Kodak Ektar H35N Glass Lens Reusable Camera Review

Kodak Ektar H35N is a new reusable/toy half-frame film camera with a unique coated glass + aspherical element lens, a built-in optional Star filter, flash, and a bulb mode with a remote trigger port.

H35N can make 72-76 exposures on a single roll of 35mm film (double the typical 36-38), making it an economical analogue photography option. This is possible thanks to the smaller (half) frame size — a bold choice for a camera of this type. The manufacturer’s approach to maintaining decent quality with such a tiny image format is advanced optics (more on that below).

In this review, I’ll explain how the new H35N works, show you how you can make better images with it, and suggest the best films to buy. I will also share my results and compare them to similar cameras in this and higher price ranges.

In this review: The 22mm Kodak Aspherical Lens. Camera specs, ergonomics, and build quality. Flash and long exposures. Exposure guide: how to make better photos with H35N. Which films to shoot in H35N? How much does Ektar H35N cost and where to find one. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships! ☝︎ Further reading: “10 Half-Frame Film Cameras for Under $500.”

The 22mm Kodak Aspherical Lens.

Ektar H35N belongs to the group of plastic reusable¹ or toy cameras, such as Lomography Diana Mini and Holga. They are made and sold cheaply, designed for casual or lo-fi chic photography.

Because of their low price and availability — often sold for less than even the bargain bin vintage clunkers — these cameras are usually the first kind a beginner photographer would try. But their unpredictable and whacky distortions, thanks to the imperfect optics, also attract seasoned photographers interested in the experimental look.

Speaking of affordable design, H35N is made to use half of a standard 35mm film frame to help you cut down on the rising costs of shooting film. However, that presents a new challenge: smaller frames need to be magnified more than usual, and imperfections become more apparent in the process of this magnification. This typically means larger grain and fewer details/less sharpness from an already cheaply-made plastic lens.

You may have also noticed that toy cameras have no focusing ring and are sometimes labelled “focus-free.” This is because they have a large depth of field, thanks to their tiny apertures. In practice, this means fewer moving parts and most of the scene staying in focus at all times. H35N’s 22mm 𝒇8 fixed-aperture lens stays focused between roughly 1m/3’ and infinity but is probably the sharpest at about 3m/9’ away.

To improve the image quality in response to the challenges of the half-frame design, H35N used a two-element lens design; one of these elements is a coated glass, and the other is an aspherical acrylic. Theoretically, this should help with aberration control, barrel distortion, and excessive flaring while keeping the price in check.

H35N’s image quality may not match the sharpness, contrast, and overall clarity of the highly-regarded Olympus PEN F lens collection — made for another half-frame camera designed in the 1970s for the professional market. It’s also not as sharp as that of Canon Demi or Ricoh Caddy. But all of these cameras are significantly more expensive, especially if you want to ensure that they’re in good working condition. A three-lens Olympus PEN system may set you back $1,000, whereas good-condition Demi and Caddy can be found for well over $200.

The only sub-$100 vintage half-frame camera made with better materials and a sharper lens I’ve reviewed thus far is Welta Penti. However, it uses specialized film cartridges that are hard to find.

At the same time, H35N appears to show noticeable improvement in image quality over the similarly-designed Diana Mini and Lomography Super Sampler cameras.

The 22mm Kodak Aspherical lens shows an OK level of contrast and limited flaring. I found no noticeable chromatic aberration — though that may be because the frames shot with this camera are fairly soft throughout when sufficiently enlarged (these distortions are only apparent in the fine details). The lens shows no vignetting but some slight additional swirly softening in the corners at close distances.

H35N’s 25mm focal length translates into roughly 28mm full-frame equivalent or a wide-angle lens. Looking through the finder, you’ll notice that the world appears bubbly, with the frame extending slightly beyond what you may see with the naked eye. The actual photographs do not show the spherical/barrel distortion of the finder, perhaps thanks to the aspherical element, which makes the lines appear reasonably straight even at close distances.

The Star filter is an interesting optional addition that you can turn on by pushing the small plastic toggle next to the lens up until you see the “little stars” icon and a plastic element appear on top of the glass. If you point your camera at something showing specular highlights (bright points of light on a dark background), the camera will render an “X” pattern of light streaks across the frame.

In certain light, the Star filter may add flaring patterns throughout the frame; in others, it may even prevent some flaring. The filter takes away about a quarter-stop of light from the exposure and thus is not a concern when metering.

I often use the filter as a lens cover while keeping the camera in the pocket to avoid scratching the main element and disengage it whenever I take a picture.

¹ — “Reusable” is a relatively new term some manufacturers use to describe their toy plastic cameras that may sound more positive while drawing parallels with the similarly-built disposable film cameras.

Camera specs, ergonomics, and build quality.

Ektar H35N weighs just 138g/4.87oz with film and a single AAA battery or 110g/3.88oz when empty (you don’t need a battery to operate it, that’s just for flash). It’s pocketable, measuring 110×62×39mm (4.33×2.44×1.54”).

The shutter on this camera fires at 1/100s with an optional Bulb mode that only works when you attach a remote cable trigger.

The built-in Kodak Aspherical Lens is a fixed-focus, fixed-aperture 22mm 𝒇8. You may toggle the Star filter on and off on the side of it, and you may also turn the flash on and off by rotating the rim around it.

The flash on this camera has a guide number (GN) of 11 (this isn’t listed in the technical specifications, but I’ve had the manufacturer confirm this to me over email)². When the flash is on and you’ve advanced to the new frame, a red bulb will light up next to the finder, indicating that it’s ready.

The flash toggle is a little sticky, so it needs some effort to rotate. It’s also prone to be accidentally left in the “ON” position, which is why I recommend using rechargeable batteries to avoid waste.

On the top plate, in addition to the shutter button and a Bulb trigger port, there’s a small bubble window that shows the frame you’re currently on. It’s a nice touch.

The winding and rewinding are done by hand via the small plastic wheel and a foldable rewind crank on the bottom plate (you’ll need to press the small button next to the battery door to unlock the rewinding).

Loading film is a little cumbersome but isn’t all that hard if you’ve done this before (follow the above link for instructions if it’s your first time). The film door latch is on the right-hand side when looking at the back of the camera; on the bottom-right, there’s a spot to attach a strap.

Overall, this is a simple camera; it’s relatively inexpensive, and it feels a little cheap in hand. But it does not seem like it’ll break anytime soon; all the parts fit together perfectly, and I expect mine to last a while.

Issues. I wish the viewfinder was a little more comfortable to use with glasses, as it’s quite small. The “Glazed Orange” copy I have is also prone to retaining some fingerprints on the front plate; they aren’t particularly noticeable and can be wiped with a damp cloth, just something to note.

The shutter button spring could use a little fine-tuning as pressing it carelessly will cause a noticeable camera shake in your images (so press it gently and try to keep the camera steady). Please also note that the copy I tested is a pre-production unit that RETO said had since been refined in this aspect; I will update this article if I notice significant improvements.

✪ Note: H35N is neither made nor sold by Kodak. Instead, it’s licensed, named, and sold as such by RETO Production Ltd., a brand that has a few camera products under its belt, with the notable RETO3D being its first one.

²​ — the guide number uses metres.

Flash and long exposures.

The small aperture and a wide-angle lens on H35N are good for keeping most of the scene in focus without moving parts. However, that’s not enough to take well-lit exposures in subdued light with the same film that you used in daylight. So, if you wish to use this camera indoors or under a shade, you may want to try flash or long exposures.

To get the best results with flash, you may want to read this guide while keeping in mind that H35N uses GN 11 (in metres). TL;DR: the light emitted by flash works best at a certain distance, depending on film ISO and aperture.

Ideally, there would be a table provided by the manufacturer that would inform you how far you should stand from your subject while using flash. Alas, RETO does not publish this material. But because they shared the GN value, I was able to crunch the numbers for you using the formulas in the above-mentioned guide. Simply look up your film’s ISO and estimate the distance to your subject for the best exposures:

With ISO 25 film, the optimal distance for flash is .7m or 2ft.

With ISO 50 film, the optimal distance for flash is 1m or 3ft.

With ISO 100 film, the optimal distance for flash is 1.3m or 4ft.

With ISO 200 film, the optimal distance for flash is 2m or 6ft.

With ISO 400 film, the optimal distance for flash is 2.75m or 9ft.

With ISO 800 film, the optimal distance for flash is 4m or 13ft.

With ISO 1600 film, the optimal distance for flash is 5.5m or 18ft.

You don’t need to be extremely precise with these. Your best guess should do fine; as long as you are within a metre of the above measurements, your images should turn out well. In most cases, it’s better to be closer than further.

And here’s something else to consider: because H35N is at its sharpest at around 3m/9’ away from the subject, you will get the best images when using flash with an ISO 400 film.

Using long exposures with H35N (via Bulb) can get tricky, but the longer the exposure is, the more forgiving the film will be to any miscalculations. Before you get started with that, you’ll need to have a tripod and a shutter release cable. You will then need to meter your scene with a light meter for an aperture of 𝒇8 and the film ISO you’re using (a free app may do the trick unless it’s exceptionally dark). If the exposure time is longer than one second, you’ll need to factor in reciprocity failure.

Note that the flash does not work with a cable release on H35N, which is a shame as that would make selfies much easier!

Exposure guide: how to make better photos with H35N.

Now that we’ve covered flash and long exposures, let’s consider daylight.

Your light meter will tell you that in full sun the best film to use in this camera is anything that has ISO 25 on the box. However, most negative film can tolerate 1-2 stops of over-exposure; thus, you can load an ISO 50 film and even ISO 100 without worrying about your images.

However, if you plan to shoot in the shade or during an overcast day, it’s best to use an ISO 400 film. And once the shade gets deeper, or the clouds get thicker, make sure the flash is on and you are no further than 9ft/3m away from your subject.

If you’ve been shooting film or digital cameras for a while and know how to meter your exposures, you’ll be able to make more exotic film choices. But you should still keep in mind that with 72+ frames on a single roll, it may be more practical to stick with something that works for most scenes.

Which films to shoot in H35N?

CineStill 50D is excellent in bright sun — film review.

Kodak Ektar is excellent in bright sun — film review.

Kodak Gold will work great in very light shade or on hazy days or with flash at 2m/6’ from your subject — film review.

Kodak ColorPlus will work great in very light shade and on hazy days or with flash at 2m/6’ from your subject (budget-friendly) — film review.

Kodak Portra 400 will work great in light shade and with flash at 3m/9’ from your subject — film review.

Kodak Tri-X will work great in light shade and with flash at 3m/9’ from your subject (black-and-white) — film review.

Ilford HP5+ will work great in light shade and with flash at 3m/9’ from your subject (black-and-white) — film review.

Ilford XP2 will work great in light shade and with flash at 3m/9’ from your subject (black-and-white, can be developed at any film lab) — film review.

For more film options, check out film reviews.

How much does Ektar H35N cost and where to find one.

Ektar H35N costs $65. As of this writing, it is still making its way to the stores and will be available for purchase soon using the links below.

If you’re reading this article shortly after it’s been published, these links may direct you to the earlier Ektar H35 cameras — they are cheaper ($45-$49), but I haven’t tried them and they don’t have a star filter, glass lens, or the Bulb trigger.

The official release date for Ektar H35N is late October 2023.

❤ By the way: Please consider making your Kodak Ektar H35N half-frame film camera purchase using this link  so that this website may get a small percentage of that sale — at no extra charge for you — thanks!