The 'Vest Pocket' Kodak models were produced for several decades between the teens and the thirties, and featured numerous lens and shutter combinations, along with some neat colors and coverings, like the 'Sea Gull' finish you see here.
Vest Pocket Kodak Series III models are very small as the name suggests, and they'll easily fit in a 'vest' pocket, or in the back pocket of your jeans. Of course they're 'folders,' meaning they must be opened up and the lens extended before taking pictures, which makes them a bit larger and more cumbersome when you're actually taking pictures.
Our ca1932 review model has a good Kodak Anastigmat F/6.3 lens, along with a decent four speed Diomatic shutter, and thumb screw focusing. Surprisingly...
The Kodak Breeze, (S100EF or Euro-35) was a budget friendly camera that used bold color schemes and simplicity to attract customers, and probably sold by the millions at K-Mart or Walmart back in the very late 1980s into the early 1990s. There are more color combinations for this particular camera than you can imagine; white black, blue, and red bodies, some with different colored buttons. Our review model is white with pink accents, and is often referred to online as the 'Hello Kitty' camera. Kodak wasn't satisfied with just a bunch of goofy colored cameras, so they tried to advance the status a bit from our cartoonish model, to evoking Parisian sophistication and grandeur in another model using the name 'Élysées,' with an elegant cursive font, and faux mother-of-pearl finish.
The picture quality, operating characteristics, and dimensions of the Kodak Breeze are similar to the Canon Snappy 30, except the Breeze has no winding motor, it's all manual, so you don't need any batteries unless you want to use the flash. The Kodak Breeze is a very inexpensive model, but it's capable of taking good pictures with the right film and settings. I really appreciate the small size; it'll actually fit in a shirt pocket without sagging, (like a pack of smokes) as it's so light-weight, especially without batteries.
This popular snapshot camera from three decades ago set me back about $2, and it still works just fine.
If you're bored at work, and looking to goof off for a few minutes, scroll on down for the review; and pretend you're 'somewhere in time.'
Apparently, Ricoh didn't have much confidence in the FF-90, so they designed a velvet lined casket for each camera, and when it stopped working, you simply put the camera back inside, closed the lid and unceremoniously tossed it in the trash can. Fortunately, the cameras lasted longer than Ricoh thought, and here I am more than three decades later reviewing a good working model.
The Ricoh FF-90 came out soon after the Ricoh FF-3D AF Super, which featured a cool Pontiac checkered dashboard inspired gray exterior. The differences are not huge, but noteworthy; the new updated camera now rewinds after the roll is done instead of just beeping. Also new is DX coding, but you can't change the ISO unless you tape over the contact area of the film canister; however, it now offers a +2.0 exposure compensation button. The top has a huge LCD panel...
The late 1950s brought us a lot of cool stuff, like flying cars, the integrated circuit, and the microwave oven, but few people remember it also brought us some fabulous cameras such as the Electric Eye from Bell & Howell! This particular model is smartly dressed in tweed; it looks great, that's why I bought it.
The Bell & Howell Electric Eye 127 camera featured fully automatic exposure control, a wide view 'special' lens, (with a curved film gate---uh-oh), and a way to adjust the aperture in case you want to override the automatic system. (note; the lens on this camera has a very unusual characteristic, either you'll think it's cool, or you'll hate it and won't ever use the camera again...
This week our review camera is the folding and pocketable pre-war Voightländer rangefinder Bessa, featuring the top of the line, five element Heliar lens. Another nice feature for this Bessa is the magnified (zoomed in view) rangefinder window for more easily seeing, and setting the focusing distance, with the other window used for composing the image. Additionally, the camera focuses by moving the entire lens and shutter assembly back and forth like a view camera, not simply with a turning front focusing lens element as most folders have.
I've had three of the Bessa 6x9 cameras with Heliar lenses through the years, but I only have the review copy now. All are a little different as far as optical characteristics, (especially resolution) are concerned when looking really closely at high quality scans. One was super sharp almost wide open in the centers, but had very soft sides; my other two had...
The Argus Super Seventy-Five (should've been named 'Super Sixty-Five' for obvious reasons) is a big step up from the 'Seventy-Five' and other fixed focus, fixed aperture fake 'TLR' type cameras. The 'Super' model includes a rare semi-wide angle 65mm three element lens with three waterhouse punched disk type stops to choose from, and the design is reminiscent of the Kodak Duaflex with 72mm F/8 Kodar. However, the Kodar has an achromatic doublet type with focusing front element, and the Argus Super 75 has a better anastigmat lens that's quite sharp across the frame...
This week we take a close look at the miniature Minolta 110 Zoom SLR MKII; a real 'SLR' type camera with auto exposure, an excellent fixed parfocal zoom lens, aperture priority mode, exposure compensation and a lot of other other features normally found on SLR's of the day.
The great thing about this camera is; you can use it today; fresh 110 film is still available; the bad thing about this camera is; it uses 110 film. For serious picture taking, I'd stick with a 135 format (35mm) film camera at the least, and save this 110 toy for goofing off. It's not that the camera is bad, it's just the film.
The only decent film offering for 110 right now that mimics the old Kodacolor and Gold stuff we all used and loved back in the 70s and 80s is called...
Are you ready for traveling? If so, be sure you take along your Agfa Ansco Readyset Traveler; it'll make you look really cool, and match your luggage! And let's not stop there; the 'Traveler' is not only a 'certified picture taker,' it's finished in distinctive, specially-woven repp covering with colorful striping that will make you smart and proud to own one, or give as a gift!
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for traveling-that is; back to the late 1920s and 1930s when these kind of cameras were all the rage. You could get our 'luggage' model in four different color stripings, or a Kodak Vanity ensemble complete with a mirror, rouge and a tube of lipstick, or how about an Agfa 'Silver Fox' covering that looks just like fox fur.
Here's a sales pitch from Agfa Ansco from a 1930 magazine ad...
