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A case for avoiding online camera bargains:
I buy, sell, test, and review a lot of them here: analog.cafe/analogue-camer… . I consider myself a knowledgeable, diligent buyer. But I’m also a bit of a cheap-ass, which had, unfortunately, cost me hundreds in $$$ and weeks of lost time.
Many of my cheap camera copies from eBay do not work as described. The sellers refunded me, but I won’t get the time and fees it took to receive the cameras back.
I think I’ll need to adjust my buying strategies. 🤔
#gas
But I am also looking forward to trying those cameras again. I’ll be paying more and asking more questions.
Here’s a camera that I thought looked beautiful (if only it worked): Konica Recorder or AA-35.
My copy had a manual ISO selector AND a DX-code reader. Who knows which one of these things takes priority?
Fujifilm’s Cardia Tiara II is another camera that I thought looked really cool. I love the thin sliding door piece and its film-loading mechanism is particularly interesting: the film door opens only a sliver — unless you disconnect a hinge. It’s almost as if they wanted it to have the same experience of sliding a roll of film in as with a vintage Leica camera but with the convenience of an automatic film-winding motor.
The Konica Recorder is very high up on my list but for a few years now the cheapest copy I can find with a seller that guarantees it works costs approximately USD300. From what I have read the manual ISO selector takes priority so in essence you can play with underexposure or overexposure.
Oh yeah, they are surprisingly expensive! Half-frames are a relatively rare breed tho and I haven’t yet seen any other than the Recorder that are pocketable point-and-shoots.
The one I held in hand was actually a little bulkier than some of the full-frame point-and-shoots I tried. But it still looks very nice and makes 72+ frames. I have a really nice scanner that could produce 60MP images from half-frames, so it could really be something.
Thanks for the tip about the ISO selector!