Ricoh Singlex TLS

Ricoh made compact SLR cameras from 1963 to 2000, when digital cameras took over. Other than own brand, they sold via Sears and Kmart in the US, Foto Quelle in Germany and Universa in France. With the early models, they subscribed to the common in the market, whereas in the late 1980s, they climbed to the first line with the XR series.

In the early days, Ricoh was unsure of which market to aim for, and an example is the SLX 500 of 1974. The market had accepted the SLR as the standard for amateur shooters so that the market would absorb anything one could throw at it.

The Ricoh SLX 500 is a plain Jane adorned in a lovely black dress. I cannot find much information on it, either printed or online. The only reference to it, probably copy and pasted many times over, ir that it is a simplified copy of Ricoh Singlex TLS. It could be or not, as there is no resemblance between the two other than the general appearance as an SLR.

The camera cannot be more straightforward, with just the basic settings to fiddle with. Press the lever by the front logo for DOF, and the aperture steps down.