I think, in all honesty, this camera is pretty much perfect for what it is. It's cost efficient, the brown/yellow models are very fan-servicey in their retro design, it's light, it's cheap, it's compact, it's fun. I'll definitely buy one.
@ProdEnraged sure, most of nikons entry level slrs from the 80s and 90s, like the f50 f55 f60 etc f601. The equivalent canon cameras as well, like the eos 5000 1000 300 etc. But there are uncountably many from all different companies. Minolta maxxum 500si, dynax 500 super, Revue sc3, praktica tl 1000. Those are some specific ones, but just typing in retro camera or slr depending on what you're looking for will give a flood of results for less than 10 bucks. I have had the odd one or two that didn't work fully, but for the price that's fine with me.
@@OttoLP I can't find many working film cameras under $10 right now, but there are a lot that are less than $50 that are definitely better than this kodak. So yeah, I don't think it's as much of a bargain as I thought before I saw your comment.
Thats exactly the reason i love analogue photography. Even though it shouldn't matter in how you shoot i seem to slow down and during a single shoot day i go from shooting 100+ digital frames to shoot barely one 36 frame roll with about a 80% success rate instead of a 5% succes rate on digital.
Another good thing about this camera is that it’s a new product. So the mechanics, the electronics and the light seals should be somewhat reliable. Sometimes you can’t be sure about a camera that’s a few decades old.
Can you give such old cameras to repair shops? I got a fairly old one from my mother and she told me that it was super expensive back in the day and I'm planning on getting into it
@@MrJDG2011 I guess it depends on the country/ area you live in.. I got a film camera from 70s passed down from my dad and repaired it in a local camera repair-shop. Paid 10 bucks for that. However, I am in Europe, so I don't know about possibilities overseas
@@MrJDG2011 At least where I live. There is a camera repair shop that is dedicated towards repairing damaged 35mm and 120 cameras. But it’s usually rather costly.
Honestly dumbfounded it is that cheap - I swear that 97% of the time I watch a "Cheap camera" video it still shakes out to hundreds of dollars. Undeniably bought one just for the fun, killer recommendation (it hasn't even gotten here yet but love that it's legitimately an affordable item w/ neat aspect).
Those 'cheap cameras' were cheap once upon a time, before retro markets took off. I have some old shitty cameras I bought for nothing that are somehow worth hundreds now.
@@kentozapater8972 it's a shame really, there are tons of great cameras out there you can get for a fraction of the price, especially if you're looking for more of a glorified point-and-shoot. some of my favorite cameras ever have come out of thrift stores for $20 or less and work perfectly
I've had my dad's old point and shoot film camera laying around for a while, seeing this really showed me I don't need super fancy equipment to enjoy shooting film. Thanks for a great video, hopefully I'll be able to go out and shoot some pictures soon!
The main reason to get this would be to have something that forces me to slown down while working on my vertical aspect ratio skills :) Edit : also vertical is the magazine ratio which a lot of people seems to forget about...!! My teachers mainly Dominc Nahr from Time Magazine always said to practice shooting vertically, but it sucks to have to turn the camera sideways every time. So carrying one of those when you wanna do a critical single-page is a great idea too!
That camera is very similar to my first camera (bought in the late sixties). It was called a Kodak Instamatic and apart from the half frame aspect, it looks and appears to function identically. In the early 70's I travelled overland from UK to Australia this was the camera I took. I don't recall my camera needing a battery. My travel pictures still look pretty good.
I bought an Agfaphoto cheap camera, very much like this one, a year ago, costed like 35$. Mine takes a full frame picture unlike this one, but I've had so much fun taking pictures with it that now I take it regularly with me for any occasion.
@@nuckv7544 it very much depends on what you want, really. I know I treat the pictures I take with a film camera differently than when I use a mobile phone. With cheap film camera, you will never get the fidelity of a recent mobile phone, and that's perfectly fine. The point is to have fun, get pictures long after the time has passed, and have some cool filter-like effect, which is really the way film behaves. If you're okay taking pictures with your mobile phone, and you're having fun, then that's fine too.
really nice camera. I wanted to buy one, but when i was talking about it in my family,. My aunt came with an old kodak camera which i instantly loved. The kodak retina IIIc from 1954. i was so surprised at the options you had back in the day and now im just really impressed how the cameras of nowadays havent changed alot, except its all smaller ofcourse
One of my childhood cameras was a chaika, which also had narrow frames and could take 72 frames with a 36-frame film. At that time, slides were more popular, because you could get a relatively large picture on the wall in the 80's.This is an interesting camera, some pictures alone can't tell if the shadows were drawn dynamically in a photo studio, or if such a cheap camera really has such relatively good optics
Here is an alternative: Find at flea market, garage sale, an Olympus Pen EE (EE2, EE3), even with a cell out of order for 5 or 10 dollars... and with the rest of the budget, buy yourself a few rolls of film Why ? Even an Olympus out of service, the "flash" mode gives us a more than correct speed (1/40th), magnificent glass optics Zuiko with control from f2.8 to f22 and it is much more solid than the all-plastic H35 ! This H35 is just a much too expensive plastic bin, for that price there are much better alternatives: -Agfa Parat/Paramat -Belomo Agat 18k/Chaika -Canon MultiTele/AutoBoy -Fujica Half - Ricoh Petri/Compact -Yashica Mimy/Samurai -...
Yep! Bought mine 4 weeks ago after watching Chis Chu! Great fun and a reminder that photo experiences don't have to be serious. Taken through London and Paris!
This video reminded me that I have a BELOMO Agat 18K, tiny plastic half-frame camera from Soviet Belarus. It's really a hidden gem with f2.8 28mm lens and manual focus/exposure control, no built-in flash though.
The first sample photos you show I recognized instantly, Amangiri in southern Utah. I worked there for 2 years, I probably made the food you had when you were there!
ah no way! yeah, it's an incredible spot. I was there to work that wedding so I sadly didn't get to partake in anything other than a little sandwich :)
It's a lot of fun. I have a nice Olympus Pen F and all and love shooting with that but when I'm using that I want to carry my additional lenses around for options. Meanwhile I can just throw this in the bag when I'm not planning on a big photoshoot and I'd be a lot less sad if I somehow lost or broke it compared to the Pen F. It punches above cheap/disposable cameras for sure, and the pics are more than enough for social media. Take dual frame diptychs or just get a lot of mileage out of your 36 exp roll, it's WAY easier to recommend this over the Ilford Sprite/Kodak M35/Yashica MF-1. Reto also makes a love letter to the Vivtar Ultrawide and Slim that's even cheaper around 20-30 bucks if you want a super compact in the same vein but with wide angle.
@Liz Koppert I absolutely love the Reto Ultrawide & Slim. For such a cracker jack toy of a camera it really takes some great pics. While i like this half frame camera, the Reto is the reloadable disposable I recommend. Might be THE best reloadable disposable the market, especially for the price
It's just like the Kodak Instamatic I learned photography on as a kid in the 70's. Except we had to buy separate flash cubes and attach them on top. They took the 126 film cassettes.
I think, what many amateur photographers might not understand is the fact the lens is very dark. While it will work ok for sunny days or close up flash shots, in some scenarios the camera will be helpless. I had underexposed shots with much more powerful point-and-shoots. Using portra 800 to compensate for it is not a very budget option. Fixed shutter speed and aperture is not very nice too. This means that most of the images will be over or underexposed. While it’s not dead critical for film in many cases, it will definitely reduce the quality of photos. For me it’s more of a fun camera for a person who already has a dozen. I think that number of failed shots and thus some disappointment will eventually outweigh film economy. This is not to say that manual rewind is not really handy and the camera is relatively expensive and doesn’t look very reliable. It think a regular used point-n-shoot might be a better option. For the same price you get a more capable real camera with history and authentic vintage design. Not saying this is a bad camera, but more like a choice for a person who understands its capabilities. Most likely better when a disposable camera. Thanks for the video!
So theres no settings to mess around with? Just point and click? I have 2 questions though. 1) Should we always turn the flash on for every photo? 2) can you do a beginners guide/tutorial on how to operate a film camera? Like how to wind the film and all that stuff? And explain what it all does?
Looking at the posted comments, I think mine is likely very much off the topic. But then I decided to go ahead anyway. My first camera was an inherited 6 by 9 cm bellows one, for which I don't recall any other relevant data. Then at some point I got non-remarkable 36 mm camera and advanced to color films, tentatively at first, due to cost considerations. Eventually I progressed to buying a Canon Pellix system camera all the way until the First Kodak digital one caught my attention. The main benefit was size (weight) and built in macro capability, meaning less lenses to carry. From there I proceeded through a couple of Nikon cameras to another oddball Canon, model TX-1. That is really tiny, only my palm size, but has unbelievable set of capabilities, including my first video. Also, not to forget a 10:1 optical zoom plus 20:1 digital "zoom", and a fantastic macro. It was evidently too expensive ( $650 )for the mushrooming digicamera markets, and Canon obsoleted it after just the first production run. Learning about that, I ordered a second unit for a spare, and luckily got it. Presently I use mostly my phone and my iPad Mini, but in the meantime have had a couple of Canon EOS5 cameras. And I almost forgot -- early on, I also used a Minolta Pocket camera. Actually I still have all these cameras, except the very earliest 2, as well as the Kodak digital one, which have been lost one way or other. Anybody else heard of the Canon Pellix? Or about the TX-1?
That's really neat. I miss having a basic film camera to take on trips and stuff. I hate phone cameras so much. I may have to grab one of those. The retro design is super cool.
Kodak was my first ever camera as a child, over 60 years ago. It was a point and shoot just like this one, the only two major differences being 1) film was bought in a cassette which simply dropped into the back, 2) a plug in flash cube. I used to shoot mainly black & which because it was cheaper to develop although later I started using Ektachrome. The shots presented in this video are not much better than those I took 6 decades ago and I simply cannot fathom why anyone would pay an exorbitant $50 for this piece of plastic rubbish when as an alternative one can pick up a very decent secondhand SLR for the same money, eg a Pentax, Minolta or Cannon.
I’m currently in possession of such an old SLR but it feels like taking care of an elderly person, especially if they’re one of the automated ones from the 90s. Man, the repair costs are not worth it!
@@HwL01 Release is plastic on the Olympus XA. Is used to advance and rewind film, and open back for reloading. Purchased mine in 1979, been going strong since.
A lifelong amateur photographer here who had a darkroom as a kid... After seeing the images from this camera I now know why I love digital photography so much. A fixed lens is always a compromise at all distances. Film images even from a good quality SLR or rangefinder never seem as acutely sharp as what a modern digital camera, even a lower end cellphone, can record. Also the dynamic range of film (which used to be a big problem with early digital stuff) is a bit limited compared to what we take for granted today. I can dig the aspect of giving the user less to fuss over, but you just need to use fixed or automatic settings with a modern camera and not mess with them. Film has its place: seriously, if we have a grid collapse, film cameras such as this and older models will be what records history after EMP fries all of the chips, SD storage, servers, etc. I object a bit to the half frame format: a full roll can seem to take forever to use when you have 72 exposures to get through. And lastly, recurring expenses of developing and printing will be far in excess of the camera's price.Interesting - just not compelling enough to bother with unless I want a certain artistic feel. Maybe these camers are more of a zen thing and not quantifiable.
I think next comment should be that with the neural networks such as mid journey soon all the photography will be meaningless including analogue and digital. You can just imagine a shot and computer will make it
just purchased this camera off amazon some weeks ago and tomorrow will be my first time using it I love the images thank you for taking the time by making this video 🙂
I'd love to see a comparison to some of the other cheap film cameras out there, whether half frame or not. Holga, other 'lomo' cameras, etc. Liked the video!
When the roll of 35mm film is more than 5$ a pop, if you even able to find one today, we have some old film close to expiration date in one obscure photo-enthusiasts club's shop, or the internet where it is just long expired films. It is not really cost-time efficient. You can buy some cheap Canon D1100 or such for like 30$ + some cheap planar-like lens, and get pretty much the same photos by just shooting in 2-3 stops lower exposure and then do a "compensating exposure" in RAW-editing software(I use RPP for mac, it does a brilliant job on that for just 14$). And it's shutter is good for a few thousands of shots if heavily used already.
Just order it, idk if that was impulsive or not, but my girlfriend was looking for a point n shoot, so i take my chances! Thanks for the video and the example photos, it was really interesting to see examples from day n night!
Great video and great images, Benj! I'm very interested in something like this, but it's been over a decade since I've done anything with film. Is there a film development service you recommend, or have you developed these yourself? I'd love to be able to keep the frame of film info around images but from my old CVS developing days I think they would cut down right to the image.
@@ANDRE1mang depending on where you live. I get mine developed at Boots. There are also online places you can find, where you post your films to get developed.
Great review. I have never seen roll of film for sale anywhere. Also never seen anywhere that you can get the film developed and pictures printed. I'm guessing it would be very expensive.
I always forget that you live nearby until I see something so local like Frisko. I like the film videos and the digital videos. Keeping rocking, man. 🤙
Wow, this looks like an updated Instamatic 33 from the late '60s - early '70s. Had one of these as a kid, but it took 126 film instead of 35mm. Very neat!
Great video. At 1/100 and 9.5 a 400 speed film would likely be 2 to 3 stops over exposed in bright sunny days. What film did you use? Would you recommend a 100 or 200 speed film if you are mostly going to shooting outdoors?
I have used the camera a couple times. With 200 speed film, I can shoot in daylight to cloudy easily (assuming you're using color negative film) I do use a light meter on my phone though to make sure just in case. Haven't ruined any shots yet. Personally, I think 200 is nice unless you plan to shoot in very harsh light.
I think 200 iso is the sweet spot for this camera if you're shooting in daylight. From both experience and seeing other people using it 400 is JUST a bit too fast if you're in decent daylight. Overexposing film is fine (unlike digtal where you want to err on underexposing), but 400 is too fast it seems. 100 iso should work well if you're bucking the usual trend and shooting in midday.
Video @ 8:47 - That's a Minolta V2 rangefinder camera that has a 2,000th of a second 'Leaf Shutter' ! - Great camera that was way ahead of its time. BTW, try to shoot more horizontal with this little Half-frame camera...
I have an Olympus half-frame from the 50's; very high-quality optics and all metal mechanics. Maybe I'll get one of these Kodaks and do a comparison. Also, it is no sweat to tip these half-frames on their sides and do landscapes.
I just bought this camera from Amazon. With tax included I paid a total of $43.00. I wanted a featureless camera that I could pull out of my pocket on a moment's notice and take a picture.
I bought this camera and was super happy with it until I wanted to get in a new film. After I took out the old film and wanted to set up a new one I realized the rewind button was pushed too hard, even though I was very cautious not to put to misch pressure on it. As a result I was not able to roll Th little wheel for each photo afterwards.
@@nuckv7544 Not by a mile lol, but in this case you are not going for quality, it's more about giving character to the photo, and the satisfaction of it being analog.
this happened to me with my kodak f9!!! my first roll was great but whne i wanted to load in a new roll of film i must have pressed the rewind button too hard and i couldnt advance the film after that so basically it broke
I don’t see a lot of people needing this unless they just don’t have a smartphone. Unless you just like the style but there are apps you can get on your phone if you want that.
This comment made me feel old. lol You could scan it. Some places when they develop the film give you the option of digital images. There are also devices that will make a digital image from your negatives. And with phones such as they are these days... you could likely get a nice digital image by just shooting a pic of the photo with your phone. I've also seen phone apps that will make images from negatives, but have never tried those. Lots of options!
Hey Dude! First time watcher. Loved the video, and im looking into purchasing one as i type so please excuse any typos lol. Will subscribe and look forward to more content specially photography content which i've abandoned a bit as i got more into video. THANK YOU!
Thank you for this!! Out of curiosity are there other modern film cams that are half-frame like this? I’ve always wanted a lightweight, travel friendly film camera that’s low pressure like this, so I’m curious if there are ‘competitors’ of this Ektar! If not, I might snag one this week before a Japan trip! Love that it gives 2x exposures for a typical roll too
Not a modern option, but the Olympus Pen is an iconic half frame camera that was produced in Japan. It's hard to purchase online unless buying it from Japan, so very fortunately, you could consider buying one locally if you're going to be visiting there.
@@Richard-ck3jl Thanks for the response! I ended up snagging the H35 and have been playing around with it. Literally still trying to fill up my roll to develop this week; been testing it on different kinds of lighting so I know what to prep for. I'm now curious about the Olympus Pen! Maybe I'll keep an eye out for it during my travels!
@@faithhunt6114 Sorry I'm only just seeing this!! They came out so good and so fun!! It really is such an easy camera to use, and reliable too (other than the super lightweight build, but again, only being $50 doesn't make me scared of dropping or breaking it lol). I tried to test it in a lot of different lighting and settings with ISO 200 film and it's literally perfect in daylight/sunlight. When I was researching it, I've heard consistently from others that the standard 400 film tends to be too bright for daylight, and I knew I'd be shooting more outdoors so it worked out. Indoor/night/flash was a little trickier, but it seems you have to be at two arms' length for it to look decent -- anything further gets too dark and muddled. My only gripe is that it's too hard to actually know which frame you're on -- the counter goes from 1 to 72 but it's hard to tell if you're on frame 45, 46 or 47 for example. So it seems a lil impossible to actually *plan* diptychs, but in the end it makes it more freeing to just shoot without worrying about what the diptychs will look like. Thankfully didn't get motion blur; made it a habit to shoot really still, but that's also because I didn't really shoot a ton of movement other than my dog lol. I'd be happy to send you my photos if you want to peek at them!! Currently I'm waiting on two more rolls of film which I shot traveling around San Diego last week :)
@@csdsa I'd love to see the photos if you don't mind sharing! and get your recs for which film you used! Mine comes monday and I'm excited but also anxious about 72 shots coming out terribly and only finding out when they're developed haha
Sweet review! Benj you should do a follow up showing how to use it for diptychs and triptychs! It’s not just about saving money, this little plastic wonder has creative capabilities that my Leica MP and Nikon F6 do not!
This camera is not for the iPhone/digital generation that expect "do-overs". Perfect for street photography, great conversation starter. Love it as much as my Canon AE-1 program and 7D.
You keep saying "resolution doesn't matter", but in a Half Frame camera with this kind of a lens the max print size before you lose definition is 6x8". One of the biggest pros of film photography is that, even accounting for inflation, you can get very high *potential* resolution even if you go for cheap low-rez scans - a few years down the road you'll rescan a couple frames at max resolution and can get to 44x66" even from a point&shoot 135 camera and consumer-grade film. With digital cameras you have high upfront investment which you have to reinvest every 3-5Y, for the same potential resolution you get with film cameras where you have a very low upfront investment and a constant pay-as-you-go investment. These plastic lens Half-135 give you the worst in film and neglecting one of the biggest benefits.
Awesome stuff with those shots man, might grab some ideas if I may! Can I ask the film that you used? Would a lower ISO film ne better given that it shoots brightly on well lit environments?
Reminds me of the old Kodak Instamatic. It was my dissatisfaction with the pictures I got with an instamatic that led me to proper 35mm photography with an SLR, interchangeable lenses and all that.
We also have a Kodak Instamatic 233X camera with a similar body that is 40 years old. It works with 24-exposure film and 4-exposure external OSRAM flash, which was always very expensive in the past. Almost all the photos he took are blurry. I don't remember any clear photographs of him.
Here is the film I used: geni.us/wbMAKm
I think, in all honesty, this camera is pretty much perfect for what it is.
It's cost efficient, the brown/yellow models are very fan-servicey in their retro design, it's light, it's cheap, it's compact, it's fun.
I'll definitely buy one.
cheap!? For 50 bucks you can just buy 10 real retro compact cameras. For 50 you can get a nice SLR with a whole lens lineup.
Please point me towards these cameras because yes you CAN try and find one at a thrift store, but not always by any means
@@OttoLP Can you list them? I wanna know of some 10 dollar cameras to buy
@ProdEnraged sure, most of nikons entry level slrs from the 80s and 90s, like the f50 f55 f60 etc f601. The equivalent canon cameras as well, like the eos 5000 1000 300 etc. But there are uncountably many from all different companies. Minolta maxxum 500si, dynax 500 super, Revue sc3, praktica tl 1000. Those are some specific ones, but just typing in retro camera or slr depending on what you're looking for will give a flood of results for less than 10 bucks.
I have had the odd one or two that didn't work fully, but for the price that's fine with me.
@@OttoLP I can't find many working film cameras under $10 right now, but there are a lot that are less than $50 that are definitely better than this kodak. So yeah, I don't think it's as much of a bargain as I thought before I saw your comment.
It’s a lot harder to get through a roll than I thought 😂 I’ve shot two weddings with it and still have like 20 frames left.
it gets easier with time 😂. Your mind will start to find beauty in everything and want to capture it trust me.
@@json4821that is how I am. I need to get a phone, because I just want to picture everything. The reason I dont have a phone is because it got stolen
Thats exactly the reason i love analogue photography. Even though it shouldn't matter in how you shoot i seem to slow down and during a single shoot day i go from shooting 100+ digital frames to shoot barely one 36 frame roll with about a 80% success rate instead of a 5% succes rate on digital.
So how many photos can you shoot with one roll?
72 photos on a 36 exposure roll
Another good thing about this camera is that it’s a new product. So the mechanics, the electronics and the light seals should be somewhat reliable. Sometimes you can’t be sure about a camera that’s a few decades old.
thanks duolingo owl
Can you give such old cameras to repair shops? I got a fairly old one from my mother and she told me that it was super expensive back in the day and I'm planning on getting into it
@@MrJDG2011 I guess it depends on the country/ area you live in.. I got a film camera from 70s passed down from my dad and repaired it in a local camera repair-shop. Paid 10 bucks for that. However, I am in Europe, so I don't know about possibilities overseas
@@MrJDG2011 At least where I live. There is a camera repair shop that is dedicated towards repairing damaged 35mm and 120 cameras. But it’s usually rather costly.
@@theowlfromduolingo7982 Cameras back then were built to a much, much higher standard. Also the quality of materials was actually decent.
Honestly dumbfounded it is that cheap - I swear that 97% of the time I watch a "Cheap camera" video it still shakes out to hundreds of dollars. Undeniably bought one just for the fun, killer recommendation (it hasn't even gotten here yet but love that it's legitimately an affordable item w/ neat aspect).
Those 'cheap cameras' were cheap once upon a time, before retro markets took off. I have some old shitty cameras I bought for nothing that are somehow worth hundreds now.
@@kentozapater8972 it's a shame really, there are tons of great cameras out there you can get for a fraction of the price, especially if you're looking for more of a glorified point-and-shoot. some of my favorite cameras ever have come out of thrift stores for $20 or less and work perfectly
do you still like it?
I've had my dad's old point and shoot film camera laying around for a while, seeing this really showed me I don't need super fancy equipment to enjoy shooting film. Thanks for a great video, hopefully I'll be able to go out and shoot some pictures soon!
The main reason to get this would be to have something that forces me to slown down while working on my vertical aspect ratio skills :) Edit : also vertical is the magazine ratio which a lot of people seems to forget about...!! My teachers mainly Dominc Nahr from Time Magazine always said to practice shooting vertically, but it sucks to have to turn the camera sideways every time. So carrying one of those when you wanna do a critical single-page is a great idea too!
The half frame idea is great for this kind of camera. Could see myself throwing this in the bag on trips with friends.
This camera is so fun! Perfect for amateur bowling photography as well, which is a genre I'm attempting to get better at.
What is amateur bowling photography? Does it have amateur bowlers or amateur photographers? What kind of bowling?
@@Lividbuffaloyes.
@@lancekirkpatrick3435 k
The pictures that you were showing while talking about resolution were all I could think of. NATURAL. UNEDITED. PERFECT.
That camera is very similar to my first camera (bought in the late sixties). It was called a Kodak Instamatic and apart from the half frame aspect, it looks and appears to function identically. In the early 70's I travelled overland from UK to Australia this was the camera I took. I don't recall my camera needing a battery. My travel pictures still look pretty good.
Back then they used the flash cubes. So I think that's why there was no battery. First thing I thought of was the kodak instamatic.
I bought an Agfaphoto cheap camera, very much like this one, a year ago, costed like 35$. Mine takes a full frame picture unlike this one, but I've had so much fun taking pictures with it that now I take it regularly with me for any occasion.
Noob question, but for casual point and click use is is any better than an Iphone 13 pro camera or Sasmung S22 ultra camera?
@@nuckv7544 it very much depends on what you want, really. I know I treat the pictures I take with a film camera differently than when I use a mobile phone. With cheap film camera, you will never get the fidelity of a recent mobile phone, and that's perfectly fine. The point is to have fun, get pictures long after the time has passed, and have some cool filter-like effect, which is really the way film behaves. If you're okay taking pictures with your mobile phone, and you're having fun, then that's fine too.
really nice camera. I wanted to buy one, but when i was talking about it in my family,. My aunt came with an old kodak camera which i instantly loved. The kodak retina IIIc from 1954. i was so surprised at the options you had back in the day and now im just really impressed how the cameras of nowadays havent changed alot, except its all smaller ofcourse
a Kodak Retina IIIc from 1954. Keep it, use it, forget the cheap crap introduced in this video
One of my childhood cameras was a chaika, which also had narrow frames and could take 72 frames with a 36-frame film. At that time, slides were more popular, because you could get a relatively large picture on the wall in the 80's.This is an interesting camera, some pictures alone can't tell if the shadows were drawn dynamically in a photo studio, or if such a cheap camera really has such relatively good optics
Here is an alternative:
Find at flea market, garage sale, an Olympus Pen EE (EE2, EE3), even with a cell out of order for 5 or 10 dollars... and with the rest of the budget, buy yourself a few rolls of film
Why ? Even an Olympus out of service, the "flash" mode gives us a more than correct speed (1/40th), magnificent glass optics Zuiko with control from f2.8 to f22 and it is much more solid than the all-plastic H35 !
This H35 is just a much too expensive plastic bin, for that price there are much better alternatives:
-Agfa Parat/Paramat
-Belomo Agat 18k/Chaika
-Canon MultiTele/AutoBoy
-Fujica Half
- Ricoh Petri/Compact
-Yashica Mimy/Samurai
-...
Kodak brings out the 1963 Instamatic! At the time he used 126 cartridges. It was an interplanetary success. A good idea to revive Kodak.
all those photos are beautiful 😍 i love how it makes everything feel so nostalgic
Your photos look great. Nice lesson in not getting hung up on expensive equipment, and maybe also shooting at smaller apertures, among other things.
Yep! Bought mine 4 weeks ago after watching Chis Chu! Great fun and a reminder that photo experiences don't have to be serious. Taken through London and Paris!
This video reminded me that I have a BELOMO Agat 18K, tiny plastic half-frame camera from Soviet Belarus. It's really a hidden gem with f2.8 28mm lens and manual focus/exposure control, no built-in flash though.
The Instamatic was my first camera back in the 1980s when I was like 10. I might get this Ektar, seems like so much fun.
The first sample photos you show I recognized instantly, Amangiri in southern Utah. I worked there for 2 years, I probably made the food you had when you were there!
ah no way! yeah, it's an incredible spot. I was there to work that wedding so I sadly didn't get to partake in anything other than a little sandwich :)
It's a lot of fun. I have a nice Olympus Pen F and all and love shooting with that but when I'm using that I want to carry my additional lenses around for options. Meanwhile I can just throw this in the bag when I'm not planning on a big photoshoot and I'd be a lot less sad if I somehow lost or broke it compared to the Pen F. It punches above cheap/disposable cameras for sure, and the pics are more than enough for social media. Take dual frame diptychs or just get a lot of mileage out of your 36 exp roll, it's WAY easier to recommend this over the Ilford Sprite/Kodak M35/Yashica MF-1. Reto also makes a love letter to the Vivtar Ultrawide and Slim that's even cheaper around 20-30 bucks if you want a super compact in the same vein but with wide angle.
And the Reto Ultra Wide and Slim can take a reasonable photo too. My local photo lab sells them, and he was surprised at some of the results.
@Liz Koppert I absolutely love the Reto Ultrawide & Slim. For such a cracker jack toy of a camera it really takes some great pics. While i like this half frame camera, the Reto is the reloadable disposable I recommend. Might be THE best reloadable disposable the market, especially for the price
It's just like the Kodak Instamatic I learned photography on as a kid in the 70's. Except we had to buy separate flash cubes and attach them on top. They took the 126 film cassettes.
I think, what many amateur photographers might not understand is the fact the lens is very dark. While it will work ok for sunny days or close up flash shots, in some scenarios the camera will be helpless. I had underexposed shots with much more powerful point-and-shoots. Using portra 800 to compensate for it is not a very budget option.
Fixed shutter speed and aperture is not very nice too. This means that most of the images will be over or underexposed. While it’s not dead critical for film in many cases, it will definitely reduce the quality of photos.
For me it’s more of a fun camera for a person who already has a dozen. I think that number of failed shots and thus some disappointment will eventually outweigh film economy.
This is not to say that manual rewind is not really handy and the camera is relatively expensive and doesn’t look very reliable.
It think a regular used point-n-shoot might be a better option. For the same price you get a more capable real camera with history and authentic vintage design.
Not saying this is a bad camera, but more like a choice for a person who understands its capabilities.
Most likely better when a disposable camera.
Thanks for the video!
So theres no settings to mess around with? Just point and click? I have 2 questions though.
1) Should we always turn the flash on for every photo?
2) can you do a beginners guide/tutorial on how to operate a film camera? Like how to wind the film and all that stuff? And explain what it all does?
Flash is on every time when surroundings are dark.
You have to take a few photos with and without flash ... and learn as you go. Good luck. :)
Looking at the posted comments, I think mine is likely very much off the topic. But then I decided to go ahead anyway. My first camera was an inherited 6 by 9 cm bellows one, for which I don't recall any other relevant data. Then at some point I got non-remarkable 36 mm camera and advanced to color films, tentatively at first, due to cost considerations. Eventually I progressed to buying a Canon Pellix system camera all the way until the First Kodak digital one caught my attention. The main benefit was size (weight) and built in macro capability, meaning less lenses to carry. From there I proceeded through a couple of Nikon cameras to another oddball Canon, model TX-1. That is really tiny, only my palm size, but has unbelievable set of capabilities, including my first video. Also, not to forget a 10:1 optical zoom plus 20:1 digital "zoom", and a fantastic macro. It was evidently too expensive ( $650 )for the mushrooming digicamera markets, and Canon obsoleted it after just the first production run. Learning about that, I ordered a second unit for a spare, and luckily got it. Presently I use mostly my phone and my iPad Mini, but in the meantime have had a couple of Canon EOS5 cameras. And I almost forgot -- early on, I also used a Minolta Pocket camera. Actually I still have all these cameras, except the very earliest 2, as well as the Kodak digital one, which have been lost one way or other. Anybody else heard of the Canon Pellix? Or about the TX-1?
I’ve been looking for an inexpensive film camera for just memories I want to keep just for me and this seems like it’s perfect. Thank you for sharing.
SOLD! Another piece of equipment that I spontaneously buy! Thanks!
That's really neat. I miss having a basic film camera to take on trips and stuff. I hate phone cameras so much. I may have to grab one of those. The retro design is super cool.
First world problems hu
Really, this is just a modern Instamatic (nearly identical styling!) but half-frame to save cost. Really a great little piece of film fun.
Took one of these on a study abroad trip to Scotland. Low key got some of my favorite film photos ever
i really appreciate that you added so many photos for us to look at!
Kodak was my first ever camera as a child, over 60 years ago. It was a point and shoot just like this one, the only two major differences being 1) film was bought in a cassette which simply dropped into the back, 2) a plug in flash cube. I used to shoot mainly black & which because it was cheaper to develop although later I started using Ektachrome. The shots presented in this video are not much better than those I took 6 decades ago and I simply cannot fathom why anyone would pay an exorbitant $50 for this piece of plastic rubbish when as an alternative one can pick up a very decent secondhand SLR for the same money, eg a Pentax, Minolta or Cannon.
I’m currently in possession of such an old SLR but it feels like taking care of an elderly person, especially if they’re one of the automated ones from the 90s. Man, the repair costs are not worth it!
Olympus used the same release for advancing, rewinding and opening the camera on their famous XA series. Mine's 43 years old and works perfect still.
But that is a metal release? This camera uses a plastic one that I think won't survive a year..
@@HwL01 Release is plastic on the Olympus XA. Is used to advance and rewind film, and open back for reloading. Purchased mine in 1979, been going strong since.
A lifelong amateur photographer here who had a darkroom as a kid... After seeing the images from this camera I now know why I love digital photography so much. A fixed lens is always a compromise at all distances. Film images even from a good quality SLR or rangefinder never seem as acutely sharp as what a modern digital camera, even a lower end cellphone, can record. Also the dynamic range of film (which used to be a big problem with early digital stuff) is a bit limited compared to what we take for granted today. I can dig the aspect of giving the user less to fuss over, but you just need to use fixed or automatic settings with a modern camera and not mess with them. Film has its place: seriously, if we have a grid collapse, film cameras such as this and older models will be what records history after EMP fries all of the chips, SD storage, servers, etc. I object a bit to the half frame format: a full roll can seem to take forever to use when you have 72 exposures to get through. And lastly, recurring expenses of developing and printing will be far in excess of the camera's price.Interesting - just not compelling enough to bother with unless I want a certain artistic feel. Maybe these camers are more of a zen thing and not quantifiable.
FWIW, c41 film still has far more dynamic range than any digital sensor I’ve ever used.
I think next comment should be that with the neural networks such as mid journey soon all the photography will be meaningless including analogue and digital. You can just imagine a shot and computer will make it
just purchased this camera off amazon some weeks ago and tomorrow will be my first time using it I love the images thank you for taking the time by making this video 🙂
how was it!!?
This camera is more nostalgic than anything else ... in this camera world.
Thanks for sharing :)
I'd love to see a comparison to some of the other cheap film cameras out there, whether half frame or not. Holga, other 'lomo' cameras, etc.
Liked the video!
When the roll of 35mm film is more than 5$ a pop, if you even able to find one today, we have some old film close to expiration date in one obscure photo-enthusiasts club's shop, or the internet where it is just long expired films. It is not really cost-time efficient. You can buy some cheap Canon D1100 or such for like 30$ + some cheap planar-like lens, and get pretty much the same photos by just shooting in 2-3 stops lower exposure and then do a "compensating exposure" in RAW-editing software(I use RPP for mac, it does a brilliant job on that for just 14$). And it's shutter is good for a few thousands of shots if heavily used already.
I have one! Haven’t finish the whole roll. I guess I should bring this to my Vegas trip together with a digicam 😊
I love watching people on the internet telling me what to do with my life
Haha! So many expensive film cameras out there. The thought I’d give my $0.02 on something most people would like
in this age of high-res color popping photos this is a breath of fresh air
Just order it, idk if that was impulsive or not, but my girlfriend was looking for a point n shoot, so i take my chances!
Thanks for the video and the example photos, it was really interesting to see examples from day n night!
I love the look of it it looks so vintage.
Yayy!! I was gifted this camera and I just took my first shot. I’m looking forward to how the pictures turn out
I picked this up for my month long trip to Japan. Thanks for the recommendation.
8:35, Insanely good photo!
Great video and great images, Benj! I'm very interested in something like this, but it's been over a decade since I've done anything with film. Is there a film development service you recommend, or have you developed these yourself? I'd love to be able to keep the frame of film info around images but from my old CVS developing days I think they would cut down right to the image.
I was pleasantly surprised by the results I got with this camera.
Just grabbed one because of you. Great little camera, I can’t wait to get the film developed.
Where can you get the film developed?
@@ANDRE1mang depending on where you live. I get mine developed at Boots. There are also online places you can find, where you post your films to get developed.
This looks like a fun camera! I may grab one.. using your link of course! Thanks for posting this video! Great work! 👍🏾😀
Yes! More film. Always more film! Thanks for the vid. :)
Great review. I have never seen roll of film for sale anywhere. Also never seen anywhere that you can get the film developed and pictures printed. I'm guessing it would be very expensive.
It is. And you think about every photo. How, why and when to take it. I kinda miss that. :)
This is gonna be my first camera and I’m so excited to get into photography with it
Finally a thorough review
I always forget that you live nearby until I see something so local like Frisko. I like the film videos and the digital videos. Keeping rocking, man. 🤙
I immediately bought it mid way the video! Great Work!
Wow, this looks like an updated Instamatic 33 from the late '60s - early '70s. Had one of these as a kid, but it took 126 film instead of 35mm. Very neat!
Great video. At 1/100 and 9.5 a 400 speed film would likely be 2 to 3 stops over exposed in bright sunny days. What film did you use? Would you recommend a 100 or 200 speed film if you are mostly going to shooting outdoors?
I have used the camera a couple times. With 200 speed film, I can shoot in daylight to cloudy easily (assuming you're using color negative film) I do use a light meter on my phone though to make sure just in case. Haven't ruined any shots yet. Personally, I think 200 is nice unless you plan to shoot in very harsh light.
I mostly shot 200 speed and overexposing color negative film is no big deal. just toss on the flash indoors and have at it otherwise!
@@benjhaisch thanks for the help. I have lots of portra 400 to use up. Was thinking of getting one of these cameras
I’ve been using Gold 200 in mine, I wouldn’t waste Portra on this personally ;) I’ll trade you all of my gold for your Portra haha
I think 200 iso is the sweet spot for this camera if you're shooting in daylight. From both experience and seeing other people using it 400 is JUST a bit too fast if you're in decent daylight. Overexposing film is fine (unlike digtal where you want to err on underexposing), but 400 is too fast it seems. 100 iso should work well if you're bucking the usual trend and shooting in midday.
Loved! I’m excitedly waiting to get mine in the mail now -thanks for the recommendation
Lucky for you I DID actually buy it and it's on its way over to me!
Video @ 8:47 - That's a Minolta V2 rangefinder camera that has a 2,000th of a second 'Leaf Shutter' ! - Great camera that was way ahead of its time.
BTW, try to shoot more horizontal with this little Half-frame camera...
I have an Olympus half-frame from the 50's; very high-quality optics and all metal mechanics. Maybe I'll get one of these Kodaks and do a comparison. Also, it is no sweat to tip these half-frames on their sides and do landscapes.
I just bought this camera from Amazon. With tax included I paid a total of $43.00. I wanted a featureless camera that I could pull out of my pocket on a moment's notice and take a picture.
I’m glad to hear you use this song. i’ve know him for years and he’s such a good guy. great video too!
I'm glad they make this, but as an enthusiast I'd get an original Oly Pen if I wanted half-frame. And the 22mm is a deal breaker.
i can't explain but the wedding pictures just made it looks much more personal and intimate. i loved it! congragulations for the video!
very cool i can see why you would buy 8-16 exposure rolls now. didnt know such a thing existed
So its like a little bit more sophisticated (and 35mm) Holga? I like it!
I bought this camera and was super happy with it until I wanted to get in a new film. After I took out the old film and wanted to set up a new one I realized the rewind button was pushed too hard, even though I was very cautious not to put to misch pressure on it. As a result I was not able to roll
Th little wheel for each photo afterwards.
Noob question, but for casual point and click use is this any better than an Iphone 13 pro camera or Sasmung S22 ultra camera?
what exposer what did you use?
@@nuckv7544 Not by a mile lol, but in this case you are not going for quality, it's more about giving character to the photo, and the satisfaction of it being analog.
this happened to me with my kodak f9!!! my first roll was great but whne i wanted to load in a new roll of film i must have pressed the rewind button too hard and i couldnt advance the film after that so basically it broke
As a person who grew up and lives in Rochester NY, all I have to say is yay Kodak
Went in to this video being skeptical and being judgmental during the first half but after seeing the sours I gotta say you convinced me
I don’t see a lot of people needing this unless they just don’t have a smartphone. Unless you just like the style but there are apps you can get on your phone if you want that.
What's your processing for developing the film from this camera, and converting it to a nice digital format as shown in this video?
Presumably just develop the whole frame and then crop it in half
This comment made me feel old. lol You could scan it. Some places when they develop the film give you the option of digital images. There are also devices that will make a digital image from your negatives.
And with phones such as they are these days... you could likely get a nice digital image by just shooting a pic of the photo with your phone. I've also seen phone apps that will make images from negatives, but have never tried those. Lots of options!
Ngl the results are amazing! Considering to buy one 😩
Great review sir! Thank you for showing us this film camera
Been loving your work for over a decade on insta - had no idea you were YouTubing these days - great video
Appreciate it!
I really really love the results but I wish shooting with film wasnt expensive
Hey Dude! First time watcher. Loved the video, and im looking into purchasing one as i type so please excuse any typos lol. Will subscribe and look forward to more content specially photography content which i've abandoned a bit as i got more into video. THANK YOU!
Idk if you're in Tacoma very often or if you live there but I love that BlueBeard!!!
yep! I live here :)
So why should I get it??
maybe listen to the video
Lmao😂
@@KoopaTroopaa69maybe try to understand that it's a joke. Lol
For a joke it needs to be funny@@harryHensum
Looks awesome! Great video, will definitely consider getting one of these some time.
Thanks for the rec! I don’t know how colour I want, great options 😭
I love that your pictures were on the gorge! A beautiful way to see my area. :) [sorta, clsoer to seattle but instantly recognized the area]
Your pictures looked amazing and I can't wait to get one I will be sure to purchase through your link since I discovered through your video
My little sister uses this camera and loves it
Thank you for this!! Out of curiosity are there other modern film cams that are half-frame like this? I’ve always wanted a lightweight, travel friendly film camera that’s low pressure like this, so I’m curious if there are ‘competitors’ of this Ektar! If not, I might snag one this week before a Japan trip! Love that it gives 2x exposures for a typical roll too
Not a modern option, but the Olympus Pen is an iconic half frame camera that was produced in Japan. It's hard to purchase online unless buying it from Japan, so very fortunately, you could consider buying one locally if you're going to be visiting there.
@@Richard-ck3jl Thanks for the response! I ended up snagging the H35 and have been playing around with it. Literally still trying to fill up my roll to develop this week; been testing it on different kinds of lighting so I know what to prep for. I'm now curious about the Olympus Pen! Maybe I'll keep an eye out for it during my travels!
@@csdsa How did your pictures turn out! I'm curious about this camera but want to see what people think
@@faithhunt6114 Sorry I'm only just seeing this!! They came out so good and so fun!! It really is such an easy camera to use, and reliable too (other than the super lightweight build, but again, only being $50 doesn't make me scared of dropping or breaking it lol). I tried to test it in a lot of different lighting and settings with ISO 200 film and it's literally perfect in daylight/sunlight. When I was researching it, I've heard consistently from others that the standard 400 film tends to be too bright for daylight, and I knew I'd be shooting more outdoors so it worked out. Indoor/night/flash was a little trickier, but it seems you have to be at two arms' length for it to look decent -- anything further gets too dark and muddled. My only gripe is that it's too hard to actually know which frame you're on -- the counter goes from 1 to 72 but it's hard to tell if you're on frame 45, 46 or 47 for example. So it seems a lil impossible to actually *plan* diptychs, but in the end it makes it more freeing to just shoot without worrying about what the diptychs will look like. Thankfully didn't get motion blur; made it a habit to shoot really still, but that's also because I didn't really shoot a ton of movement other than my dog lol. I'd be happy to send you my photos if you want to peek at them!! Currently I'm waiting on two more rolls of film which I shot traveling around San Diego last week :)
@@csdsa I'd love to see the photos if you don't mind sharing! and get your recs for which film you used! Mine comes monday and I'm excited but also anxious about 72 shots coming out terribly and only finding out when they're developed haha
Sweet review! Benj you should do a follow up showing how to use it for diptychs and triptychs! It’s not just about saving money, this little plastic wonder has creative capabilities that my Leica MP and Nikon F6 do not!
This camera is not for the iPhone/digital generation that expect "do-overs". Perfect for street photography, great conversation starter. Love it as much as my Canon AE-1 program and 7D.
Thanks for bringing this camera to our attention! Did you develop your own film?
I didn’t develop it myself, but I did scan it
@@benjhaisch awesome work!!! What scanner do you use? Definitely following your content. 👍
@@benjhaisch what scanner did you use?
ruclips.net/video/S_HPI5HWQgI/видео.html
Some Beautifull pictures you made man!
0:00 The Hasselblad looks pretty intriguing. I wonder if I could rent one...
You keep saying "resolution doesn't matter", but in a Half Frame camera with this kind of a lens the max print size before you lose definition is 6x8". One of the biggest pros of film photography is that, even accounting for inflation, you can get very high *potential* resolution even if you go for cheap low-rez scans - a few years down the road you'll rescan a couple frames at max resolution and can get to 44x66" even from a point&shoot 135 camera and consumer-grade film.
With digital cameras you have high upfront investment which you have to reinvest every 3-5Y, for the same potential resolution you get with film cameras where you have a very low upfront investment and a constant pay-as-you-go investment. These plastic lens Half-135 give you the worst in film and neglecting one of the biggest benefits.
what a coincidence this comes up on my recommendation right after researching abt this camera for 2 wks
Awesome stuff with those shots man, might grab some ideas if I may! Can I ask the film that you used? Would a lower ISO film ne better given that it shoots brightly on well lit environments?
Reminds me of the old Kodak Instamatic. It was my dissatisfaction with the pictures I got with an instamatic that led me to proper 35mm photography with an SLR, interchangeable lenses and all that.
wonderful shots and cool camera!
We also have a Kodak Instamatic 233X camera with a similar body that is 40 years old. It works with 24-exposure film and 4-exposure external OSRAM flash, which was always very expensive in the past. Almost all the photos he took are blurry. I don't remember any clear photographs of him.
looks like a fun cam!!! plus the extra shots!!!!