Retro by no means really disappears. The Kodak Ektar H35N half-frame digital camera evokes reminiscences highschool events and youth summer time camps. However is that this plastic unbelievable or lacking the mark? I ran some movie via it to search out out.
First Impressions of the Digital camera
There are two opposing tendencies in images. The primary is the pursuit of ever-sharper, technically good photographs, and the opposite embraces the liberty to disregard generally held expectations. The Kodak Ektar H35N is a digital camera that matches into the latter bracket.
Though I spent the latter half of my teen years within the Eighties, it’s an period that I bear in mind with heat nostalgia. General, I feel the music was higher within the Sixties and 70s, albeit with a few exceptions. The 80s Memphis Design motion didn’t enthrall me both, and people hairdos have been dreadful. Nevertheless, I perceive that, for a lot of, the Eighties have been a decade remembered with heat fondness. Oddly, millennials appear to love that decade too.
There’s something harking back to the Eighties about this digital camera. It’s the mix of its plastic physique and the shiny metallic entrance plate obtainable in numerous colours that might match with the colour palette of the time.
It’s a real point-and-click digital camera. It’s easy however is it too easy? To make use of it, one should have an inexpensive understanding of publicity as there aren’t any publicity controls. Have too quick a movie loaded and you will be over-exposing. I loaded ISO 200 movie and wanted the correct circumstances to make use of it. A novice photographer might not be conscious of that.
It’s a half-frame 35mm digital camera. Which means you load a reel of 36-exposure, 35mm movie, and you find yourself with 72 photos.
As an alternative of every body being 3 x 2, they’re 3 x 4, barely taller than huge. Thus, a great side ratio for portraits; in my view, 3 x 2 not often sits comfortably in portrait orientation, wanting too tall and slim. One might argue that the reverse is true for landscapes, with the broader side of three x 2 being higher, however I additionally just like the tallness of three x 4 that’s achieved by rotating the digital camera by 90°. That is totally subjective, and you might be welcome to carry your individual perception if it differs, however it’s one thing to concentrate on.
On high, there’s a shutter button, plus a provision to connect an old style distant set off that provides you with bulb mode. There’s additionally a body counter.
On the entrance, there’s a 22mm f/8 two-element lens; one of many components is glass. Being half-frame, it provides you with the identical area of view as a 44mm lens on a 35mm full body digital camera. You possibly can slide the ring surrounding the lens to activate the flash and a swap slides a star filter in entrance of the lens. There’s additionally a viewfinder set at about one o’clock above the lens.
On the base of the digital camera is a tripod mounting screw socket and the movie rewinding controls.
The viewfinder is positioned near the lens, thus lowering parallax error.
To load the movie, you open the door by way of the latch on the aspect of the digital camera. You pop the movie in, wind it on, and away you go!
My first impressions of the digital camera have been that its low price was mirrored in its high quality. Nevertheless, as soon as I put within the movie – I used one in every of my rolls of 36-exposure Kodak Gold 200 – that might give me 72 exposures and fitted an AAA battery for the flash, it felt rather more substantial.
Taking Take a look at Photographs
Capturing with a movie digital camera may be very totally different from digital and utilizing a cheap compact point-and-shoot is worlds away from a flagship mirrorless digital camera. I cherished it!
Between receiving the digital camera and beginning to shoot, I fell off a rock and couldn’t stroll for just a few days. On high of that, we’ve had the worst spring and early summer time climate I can bear in mind. So, getting out with it has been a problem. Nevertheless, with my foot bandaged and taking a dose of Ibuprofen, I slipped the digital camera into my shirt pocket and eventually received via all 72 frames.
I’ve at all times discovered small point-and-shoot cameras enjoyable to make use of. It’s such a far cry from taking pictures with a flagship mirrorless digital camera it’s liberating.
With the viewfinder so near the lens you’ll be able to see the sting of the lens mount when composing a shot. At first, I discovered this disconcerting, however then I spotted it had a bonus. It’s a helpful reminder to regulate the framing barely in order that the lens factors straight on the topic.
The digital camera was mild and enjoyable.
The Kodak Multi-Goal Digital camera Strap
I additionally acquired to go along with the digital camera a Kodak Multi-Goal Digital camera Strap. This versatile and well-designed strap proved a very good design for lighter small cameras. It really works over the shoulder or across the neck and could be hooked up to a single anchor level, like that on the H35N digital camera or a smartphone. 
Nevertheless, it can be anchored to double anchor factors utilizing the Kodak QD Snaplocks provided with the strap. They’re additionally obtainable individually. It does include a helpful attachment in your cell phone.
I in all probability wouldn’t use it with my OM-1, however the strap would swimsuit smaller cameras. It’s safe with a quick-release mechanism requiring a deep push of the button to separate it from the strap, so it’s unlikely to be indifferent unintentionally.
The Outcomes
Being within the UK, B&H’s excellent developing service wasn’t obtainable to me so I used my favourite service, filmprocessing.co.uk.
The outcomes have been fairly good for an inexpensive movie digital camera. For these considering Lomography, this digital camera is a superb entry-level possibility.
With hindsight, I in all probability ought to have purchased some ISO 100 movie because the 200 I had at hand was somewhat too quick for some out of doors photographs, however once I used the built-in flash, the exposures have been spot on. ISO 100 movie would even be much less grainy, which might have been advantageous for the half-frame measurement of the negatives.
Nonetheless, the photographs have been acceptable, however with one caveat. There’s a tradeoff whenever you throw the star filter swap. It softens the pictures, making them seem out of focus. There have been a few photographs the place I forgot to modify it off.
What I Favored and What Might Be Improved
What I Favored
Digital camera
- Reasonably priced.
- Offers you 72 exposures out of a 36-exposure movie.
- Neat design.
- Straightforward to make use of.
- Acceptable high quality outcomes or a point-and-shoot digital camera.
- Sufficiently small to slide in a shirt pocket.
- A great possibility for Lomography.
Strap
- Reasonably priced
- Versatile design.
- Robust Development
- Seems to be Good
- Safe.
What Might Be Improved Subsequent Time
Digital camera
- A model with zoom, ISO adjustment, and no star filter can be helpful.
- It will profit from an indicator within the viewfinder that the star filter is activated.
Strap
- Though the anchors appear safe, and I couldn’t unintentionally launch them, a failsafe dual-action launch would give me extra confidence.
In Conclusion
This little Kodak EKTAR H35N camera grew on me the extra I used it. For picture high quality, it doesn’t maintain a candle to a movie SLR, however I’d not count on that as a result of the lens is smaller.
I’ve owned point-and-shoot cameras that give higher outcomes. Nevertheless, these price much more. For instance, the Olympus µ (Mju) II I took with me backpacking around the globe retails second-hand at greater than double the worth. Moreover, generally pin-sharp photographs should not that necessary. Taking pictures that seem like they have been shot with a point-and-shoot digital camera in 1984 does enchantment.
So, who would need this digital camera? I can see it changing into standard with artists, college students, and kids. Pictures fanatics who wish to do one thing totally different may also be attracted by it. Plus, I can think about wedding ceremony organizers distributing them to a couple company to shoot pictures on the reception as a result of it’s higher than a disposable digital camera. It will likely be a wonderful reward for kids to encourage them to get into images.
The camera is available in a variety of colors from B&H for $64.99
