Fujica Half Test Roll

Fujica Half

I learned about the Fujica Half while researching sub-miniature and half-frame cameras online. I don’t recall exactly where I learned about this camera, but I decided I had to have one. After watching eBay for a while, I got one for $46.75 shipped this past January.

It arrived in the mail on a Saturday afternoon. I opened the package like it was Christmastime (except more carefully), and was immediately pleased with the size and heft of the camera. It didn’t look like the built-in selenium light meter was responsive, though, which was a bummer. No worries — I’d just forked over some money-well-spent for a battery adapter for cameras and accessories that were build to use mercury batteries, so my Kalimar accessory shoe light meter would serve me well. I was so excited, I loaded up the camera and took it to dinner to try it out.

Fujica Half

In the car en route to our favorite Vietnamese joint, I realized that the needle in the viewfinder was moving, and the on-board meter was functional. I compared the readings between all three meters — the Light Meter app on my iPhone, the Kalimar, and the selenium cell meter — and they all read 1/30 sec at f/2.8 indoors. (Which is admittedly on the low end of not needing a tripod, but I was anxious to start shooting with this little camera, so I took a chance.)

Fujica Half Test Roll
[Taken 21 January 2017]

Fujica Half Test Roll
[Taken 21 January 2017]
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Rollei 35 Test Roll

Rollei 35

I completely forgot that I hadn’t tested this camera at all after I’d tried unsuccessfully to get the light meter to work after I first bought it on eBay in August 2015. I got a mighty good deal on it, due to its cosmetic condition. The dings and dents and missing cosmetic bits don’t really bother me so much, as long as the camera works. I’d rather have a camera with character, anyway.

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Sears 35 RF Test Roll

Sears 35 RF

I picked up this camera at Savers for $3.99, all wrapped in a plastic bag with its flash, original lens cap, and a PC cord. At first glance, I mistakenly thought it was a trashcam — that is, a cheap plastic 35mm jobbie with a few rudimentary settings and a shitty lens. I bought it under that assumption, because I like the variability of trashcams. (File under: Life is like a box of chocolates)

When I realized what I’d actually bought, I was over the moon: a Sears-branded Ricoh rangefinder. It had gummy seals (and lots of them) and needed a battery, but the shutter appeared to work. I just needed to get it clean and tested. Knowing my love of rangefinders, I expected that this might end up on my film camera short-list, so I was excited to get going on it.

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Kodak S100 EF Test Roll

Kodak S100 EFI picked up this late ’80s – early ‘90s fixed focus point-and-shoot at Goodwill for a few bucks late last summer. Since discovering that my son’s generic blue 35mm camera actually takes pretty cool and hipstery pictures, I decided to take a chance on romance and start picking up some more point-and-shoot and “trashcam” models.

TL;DR: This point-and-shoot takes pretty decent photos overall. Pretty sharp focus at midrange, some vignetting in certain situations. Feels comfortable to use. I kinda like it. I might experiment with the apertures a bit in the future.

Kodak S100 EF

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