Kodak Ektar 35 Half Frame Camera - First Impressions
Yes, I purchased this camera. And I purchased it in SAGE...
What can I say? SAGE is the RAGE!
:)
Ok, first impressions. The color is boss. The feel is plastic and cheap. Plastic and cheap has aquired a bad connotation to the words, but I'm not attaching one here.
Plastic, while not so great for our environment, is not going to stop being made anytime soon. It is a lightweight material and makes things more affordable than using other resources. So pick and chose, but we can't really have low cost products without having plastic anymore. Things that are made with metals or stronger materials will cost more. If you have the luxury of a larger budget, then you can spend more on non-plastic type cameras. For those that do not, having the cheap plastic option makes items more accessible.
I recently researched a type of plastic called PVC for an article I wrote on 35mmc.com about the new Dubblefilm SHOW camera KEIKO. Certain types of platics can be remelted and other cannot. So of course it is better to use the ones which can be recycled rather than not.
Price Point
Talking about cheap, I wouldn't say 50 GBP for this camera is necessarily my definition of cheap. I'd say cheap to be around $30 for what this camera is. This is because of the make of the camera. But the extra premium is the novelty of half frame, the value of this to the customer as they can get more images out of a roll of film than non-half frame 35mm cameras. And of course, the premium for the color SAGE. Kidding about the sage color, but there is a premium Reto Pro pays for licensing the Kodak name.
This camera seems to be on the same level as the other non-disposable reusable cameras released by a multitude of companies including Dubblefilm, Lomography, Harman, Ilford, Kodak etc. However these cameras are reasonably priced around the 30 GBP range.
Concluding feel about the value - it's stretching it at the budget a tiny bit, but still worth it. For me. Also, don't take this as a complaint, it's intended to be an assessment of the value vs price.
Kodak Ektar H35 Shooting Experience
Let's get into the shooting experience!! Well, it's the same as shooting a disposable camera, except you can select to have the flash off or on.
I've heard to put 100-200 speed films in here when its sunny, and 400 when cloudy. The settings are fixed. I put Agfa Vista expired 200 film in here and shot some with flash and some without.
I really enjoy using this camera and the biggest value point for me aside from the half frame aspect is the near weightlessness of the camera. You wouldn't notice it in a bag or purse, and hardly notice it on your wrist! It would be an excellent candidate for a travel companion.
And the photos didn't come out half bad either!!
One thing I learned from the first roll from the H35 Ektar is to stick to either all vertical images or all horizontal. This is up to the photographer, but a lesson for me is to stick to one or the other. I have a few images where I took a vertical shot then a horizontal shot and I don't necessarily like these two orientations side by side. Of course, this will be different for everyone and also depends on the subject.
I did struggle to finish this roll. Saying to myself constantly, this must be the last one! Being used to 36 frames on average, 72 is actually a lot to get through depending on what your shooting. Of course for this test roll, I was shooting around a quieter neighborhood section so perhaps this was why as well. I'm going to try this camera out for a real street photography session soon because that is where I can really burn through rolls.
Ok, well that's it for today's film adventure journal! I had a lot of fun trying to Kodak Ektar H35 and look forward to shooting with it more. As I explained earlier, my thoughts around the price and value, it's pretty fair for what it is. If it wasn't half frame though, I'd likely buy a Dubblefilm SHOW camera. The images came out mostly well exposed. There were a few I used the flash on in daylight that were a bit dark, but not too bad.
