Half frame advice NEEDED!

hoomuzzz · Apr 18, 2024

I'm looking for a half frame camera which is beautifully made and with good lens.
Currently considering a Minolta Repo. (But I heard the shutter/aperture control is in EV numbers, not manually.)
And Agfa Optima Parat. (A little bit rare in my region.)

Any advice? What's your favorite half frame camera?

brbo · Apr 18, 2024

Canon Demi EE17.

FriedLouisStudio · Apr 18, 2024

I have an Olympus Pen F and Pen S. Both are gorgeous hunks of midcentury engineering, and both are capable of producing outstanding results. These are 2400dpi scans from Kodak Double-X developed in D-76 1:1.

Pen F:

Pen S:

xkaes · Apr 18, 2024

You're going to get a million answers because there are a million 35mm half-frame cameras to choose from. FYI, there were three versions of the Minolta Repo -- take a look at:

http://www.subclub.org/shop/halframe.htm

Here's my favorite:

ant! · Apr 18, 2024

I have and love as well the Canon Demi EE17. Had tried as well an Olympus Pen EED (?), but the Demi won for me clearly: film advance by lever instead wheel, focus distance indicator and exposure data inside the viewfinder (the Pen EED had only an over/under-exposure warning flag). And the Demi looks cuter. I use it with a hearing aid zinc-air battery, works great.

choiliefan · Apr 18, 2024

My favorite half-frame is actually a 3/4-frame Robot Star.
Have to praise it anytime I can shoehorn it into a thread since its very compact.

Les Sarile · Apr 21, 2024

I have the Konica Auto-Reflex and the Olympus Pen FT and of course both are built like tanks common to that era.

Auto-Reflex_FT by Les DMess, on Flickr

With the Konica, you can switch at anytime between half and full size with a flick of a switch. Can drive the minilabs crazy when making prints . . .

Konica Auto-Reflex by Les DMess, on Flickr

I believe it is the only camera with this capability . . .

blee1996 · Apr 21, 2024

Minolta Repo is beautifully built, so is Fujica Half. Both have excellent lens. I think you will like either.

Sirius Glass · Apr 22, 2024

I like the Tessina 35mm half frame cameras, myself.

Tessina - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

4season · Apr 22, 2024

Olympus Pen-FT and Canon Demi EE17 are fine performers, and you can't go wrong with either one. But the camera which was a pleasant surprise for me was the Ricoh Auto Half. Fixed focus lens (there is a variant offering zone focus, but I haven't tried it) and fully automatic operation, so it's really more of a snapshot camera, but it's fun!

xkaes · Apr 22, 2024

Sirius Glass said:
I like the Tessina 35mm half frame cameras, myself.

At 14x21mm, the Tessina format doesn't quite qualify as half-frame (24x17 or 18mm), but since we seem to be throwing in 24x24mm cameras, as well as full-frame/half-frame models too, why not?

Here's one (or two or three) that allow you to take a 17x24mm size or a square 24x24mm image -- even mid-roll -- and the ability to take multiple exposures.

sojournermike · Apr 22, 2024

I recently bought an Olympus Pen EE3. I put a roll of film in it and loved it- then my daughter claimed it and took it back to London with her…

It did feel a long time to get through the roll.

Marcelo Paniagua · Apr 22, 2024

FriedLouisStudio said:
View attachment 368509

I have an Olympus Pen F and Pen S. Both are gorgeous hunks of midcentury engineering, and both are capable of producing outstanding results. These are 2400dpi scans from Kodak Double-X developed in D-76 1:1.

Pen F:

View attachment 368508

Pen S:

View attachment 368507

I will recommend Olympus Pen F since it is the only half frame that is still serviced by anyone (although no spare part available).

Can vouch for it. Camera and lenses are gorgeous.

Also, although rare, there is an adapter for OM lens to Pen F so system can be expanded.

Marcelo.

xkaes · Apr 22, 2024

And since there are M42 adapters (and several others) for the Pen F cameras they can use thousands of lenses:

http://www.subclub.org/subjpegs/penadapters.jpg

ph · Apr 23, 2024

If the very best optics is important, the half frame Alpas will take jsut about any first class lens (aprt from current autofocus adn auto aperture plastic contraptions, and if smaller formats are important they made some that will expose the tiny microfilm format.

p.

henryvk · Apr 23, 2024

Yeah, there are a lot of them. Here's mine though: Ricoh Auto Half E2

I'm sure there are better lenses but this one is no slouch either.

xkaes · Apr 23, 2024

The lens on most of the Ricoh AutoHalf models -- there were several -- was the the fixed-focus, 25mm f2.8. It's a stellar performer. But on some models the lens could be focused. My favorite is the Ricoh Caddy. It doesn't have the spring winder -- which makes the camera much lighter, and it doesn't have auto-exposure, but it adds complete manual exposure (with a match needle), and focusing.

One model had a 30mm f1.7!!!

http://www.subclub.org/shop/ricoh.htm

r_a_feldman · Apr 23, 2024

There are reports online that the new Ricoh/Pentax film camera, due to be released later this year, will be half-frame.

M-88 · Apr 24, 2024

No love for Olympus Pen D/D2/D3?

henryvk · Apr 24, 2024

r_a_feldman said:
There are reports online that the new Ricoh/Pentax film camera, due to be released later this year, will be half-frame.

Here's some (scant) info: https://silvergrainclassics.com/en/2024/03/new-pentax-camera-will-be-half-frame-available-summer-24/

Good to know, I wonder if it will be as good as the old Ricohs

Les Sarile · Apr 24, 2024

The Olympus Pen is so versatile as it has lens mount adapters for practically all types -> http://www.f22.org.uk/Galleries/Pen_Collection/slr_pen.html

I managed to get one for Nikon mount . . .

Olympus Pen FT by Les DMess, on Flickr

Adam W · Apr 24, 2024

Marcelo Paniagua said:
I will recommend Olympus Pen F since it is the only half frame that is still serviced by anyone (although no spare part available).

Can vouch for it. Camera and lenses are gorgeous.

Also, although rare, there is an adapter for OM lens to Pen F so system can be expanded.

Marcelo.

Hi Marcelo,

Do you know of anyone who is in fact repairing Pen Fs? My beloved FT is broken....

Adam

Paul Howell · Apr 24, 2024

I have a Konica Recorder, do not use it much as 1/2 frame is bit too small for me.

xkaes · Apr 24, 2024

Adam W said:
Hi Marcelo,

Do you know of anyone who is in fact repairing Pen Fs? My beloved FT is broken....

Adam

The good news is that replacements can be found for about $100 -- probably cheaper than a repair & parts are not available.

xkaes · Apr 24, 2024

Paul Howell said:
I have a Konica Recorder, do not use it much as 1/2 frame is bit too small for me.

View attachment 369020

(1985) Konica AA-35. Quite a camera at the time, with many innovative features. It had a 24mm (f4.0-16) auto-focus lens, focusing to 3 feet. Built-in CDS meter automatically sets shutter speed (1/60 - 1/250) and aperture, in a programmed-exposure system. Although the focus and exposure were strictly automatic, these limitations are somewhat overcome by the other features, such as a built-in motor-drive, auto-exposure, and flash. First drop-in the film. It ran vertically, so the pictures come out horizontal, unlike most half-frame cameras. Then set the film speed (ISO 100 - 400) and you are set to go. The camera focuses the lens, then exposes the film, then advances the film. A RED/GREEN LED in the viewfinder tells you whether the exposure was correct or not. All this in a very thin, attractive body. The camera had the same shape of the disc cameras of the time -- it's so thin you assume that it CAN'T be 35mm! And it had a built-in sliding case to keep everything protected -- well, almost everything -- not the flash and the viewfinder. When the roll is done, flip the switch on the bottom of the camera and the motor rewinds the film into the cassette. The camera came in a variety of colors, such as red, grey flannel, etc.. No tripod socket, flash shoe, PC contact, filter thread or cable release socket. But it DID have a wrist strap! Takes two AA batteries that operate the flash, the meter and the motor drive. It is the same as the Konica Recorder. They also came in a DATE imprinting version.

Half frame advice NEEDED!

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