My long time readers will know that I am not one for spending hundreds of pounds on a camera. Well, until recently, but that was a couple of special ones. I try not to spend a lot of cash, not because I'm a cheap ass ho, but because I enjoy finding bargains. My Kodak Retina 1a, Baldy the Baldax and my OM-1n were all bargains and I enjoy using them all. One thing I have steered clear of in recent years are simple use cameras. Basic plastic cameras with a plastic lens, one shutter speed, one aperture and a flash. Then a Reto camera caught my eye.
Who are Reto?
Reto are the company that brought the old Vivitar Wide & Slim back under the Reto brand. Exactly the same camera design, different name. It quickly became a bit of a cult. The Lomography community loved it and it gave Reto enough confidence to licence the Kodak brand name and put it on the Kodak Ektar H35 half frame camera. This was a boost to the film community as it came at a time when film photographers want new film cameras, but better quality than the plastic single use throwaways that helped keep film photography alive during the onslaught of the Digital Revolution.
With the success of that range of cameras firmly in mind, Reto have made another step up in quality with their brand new 35mm simple use point & shoot, the Kodak EC35. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, not because I don't like the company. Their previous offerings have been retro styled takes on classic designs. The H35 was heavily influenced by the Kodak Instamatic from the 1970's. Their new camera, the EC35 takes a leaf from 1990's camera design and I decided to give it a try. The EC35 is available in various colours, I ordered a black one from Analogue Wonderland and it arrived a few days later.
First impression was it was well packaged using Kodak branding and layout on the box. In the box was an EC35 camera, a wrist strap and a card with QR codes for a quick start guide and a tutorial video. Nether of which I used for I am a stubborn, middle aged man who doesn't RTFM. I may not be in the demographic the EC35 is aimed at, but don't let age stop you having a go yourself.
I had a good look at my new camera and it looks and feels surprisingly well made for it's price point. It has a 2 element 25mm lens, a flash that is powered by a single AA battery with power switch on the rear of the camera and a sliding "clam shell" lens cover. It's not just any old sliding lens cover either. It invokes memories of the Olympus Mju ii that became the must have camera a few years ago and sent prices rocketing skywards.
Every point and shoot in the 1990's had a lens cover of some sort, but the Mju and others with the "clam shell" stood out. It also doubles as a handgrip and is very comfortable to hold. The shutter speed is 1/100th of a second and the aperture is f/10, which is perfect for Kodak Gold on a sunny day. I loaded a roll of Kodak Gold into my new EC35 and headed for my favourite classroom, Mesnes Park, to try it out for the first time.
The EC35 has the right name, everything about it is easy. It's easy to load, easy to frame and take a photo, easy to wind the film on to the next frame. If the lens cover is closed, the shutter will not fire. Nor will it fire if you don't wind the film on. It's the most basic camera, but rather than look cheap, Reto went for classic design cues and have made a camera that looks good and makes me wonder how they priced it so cheap!
I am a self confessed "Happy Snapper" and I embraced that ethos with my EC35 whole heartedly. I was quite happy to point & shoot compositions in the park and slip the camera back in my pocket. Weighing in at 102 grams, it is not going to give me any bother at all when I'm out and about. Add to it the weight of a roll of Kodak Gold and I'm still under 200 grams. Our colonial cousins in the Americas can rest assured that 7 imperial ounces is not going to trouble them whatsoever.
I sent my Kodak Gold to Analogue Wonderland for developing and scanning and I am very happy with the results I was able to achieve with my Kodak EC35. Here's a few of my favourite photos from my first roll of Kodak Gold shot with the brand new Kodak EC35 made by the good folks at Reto and purchased from Analogue Wonderland. I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. There's also a link to the sales listing at Analogue Wonderland if you fancy buying one yourself. I hope you enjoy them.
Kodak EC35 - Kodak Gold
Kodak EC35 35mm Reloadable Film Camera
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