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  • Dmitri Mar 14, ‘24 edit

    A new half-frame 35mm film camera by RETO Project, KODAK EKTAR H35N, is now available for pre-order at retopro.co/

    This new “reusable” film camera can make 72+ exposures on a single standard roll of 36exp. 35mm film. It comes with a flash, a built-in optional Star Filter lens, and a coated glass lens with an aspherical acrylic lens design that “helps to improve the sharpness of the images” according to the press release.

    A “reusable” a.k.a. “toy” camera is a simple plastic body design typically with a fixed ~1/100s shutter and a fixed or limited aperture. Lomography is perhaps the best-known manufacturer of toy cameras, i.e., Diana Mini (analog.cafe/r/diana-mini-7…). These cameras are fully functional and are sometimes used as creative and/or everyday tools by skilled photographers.

    The presumably sharper lens on EKTAR H35N is a welcome upgrade as distortions and imperfections become more apparent on smaller formats such as this camera’s half-frame exposure area. Other improvements include redesigned viewfinder/flash switch/rewind knob, tripod hole, a Bulb shutter mode, and the Star lens filter.

    EKTAR H35N has a fixed aperture of 𝒇8 and a fixed shutter speed of 1/100s. You can use the Sunny 16 Calculator to find the optimal film ISO for your scene (analog.cafe/app/sunny-16-c…).

    The camera sells for $64.99.

    #editorial #gas

  • Dmitri Sep 1, ‘23

    Here’s a sample frame from the press kit. It looks pretty sharp (to be fair, the sharpest out of the bunch). I’m certainly curious about the potential of this camera as it seems to fit the current environment of increasing film prices (analog.cafe/r/film-prices-…).

    Seasoned film photographers may be able to find used film cameras with better build quality, lens, and shutter specs at a comparable price on eBay (i.e., Canon Demi analog.cafe/r/canon-demi-2… or Welta Penti analog.cafe/r/welta-penti-…). However, finding a working vintage camera is not an easy leap to make for a first-time film photographer.

    I requested a review copy from the company, very curious how the lens will work out for me. Autoreply said everyone is out of the office until Sept 4 “as Super Typhoon Saola edges closer.” 😬🤞

  • Dmitri Mar 14, ‘24 edit

    Today, I unboxed the new RETO Project, the KODAK EKTAR H35N half-frame film camera.

    I got my review copy very quickly. Naturally, I’m very excited to test it out. As mentioned above, it has glass and aspherical lens elements, which I don’t think any plastic toy/reusable camera design has.

    If you like this kind of thing, the unboxing video is here: youtube.com/shorts/bJi2KRa….

    The review is coming soon. I’ve decided to load CineStill 50D (even though I had Ektar and was very tempted to use it). I decided to go with CineStill to see if I could exaggerate the star effect that the optional lens filter produces on this camera. That’s to be determined, of course.

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