The Film Retriever

A 8000i lurking in the shadows... This is a quick review of the Minolta Maxxum 8000i. I was not sure whether it would be better to add it as a footnote on my previous post about the 7000i or not but I am convinced that the 8000i needs a separate post of it's own as in many ways it is a different camera than the 7000i.   In terms of looks and user interface the two cameras look identical. I like the way they look, low profile with a chubby handgrip and a tilted LCD Panel. In terms of features, the 8000i offers a bit more: multiple exposures and a high eyepoint viewfinder that makes it easier for people with eye glasses to look through. Expansion Card compartment The biggest difference thought is the shutter, Minolta had to keep up with both Nikon and Canon who introduced cameras with 1/8000 sec shutter speed. So, new shutter and mirror box was developed for the 8000i. Also flash synchronisation went to a very decent 1/200. The AF feels slightly faster ...

Cute little thing! This is a review of the Rollei XF 35, a camera that i bought in a carboot sale and stayed with me for a few weeks before deciding to pass it on. The Rollei XF35 came out in the now distant 1974. It followed an increasing trend of fully automated cameras like the Olympus 35DC (reviewed in my blog), the Minolta H-matic or the Petri Computor II just to name a few with fast lenses and compact dimensions. The  Rollei XF 35 was an affordable camera made to supplement the already very popular 35-series. In the early 1980's it cost around $60 almost half the price of the more prestigious siblings. One thing that you notice when you pick up this camera is its light weight and small dimensions. It is smaller than the Olympus 35 DC and lighter. Main selling point for this camera is the lens, it is a Sonnar design, 5 elements in 4 groups and multicoated, a lens of honorable background and well regarded in the photographic industry. I shot half a roll of film fo...

Roger Moore on bottom, Tony Curtis on top. Coffee right This is a review of the Pentax Espio Mini - a camera i had for a couple of months and shot half a film with it (the other half was shot with my OM-2n). This is a compact point and shoot camera from the mid-90's, a camera that did not receive a lot of attention when new (there are not many coming up for sale in the second hand market) and it took people a bit of time to re-discover and elevate it to an almost cult camera that fetches around £120 to £200 on the Internet (that is more that my Nikon F5). The Espio Mini is Pentax's take on how the Mju -2 should look like. They are about the same size and weight although the little Pentax is more square and more easy to hold. The battery compartment cap is small and easy to break. Beware  Where the Espio Mini really shines, it is in the viewfinder department. The camera projects frame lines and shades part of the viewfinder in order to compensate for par...