Cameras - Page 9 of 34 - Facts, notes and thoughts about vintage cameras and other trifle matters

December 15, 2024

Ricoh 300

Ricoh 300 In 1958, together with the high-end Ricoh 500, Ricoh introduced the mid-tier Ricoh 300. I say mid-tier and not entry-level, as the 300 has what an advanced hobbyist would ask for, yet no fancy frills. While the 500 was aimed to compete with the German cameras, The 300 is typical Japanese hardware, not much different from other compact...

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December 12, 2024

Ricoh 500 and family

Ricoh 500 and family To Ricoh 500 camera page Ricoh 500 variants Ricoh kept recycling camera model names, which look haphazard and seem to have no clear rationale. The Cameras presented under the ‘Ricoh 500’ name variants are a typical example. The first in the series, the 1957 Ricoh 500, was a rebrand of the Ricoh 35 Delux of that...

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December 3, 2024

Ricoh Auto 35

Ricoh Auto 35 / Auto 35-V Ricoh had their cameras offered in bunches. Models in case: Ricoh Auto 35 and the Ricoh Auto 35-V, both viewfinders described here, complemented with the Japan-only rangefinder Auto 35-L, AKA Richomatic 35 in other markets. The three models are similar and presented within a year, in 1960-61. The Zorki 10 and Zorki 11 are...

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November 28, 2024

Ricoh Auto Shot

Ricoh Auto Shot Last on my Ricoh spring-loaded models is the Ricoh Auto Shot. It is an early model in a dynasty of compact cameras by Ricoh, an assortment of point-and-shoot, manual and automatic modes, some spring loaded, with a further mix of #126, #135 and #135 half-frame formats. This line began in 1960 with the Ricoh Auto 35 and...

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November 28, 2024

Ricoh Hi-Color 35

Ricoh Hi-Color 35 The Ricoh Hi-Color 35 belongs to a family of similar-looking models under the Hi-Color name. All are spring-loaded, compact viewfinders, full-frame #135 format. Easy to use once reading the user manual. I’m not sure about the entire family, but the unit on my bench can shoot shutter-priority auto, governed by a CdS meter or fully manual. These...

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November 23, 2024

Ricoh 126 C Automatic

Ricoh 126 C Automatic Camera history dictated that the simpler the camera, the bigger the customer base. Using a camera begins with loading the film, so the #135, 35mm cartridge, was a major step, yet it needed agile fingers to load. To further simplify it and cater to the user’s base ground level, Kodak presented a new concept in 1963,...

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November 15, 2024

Petri Flex 7

Petri Flex 7 Petri entered the compact SLR camera market in 1959 with the Penta / Flex line, a mix of entry-level and mid-market models. I guess the quality/price ratio was unfavourable, as these models did not gain many followers, which is also reflected in today’s prices for these models. True to Petri’s tradition, similar cameras were sold under different...

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November 11, 2024

35mm Half Frame Camera List

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November 10, 2024

Petri Compact 17

Petri Compact 17 In the 1960s, the ever-changing hobbyist photography market got a new trend to chew upon: the half-frame 35mm format on a 135 cartridge. Technology has evolved towards smaller film formats, from the early film available for amateur, the #120 format, to the #127, the smallest reasonable contact print, to the #135, #828, Rapid, Karat and Bolta. The...

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November 7, 2024

Petri 35 2.8 Color Corrected Super

Petri 35 2.8 Color Corrected Super Compact cameras made before WWII were klapp style or twin-lens reflexes, using either 120 or 127 formats, so called in Japan ‘semi’ and ‘best’ / ‘vest’ respectively. The early German monoblock models using ‘Kinofilm’, 35mm format, did not catch up much till after the war. In Japan, the early 35mm models by, say, the...

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