But it does make the flash vulnerable. I found that over time, the little release system for mine stopped working. I lost some shots in the dark because the flash tried to release, but didn’t actually raise or charge. Be warned if yours is an older camera and you plan to shoot in low light. The lens doesn’t have any zoom capabilities, and the 35mm focal length isn’t really optimized for portraits. However, I think it is a great focal length for travel and landscapes, as it doesn’t have the distortion of wider angles, but still allows you to see more than a longer 50mm solution. I also prefer the look of 35mm over 28mm, another common focal length for this kind of camera. Both in terms of of the way it renders images, as well as concerning the aforementioned (and in my humble opinion super important) factor of “I like to take this with me, and shoot pictures”. There’s also a little lever on the side that allows you to tweak the exposure to get a fill flash. And when the camera auto rewinds, it leaves a little bit of leader poking out of the film canister, which is extremely helpful if you want to develop your own film and don’t relish reaching into the canister with a leader puller. I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to shooting film, but having a little bit of experience with 1980s auto focus plastic cameras, I felt more prepared to just trust that the camera would handle everything with little to no input from me.

Nikon One Touch L35AF2 35mm Camera Review - Dan Finnen Nikon One Touch L35AF2 35mm Camera Review - Dan Finnen

So this is somewhat of a review of one I kept – my favorite one: Nikon’s “Pikaichi”, the L35AF – but more like a field report on the pros and cons of other models as well. Speaking of the batteries, they are a pain to eject from the camera. The cover under which they’re hosted (at the bottom) is not well-made. It’s identical to that of the Pentax PC35AF — another great point-and-shoot with limited flaws — which comes with flimsiness but also requires you to shake your Nikon violently until the first one pops out. This was my experience; I hope yours isn’t as bad. In this review, I’ll outline all of its key features/quirks and share a few tips on how to take better photos with this camera. Reading some of the other comments on here. I have a Fuji DL300 and that is a fine compact. That, along with the Nikon & a Minolta AFZ, are probably my favourite point and shoots. I’m a big 60s/70s rangefinder fan and generally grab one of those for a pleasurable film photography experience.To turn on the Nikon One Touch, you slide a lever beneath the lens to open the front cover. I really like this built-in lens cover, as it is far less likely to get lost or fall off inside a bag than the traditional lens cap. Also, the lever stays in place, so you don’t have to worry about the camera accidentally turning itself on while being jostled in luggage. Yet, I still have a level of curiosity in how such a cheap and basic camera can perform. How bad could it really be? I feel like these automatic cameras from the late 70s and early 80s were pioneering designs in themselves as they introduced the world to features and capabilities never before possible. In an way, these cameras brought photography to the masses in the same way the original Kodak and Brownies did in 1888 and 1900. Even if the build quality is nice, what really earned this camera a special place in my heart are the results: man, that lens makes wonders! If you find these on the used market in faulty condition most of the time it’s that switch. It just isn’t made as sturdy as it should be.

Canon AF35M vs Nikon L35AF - Camera Review - Casual Photophile Canon AF35M vs Nikon L35AF - Camera Review - Casual Photophile

If you got to this point in the article you probably understood how much I enjoy using this camera, but would I be happy using it exclusively? Here comes the limit of a compact camera: the automatism. It does pretty much everything for you, it does it very well, but sometimes you just want to control some of the variables. Lots of other things about the L35AF are brilliant as well. The best thing, though, is the camera’s lens. Today’s point and shoot cameras have rudimentary lenses — or even (gasp) plastic ones! Sharpness is mixed. When everything is in focus, it looks great, but the shallow depth of field and the basic AF system can be fooled. For landscapes, it does the job well, but the One Touch struggled with getting people and small subjects in focus.The L35AF does this, too, but at a fraction of the price. The best way I can describe its look is a razor, surgical sharpness, especially at the center, with a bit of a boost to contrast, and just a tiny hint of vignetting when shot wide open. The lens is super sharp, too, especially for a camera that’s nearly 4 decades old. It’s this tiny, nearly perfect 35mm beauty that’s made the L35AF a bit of a collector’s item (though certainly not on the level of the fabled MJU II). Circles and Boxes But really great cameras have a distinctive look and feel that’s true to the scene, but also somehow enhances it. Leica is famous for this (Google “Leica look”), and it’s why I use their cameras almost exclusively for my digital work (and pay accordingly for them).

Nikon L35AF - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia

To put things into perspective I thought I’d compare which camera is better for shooting in the present day. Although there are many different things that we might compare, I thought this would be fair, the MJU I has a fixed focal length, it’s similar in standard to the L35AF but it’s a much more sleek design, until recently these cameras were also very similar in value. Nikon L35 AF Camera Olympus MJU I Camera The self-timer is ideal for group or self-portrait shots. To use the self-timer, you will need to pull the lever as far as it will go and depress the shutter button. This causes the self-timer to light up. After 10 seconds, you will hear that the shutter is released. To cancel, return the lever to its original position before the shutter release button is depressed completely.DX coding on films was also introduced in the year I was born. The Nikon L35, DX Codes, Microsoft Word and me… Clearly not the best of years… Anyway, fortunately (since I’m not a fan) DX coding didn’t make it into the Nikon L35. Instead, the ISO is set via a ring that rotates around the inner part of the lens. It maxes out at 1000iso on my camera, though early models maxed out at 400iso There’s no memory for this, so you will repeatedly have this dialogue – camera saying “I want to use flash”, and you responding “but I don’t want you to”. Unlike one of its obvious alternatives as a point & shoot, the Olympus mju-ii, which is almost clinical, the Nikon is without any doubt a lens with character. Most notably is it’s vignette. The corner/edge darkening this camera exhibits is far from a subtle character trait. The auto-exposure system uses a CdS photo-resistor, and it’s one of the best metering systems found in a vintage compact. Even in the most challenging situations, such as night shooting and shooting in bright snow, under- and over-exposures are very rare. In two test rolls of 24 and 36 exposures, only two frames were off, and it was discovered that this was due to the reviewer being unaware of one of this camera’s strange eccentricities.

NIkon L35 AF Review - Adventures on Film NIkon L35 AF Review - Adventures on Film

The lens is the best part of this camera. It’s very sharp in the center and can resolve a lot of detail when the aperture is stopped down in bright light or with flash. Thankfully, this camera is powered by simple, easy-to-find AA batteries. If you’re feeling environmentally conscious, rechargeable lithium AA batteries make for a great solution to power cameras like this. As mentioned, the viewfinder displays an autofocus distance readout. Very similar to the likes of the one in the Pentax PC35AF; the action of the shutter button moves a needle along the bottom of the viewfinder across a distance scale. Distances are indicated by four scale icons, with where the needle resting on or between them giving the idea of focused distance. It’s useful, but combined with the aforementioned long throw shutter button, it feels even more clunky and antiquated to me. I had the exact same complaint about the Pentax.The reputation of the lens shines through here as the images are all very crisp and sharp. I’ve never shot with the original L35 with the 5-element lens, but I can’t image it would have been much better. I have to change batteries a lot though – because I’m stupid, and forget to turn off the camera, but also the Pikaichi has got a rather strong motor to advance the film. These images reflect 8 of that roll of 24, and I am happy to report that every single image was correctly in focus. Nikon had clearly worked out any auto focus kinks by 1987 when this camera first went on sale. Also (as I never “turn off” my big Nikon either) I oftentimes leave this in the “on”-position as well, put it in my bag, where eventually the shutter button gets pressed a little – which (as it’s in a dark bag) pops up and charges the flash repeatedly – resulting in drained batteries. ANYWAY, my point – when I did buy an AF3, I did so knowing there was a way to over-ride the flash. So, I’m now about to go out and do some serious shooting as, in my mind, there is nothing now stopping me “bonding” with the unit. BTW, I’m impressed with your pix. Would love to have seen some colour, but I understand you did just the one roll.