Hanimex 35RAS – My Frugal Film Project 2026 Camera

 In the 1980’s compact 35mm point & shoot film cameras were getting fancy with auto shutter, auto aperture, auto focus, auto flash and auto wind/rewind. These features really defined the point & Shoot cameras of the era. They were at first the domain of the big companies and expensive, but as the tech matured brands like Hanimex made them affordable. 

It was with this in mind that I went hunting for a cheap 35mm point & shoot to use for the Frugal Film Project 2026. My first, and last, port of call was the Kosmo Foto website to see what they had in stock in the Cameraburo. This review is neither sponsored by, nor has any kickback from Kosmo Foto. I just like the guy.

Kosmo Foto had several 35mm point & shoot cameras for sale with prices ranging from £7.50 to £80. Most were around the £30 - £50 mark and perfect for the Frugal Film Project budget of no more than $75/£75. I spotted a couple of Hanimex brand cameras and the first one I looked at had already been sold to some bloke in Canananada. (Alex Luyckx gets everywhere!)

My next choice was a Hanimex 35RAS that looked clean, had been film tested and was ready to go for £30. I took the plunge and bought it. When it arrived a few days later, I could see it had been looked after and all I had to do was fit 2 AA batteries, load a roll of Kentmere 400 35mm B&W film and go for a wander to remind myself of what photography was all about in the 1980’s.

When I fitted the batteries I gave my Hanimex 35RAS a few tests and it seemed to be working just fine. When I loaded my roll of Kentmere 400, I pulled the leader to the white mark, closed the back and heard the reassuring noise of the camera advancing the film to the first frame. I went for familiar compositions on my walk in my local countryside that covered various lighting conditions on a sunny afternoon.

From dark woodland paths to the full brightness of the sunshine along the dirt roads, my Hanimex 35RAS handled it with ease and it didn’t take long to shoot my roll of film and I headed home, eager to develop it and see exactly how it had performed. I developed my roll of Kentmere 400 in Bellini Euro HC at 1+31 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I digitised my film with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Studio.

This first roll told me all I needed to know about my Hanimex 35RAS and also gave me confidence I could use it for the Frugal Film Project 2026. My film looked decently exposed, as I processed each frame with Affinity Studio I didn’t need to make many adjustments to get them looking presentable. 

My Hanimex 35RAS may be a simple to use camera with a fixed 34mm lens and few automated features to make life easier, but it is far from being a disposable item. I was able to get some decent photos with it and all I had to do was point & shoot. The camera took care of the rest which suits me just fine. I have taken part in the Frugal Film Project for several years now, with cameras I really needed to use my skills to get consistent results. For 2026 I want an easy life and this camera gives me that for not a lot of cash. I'm using rechargeable batteries too.

Here’s a few favourites from my first roll of Kentmere 400 shot with my Hanimex 35RAS. I am very happy with my purchase and it's a pleasure to do business with Kosmo Foto. You can visit the website via the link below.  I have decided to stick with Kentmere 400 for the Frugal Film project 2026 and look forward to sharing more photos with you as the year progresses. I have placed these and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them. 

Hanimex 35RAS - Kentmere 400 

2025 - A Review Of My Year

 2025 has been a decent year for me. I completed a few things this year that were very fulfilling for me both creatively and for my health.The number one highlight of 2025 was going on holiday with my wife and our youngest son. I also got to use cameras that have become firm favourites as well as old favourites that I have come to love using over the years. The only thing I need now is to decide where to start? 

Lets start with the camera I have used for The Frugal Film Project 2025, my Kodak Retina Ia, an absolute gem of a camera and my choice for my favourite camera of the year. I bought it from ebay in a bundle deal during in 2024. I needed a focus screen for my Zeiss Ikon Maximar and the Kodak was a part of the deal. Also in the bundle was another Maximar and a tiny little Ensign pocket camera. 

The Kodak Retina Ia is a simple viewfinder camera that uses 35mm film. The viewfinder isn't coupled to the lens as you would find with a rangefinder or an SLR, you have to zone focus, but it isn't difficult to get the hang of. The lens is a superb Schneider-Kreuznach Retina Xenar 50mm f/2.8 and it folds into the body of the camera when not in use. 

To help me gauge distance I bought a Watameter Rangefinder and added a yellow filter to the lens to help me tame the Black and White Type 517 Cine Film I used for the year. The downside to the camera is the frame counter doesn't work, so I will get that mended in 2026. Pierro likes a challenge, speaking of which...

Pierro gave my Olympus OM-1n a CLA in the summer of 2025 and it's like having a brand new camera, albeit one that's nearly 50 years old. When I bought it, I took a chance and paid less than £50 for it from ebay. I shot two rolls with it and then it jammed. The frame counter window had fallen into the camera and it was beyond my skills to mend it myself. Motorcycles, I can fix, cameras.... nope.

Pierro has serviced a few cameras for me and I value his skills. I booked a slot and sent it before the appointed time. To save a camera for the future is a very rewarding thing to do. I have an OM-1n that will undoubtedly outlast me and give it's next custodian many more years of service long after I am gone. I couldn't be happier with it.

I went on a little voyage of discovery earlier in 2025 with a look at cheap auto focus SLR's from the heyday of film. A Minolta Dynax 4 and a Canon EOS 300. I bought the Minolta from a dear friend for £10 and the Canon was a gift from another dear chum. I had to buy a lens for the Canon which cost me around £50 and put it firmly in the middle of my test. I pitted both cameras against my semi pro grade Nikon F801S and shot a roll of Ilford HP5+ 400 B&W and a roll of Kodak ColorPlus in each. 

I found that  you don't need to spend much on a camera to get well exposed and focused photos. When folk say film photography is expensive, it's only as expensive as the amount you're willing and able to spend. If you are a pauper like me, a tenner gets you a great camera and lens that will give you years of service.  

It was an exercise that taught me that buying the best you can afford is purely subjective. I had as much fun with my cheapest camera as I did with my intermediate and expensive cameras. I learned that Minolta made exceedingly good auto-focus cameras as well as the manual focus ones I enjoy too. That brand has a well earned place in my regular rotation. 

Taking part in producing two books with The Photozine Collective has again been a great experience. Opaque was our winter exploration of B&W film and Vivid was our first foray into colour film. My fellow contributors excelled themselves yet again. Photographers are always looking for inspiration and a collaboration project is a great way to find it. We do it to raise money for Asthma and Lung UK in memory of our friend John Whitmore, who inspired us to start this venture a few years ago. 

By far my favourite experience of 2025 was going on a well deserved holiday with my wife and son, a cruise around the Scenic Scottish Islands aboard the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines M.S. Bolette and it did us all the world of good. I used to think being on board a ship was a bit like prison with a chance of drowning, but now I want to go on another one. 

Sea air, great food and a chance to surprise a dear friend I haven't seen for many years was just what we needed in 2025. I got to photograph Fingal's Cave, an item on my photography bucket list and  got to spend time ashore in Kirkwall on Orkney and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. Both are places we have never visited before. We enjoyed it so much we have booked another cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary in 2027. 

That's me done for 2025 as I take my Christmas break and relax with my family. 2025 has had its share of ups and downs, but has been very rewarding. I'm looking forward to 2026, starting with another round of The Frugal Film Project in January. I have bought my camera for the project, tested it and will introduce it next week. I'm also hoping to be involved with The Photozine Collective again. We have no idea at this point what theme we are doing, but all we be revealed in due course.

With 2025 almost behind us, I look forward to more Photography Shenanigans in the year ahead. I wish you, my dear reader, a very Happy Christmas. Whatever way you choose to celebrate the end of the year, I hope 2026 brings you health and happiness. And more cameras, and a train set, and a flying car..... 

Jim

My Birthday Present

My birthday came around quick, or so it seems anyway. I have had a busy year with my photography so time has appeared to have flown by. Last year my youngest son bought me a Fuji Instax camera that I have enjoyed using through the year. This year he surprised me with a Nikon Coolpix L810 Compact Bridge Camera. 

I thanked him for his thoughtful gift and admitted that bridge cameras have never really caught my eye until now. To be honest I wasn't expecting it and it really cheered me up. Having never used one, nor even seen one up close, I headed to the Nikon website for the manual and to see if it needed any firmware updates. 

The Nikon L810 was unleashed upon the photography community in 2012 and positioned as a happy medium between a well featured compact and a basic DSLR. It boasts a 16 megapixel CCD sensor, lens shift vibration reduction, a 3 inch led screen and motion detection. 

The built in lens is a super zoom that ranges from 4mm to 104mm which is equivalent to 23mm to 585mm in focal length on a full frame sensor, which is no mean feat in such a tiny package. It also has a built in flash and 720p HD video too. The hand grip is a "cunningly disguised" battery compartment that takes four AA batteries and it is also where I found the SD memory card slot. 

I installed four Duracell AA batteries, a 16GB SDHC card and closed the compartment. I switched it on and it came to life straight away. It was on it's default settings so I spent a little time exploring the simple menu. On paper it looks like a point and shoot camera, so how about we go for a wander and see how it performs in the wild.

I took a wander along the farm road and captured various photos, some familiar and others I spotted along the way. Peak autumn has well and truly left us here in Wigan and what is remaining of the colour hasn't got long left. I was hoping the CCD sensor in my Nikon Coolpix L810 would bring out that colour to share it's last hurrah with us. 

As it often happens at this time of year, the heavens opened and it started to rain about halfway through my walk. With the camera not being weather sealed, I put it back in my bag and headed home to dry off and have a brew. 

A couple of days later the sun decided to shine brightly and I headed off to the farm again to give my Nikon Coolpix L810 another outing. The sun may have been shining brightly with hardly a cloud in the sky, but the cold wind from the north had the temperature hovering around freezing point. 

It was a great test of the camera and it performed admirably. I could probably use it at lower temperatures, but zero celcius is about as cold as my aching bones can handle these days. I soon got the photos I wanted and headed home again for another well earned cup of tea.

When sorting through the jpegs from my new camera, I was pleased to see that Nikon had fitted a decent lens to the Coolpix L810. I was also pleased to not have to do too much to them in Affinity Studio. A few tweaks here and there was enough to get them looking presentable. The lack of RAW files didn't worry me, nor did the auto focus hunting as it tried to zero in on my chosen composition. I did miss having a viewfinder, but we can't have all of the cake and eat it.

Is it the best camera? Nope, but it's not supposed to be. It's a point and shoot with a few things I have in my DSLR. The scene modes helped me get my photos with their automatic shutter speed and apertures and are easily selected via the handy button on the back of the camera. The 26x zoom is quick and I soon got used to framing up my compositions with it. The macro setting sometimes fought against the zoom and autofocus, but I figured it out. 

Overall, I enjoyed using my Nikon Coolpix L810 for the first time. It was a nice surprise gift and to be fair will probably be with me when I go out in future. Here's a few photos from my Nikon Coolpix L810 taken on a dark, wet, cold, dull and gloomy day in Wigan. I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Nikon Coolpix L810 - Part 1 
Nikon Coolpix L810 - Part 2

Rollei Retro 400S - Agfa Isolette I

 Have you ever had one of those days when you find a camera in a bag and there's several shots already done? This happened to me in early November when I was sorting a bag for my OM cameras and I found my Agfa Isolette I in a bag and I had taken 8 photos with it. For the life of me I couldn't remember using it, which is a hazard you face when you have had a stroke, no matter how mild it may have been.

I totally and utterly forgot when I started this film! With it being in a bag with my Nikon D90, you would think that would trigger a memory. It did, but not the one I really wanted so I finished the final four frames whilst out and about with my OM-1n and OM-2.

I had to know what was on it. I developed the roll in Bellini Euro HC 1+31 dilution B for 6 1/2 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I digitised my roll of Rollei Retro 400S with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi medium format film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.

I took one look at my freshly developed film and the penny dropped. I had nipped out to the Post Office to send my colour film for developing and after finishing that task, I took a few photos with my Isolette. I totally forgot about it! I get that sometimes and it bugs the crap out of me for a bit, but we get there in the end. Don't say I'm losing my marbles, I know they are in my pocket...

I shot eight frames in town on a bright day and had started to lose the light that I had enjoyed for an hour or so and headed home. I shot the final frames around the local farms and I got a little action as the Farmer was grading the dirt track road. I grabbed a shot with my Isolette and my film was done!

Here's a few faves from my roll of Rollei Retro 400S shot with my Agfa Isolette I. As always I have placed them and more in a album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Rollei Retro 400S - Agfa Isolette I 

Autumn Colour with my Nikon D90 and AIS 50mm f/1.8

 It's not often I go out with my DSLR, but Autumn is irresistible, especially when I use my Nikon D90 and manual focus 50mm f/1.8 AIS longnose lens. The Nikon D90 was unleashed upon the world in 2008, around the same time as the legendary pro grade Nikon D3 and the semi pro D700 full frame DSLR's. With it's 18x24 APS-C CMOS sensor, the Nikon D90 gave us HD Video for the first time in any Nikon DSLR, but that's not the reason I bought the camera. I bought it back in 2017 for the glorious colours it renders, which is perfect for the most colourful times of year, spring and autumn.

Sadly the autofocus on my D90 stopped working some years ago, but it still works perfectly well with any one of Nikon's splendid AI and AI-S manual focus lenses. I was given the 50mm longnose by my mate Muzza along with an F801 some years ago and decided to try it on my D90. Oh my giddy aunt! it was the best thing I ever did with that lens and it has lived on my D90 ever since. 

When out and about with my DSLR, I shoot it in RAW and process the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2. If I decided I wanted an easy time of it, I could just have the camera save my shots as Jpeg's and post them straight to my Flickr account when I get home. The colour profile on the D90 is what makes this one of my favourite digital cameras and I enjoy using it when I'm out and about. Its simplicity is its strength and you can pick up a decent low shutter count example for around £100. Add an auto focus 18-55mm DX lens for another £50-£60 and you have a lightweight digital set up that punches way above it's class.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my walk in the park to enjoy the autumn colour. I have placed these and more in an album on my Flickr account you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Autumn Colours - Nikon D90 - 50mm f/1.8 AIS 

Frugal Film Project 2025 - November

 November has been the usual dark, wet, cold, dull and gloomy that we have come to know and love here in Wigan. When the clouds part and the sun tries to shine upon us, you have to get out and try to make the most of it. I had to be patient and wait for the right day to get out with my Kodak Retina 1a and November roll of Type 517 Cine Film for the Frugal Film Project. 

That day came around and I decided to keep my photography simple and employed my usual "see what happens" style. I duly loaded my Kodak Retina 1a with a roll of Type 517 Cine Film and headed into my local countryside to see what I could find. I walked to the farm where the horses have spent the summer in the fields and found it is now sheep season. The horses have been put into stables for winter and the sheep have come down from the moors to sunny Wigan. I spent a while just happy snapping and enjoying the sunny autumn afternoon. 

I also had a wander along the woodland path that had been relaid earlier in the year and it's good to see people using it. There's a sign that has been installed near the old air raid shelter, giving some local history info and a couple of photos too. One of the local farms dates back to the mid 13th century. I took a couple of photos at the duck pond and was feeling really tired, so headed home for a well earned cuppa and saved my final few frames for another day.

I developed my November roll of Type 517 Cine Film in Bellini Euro HC 1+31 dilution B for 12 minutes at 20 celcius. This has become my go to development time for this film. Once dry I scanned it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size led light pad. I processed the RAW files with the all new Affinity Studio.

I wasn't too happy with my photos this month and it's self inflicted. However, I was able to rescue my November roll of Type 517 Cine Film and didn't have to run around town like a headless chicken, panic shooting another roll. It may look like a sunny day when I went for a walk around the farm, but it was bitterly cold with a northerly wind bringing arctic air south. 

I wore my gloves and that's where my problem arose. I couldn't feel my fingers moving my aperture setting from f/11 to f/5.6 and I managed to overexpose most of the roll before I noticed. D'Oh! Thankfully, with the aid of the dynamic range of both the film and my D700 used to digitise it, I saved most of them. 

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my November roll of Type 517 Cine Film shot for the Frugal Film Project 2025. Whilst they are over exposed, bringing them back in Affinity Studio has given my love of contrast a nudge and I'm happy with them, despite the hiccup. I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project 2025 album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them. 

Frugal Film Project 2025 - November 

Minolta 50mm f/1.7 auto focus lens

My dear chums, Analogue Wonderland, recently branched out into selling vintage cameras and lenses and I was curious to see what they had on offer. There was a few things I was interested in, a Minolta 50mm f/1.7 auto focus lens caught my eye and I took the plunge and bought it. Why? To put on my Dynax 4 and round out my Minolta A Mount lens collection. I have a 35-70mm f/4 and the famed 70-210mm f/4 "Beer Can" lens, it made sense to have a 50mm prime in the kit and it only cost me £30.

In my manual focus Minolta MD kit I have a 50mm f/1.7 that is sharp as a pin and delivers sweet photos when my brain is in gear and I get my exposures right. I am told that the AF 50mm f/1.7 is the same lens design in an autofocus body and I set about finding out if it was as good as its manual focus sibling. I loaded a roll of Kodak Gold into my Dynax 4, fitted my AF 50mm f/1.7 prime lens and went for a wander to find some autumn colour.

October started with a bang as Storm Amy powered across the North Atlantic and caused mayhem in the UK, Northern Europe and Scandinavia. I feared that most of the Autumn leaves had been stripped from the trees by the powerful winds, but my fears were allayed by the time I had reached my preferred location. I set my camera to shoot in Aperture Priority and let Minolta's legendary metering look after my shutter speeds whilst I concentrated on bokeh and sharpness. 

Autumn is, for me, the best time of year to shoot colour film. Despite my enjoyment of the annual Sakura display not far from my home, I love it when the trees have their "hold my beer" moment in autumn. They light up in a multitude of bright warm colours before their leaves go brown and fall to the ground. 

I was spoiled for choice and took my time to choose compositions as I made my way around my preferred location, Mesnes Park in Wigan. Sadly I didn't get the sunshine I wanted, but I persevered and gave my new acquisition a good work out. I took a few shots between the Bus Station and Mesnes Park as autumn colour was everywhere I looked. 

When I got to the park, the Parks and Gardens staff were busy attending to the last of the flower beds that day. Their hard work makes sure the park is a blaze of colour between early spring and early winter, the lawns were getting possibly the last mow of the year too. I appreciate their effort in keeping Mesnes Park looking good for the people of Wigan to enjoy all year round. 

I was having a lot of fun exploring the colour in the park on a dull, grey, overcast autumn afternoon. The trees were ablaze with gold, orange and red foliage whilst the flower beds were a riot of autumn blooms in red, yellow and plenty of shades in between. before I had got to the Pavillion, I had used one roll of Kodak Gold 35mm colour film and loaded a second into my Minolta Dynax 4.

Using Aperture Priority was a good choice as it meant I could shoot reasonable shutter speeds without having too shallow a depth of field and therefore too much blur in my photos. Every photographer loves a bit of bokeh, but you can go overboard, depending on your personal taste of course. By the time I had almost got through my second roll of Kodak Gold, the light had really started to fade and I headed home.

I finished my roll a couple of days later on a dark, wet, cold, dull and gloomy day when I also shot a roll of Gold in my Agfa Isolette and a roll of Kentmere 400 in Baldy The Baldax for #FolderWeek.  I'm not too sure of the weather sealing of my Minolta Dynax 4, so I only took it out of my bag when I found a shot I liked. 

When I had finished my colour film, I sent it off to Analogue Wonderland for developing and scanning. Oddly enough I posted them on the day I shot my Frugal Film Project film from my last blog. Analogue Wonderland have looked after me over the years and just celebrated the 4th birthday of their in house Film Lab, Analogue Wonderlab! 

It doesn't seem like it's been that long since Marina joined the team and set up the OG Wonderlab upstairs at Analogue Wonderland. Now Wonderlab is in it's own unit two doors down and is thriving thanks to the team that has been assembled and taken Wonderlab onwards and upwards. I will leave a link below.

A few days later I got my scans and straight away I could see the autumn colours in the park in my photos, despite them being slightly muted by the flat light on what was a dull day. To be honest i wasn't disappointed or even slightly peeved. It is the time of year when we get whatever comes our way and make the best of it. I am pleased that my photos turned out well exposed and as sharp as I was going to get on a dull day in darkest Wigan.

Here's a few of my favourite photos from my two rolls of Kodak Gold shot with my Minolta Dynax 4 and AF 50mm f/1.7 lens. As always I have placed them and more in albums on Flickr that you can visit using the links below. I hope you enjoy them.

Kodak Gold 1 - Minolta Dynax 4 - AF 50mm f/1.7
Kodak Gold 2 - Minolta Dynax 4 - AF 50mm f/1.7 
Analogue Wonderland