ballpark?
This 60-second video summarizes the process of shooting film in a manual camera. Of course, it doesn’t have everything you can learn from this article. Just a taste. Cheers.
Here’s a short video that shows the process of retrieving the film leader. It’s not superbly methodical; essentially you need to twist the spool whenever the retriever tool feels too tight when you try to push the next plastic tongue in. Other than that, with some practice, it gets easier: youtube.com/shorts/3ADmdia…
Plus, it’s faster to load film into a Patterson spool and you get to keep a canister that you can use for bulk loading later. Or, once you accumulate a bunch of used canisters you can sell them to someone looking to bulk load.
An update to my insane light leak fixing story. I’ve tested the camera in full sun and none of the frames had any issues!
I’ve also lubricated film transport and shutter winder gear, cleaned up the focusing screen, and dusted the whole thing on the inside. My sixty-year-old film camera feels like new!
My favourite photo from the roll after fixing the camera is this portrait from the Pride parade in New Westminster (BC, Canada) on August 19th, 2023. Many thanks to the incredibly-detailed gimp costume-wearer, who was very nice to pause their conversation to pose.
It’s been a while since I worked on my Vitessa, but it seems from your photo that the cam should rest on the silver arm right below it that you see in the image. So the solution would be to move that silver piece that you can see through the hole up and then move the cam towards you (as seen in the photo) so that it rests over it.
I can’t guarantee that this is correct, but a way to check would be to move the lens back and forth a little bit (as you would when adjusting the focus; you can do this by placing the focus wheel on top of the round hinge and using it as if the camera is assembled) and verify that the piece I mention moves with it. Since the cam only translates the movement for the rangefinder, it should follow whatever motion is produced by the lens and the focus wheel.
I hope this is helpful. Would you mind posting your results here once you try again?
Thanks for your manual. In cleaning the rangefinder I’ve run into a problem. The rangefinder cam is not engaged anymore by the moving lens. I think that the metal plate, shown here underneath that cam must push it back and forward. If not, there must be something else engaging it. Can you help me out here?
For those looking to see how this camera may look in hand and how the TLR* screen works, I’ve uploaded a short video to YouTube with some extra footage: youtube.com/shorts/-w3T2mx… #gas #video🍿
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