Retro never truly disappears. The Kodak Ektar H35N half-frame camera evokes memories high school parties and youth summer camps. But is this plastic fantastic or missing the mark? I ran some film through it to find out.
There are two opposing trends in photography. The first is the pursuit of ever-sharper, technically perfect images, and the other embraces the freedom to ignore commonly held expectations. The is a camera that fits into the latter bracket.
Although I spent the latter half of my teen years in the 1980s, it’s an era that I remember with warm nostalgia. Overall, I think the music was better in the 1960s and 70s, albeit with a couple of exceptions. The 80s Memphis Design movement didn’t enthrall me either, and those hairdos were dreadful.
However, I understand that, for many, the 1980s were a decade remembered with warm fondness. Oddly, millennials seem to like that decade too. There is something reminiscent of the 1980s about this camera.
It’s the combination of its plastic body and the shiny metallic front plate available in various colors that would fit with the color palette of the time. It’s a true point-and-click camera. It is simple but is it too simple? To use it, one must have a reasonable understanding of exposure as there are no exposure controls.
Have too fast a film loaded and you are going to be over-exposing. I loaded ISO 200 film and needed the right conditions to use it. A novice photographer may not be aware of that.
It is a half-frame 35.