Long shot: trying to track down a 35mm compact

dj_judas21

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I appreciate this is a long shot, but where better to ask than here

In the 1990s I had a cheap 35mm compact camera. I can't remember what it was, but I am trying to track down the make and model. Can anyone think of a camera that meets these specs:

  • Basic 35mm compact
  • Purchased new in early 90s from Dixons (UK) for probably about £10
  • It had a brand name I'd heard of before, but not one of the major manufacturers. Maybe Miranda etc?
  • Similar in appearance to the Canon Snappy LX
  • Black plastic with blue/green trim
  • Fixed focus lens
  • Manual film advance
  • Large viewfinder
  • No auto-exposure (fixed shutter & aperture)

I owned this camera before I was interested in photography, just for holiday snaps as a teenager. I don't think I threw it away when I got my first digital camera, but I turned over my parents' house this Christmas and couldn't find it anywhere. They deny getting rid of it too!

If anyone can suggest cameras that fit this description then I'd be extremely grateful. I've spent a couple of hours looking at pictures of 35mm compacts online but I can't see mine.
 

Jeff Searust

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ansco?
 

AgX

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I got a simple camera though quite similar in appearance to the Canon Snappy LX (which I never came across).
Most remarkable is the large viefinder.
The one I got I see repeatedly under differend brands.

EDIT: May be I mixed up cameras...
The one I got for sure has motor transport and and a tiny 2-group lens stated to be aspherical, madi un China.
It is called "Fun Cam Motor" and Agfa (rhomb) branded.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/botakjay/1699144728/in/photostream/
Here is one in different design, but Agfa branded too:
http://cf3.souqcdn.com/item/33/39/67/item_XL_333967_447644.jpg
 
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AstroZon

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Miranda went out of business in the late 70s, so perhaps Mamiya?

I just bought a Mamiya non-autofocus, manual advance camera, but it was made in 1982. Anyway, here's a picture of it:

 
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dj_judas21

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AgX said:
I got a simple camera though quite similar in appearance to the Canon Snappy LX (which I never came across).
Most remarkable is the large viefinder.
The one I got I see repeatedly under differend brands.
Click to expand...

Which camera is it you have? I wonder if mine is the same.

AstroZon said:
Miranda went out of business in the late 70s, so perhaps Mamiya?
Click to expand...

It wasn't Mamiya. I'd be very lucky to buy a brand new Mamiya for £10 (about $13). The camera I had had no electronics at all, no flash, no exposure, no focus.

Miranda went out of business in the 70s but a British company bought the rights to use the name and continued selling re-badged cameras under the Miranda name. Sort of ties in with a cheap plastic camera.
 

elcabezagrande

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Fuji also made a series of "big viewfinder" cameras, under the Clear Shot/Smart Shot series. Yashica also made some that were similar (Yashica Clearlook). I don't think any were manual advance, though. Kalimar made a model with the big finder and a manual zoom lens and manual advance (Kalimar Zoom), but they are not black.
 
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Paul Howell

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I think we are talking about a plastic toy type cameras that were sold in the 90s. 35mm viewfinder, fixed lens, made to look like a SLR and given names that were similar to Nikon or other brands. A few had flash, some had a motor winder. I see them at thrift shops for a couple of dollars.
 

DannL.

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AstroZon

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By Jove, I think I've got it:



Hanimex VC3200

Fixed focus, thumbwheel film advance, crank retrun, black with greenish-blue trim, big viewfinder, etc. Also available in silver.
 
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dj_judas21

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AstroZon said:
By Jove, I think I've got it:

Hanimex VC3200
Click to expand...

It does look like a pretty good match! Looking at it though, it doesn't ring any bells for me. I hope I would still recognise it all these years later, but who knows. I wasn't "into" photography back then - I just had this camera for holidays.

I'm pretty sure that the camera I had wasn't badged as Hanimex - do you know if this model was sold under other brands too?

Maybe I'll selectively rewrite history, and claim I owned this camera. Thanks for your help searching
 

AstroZon

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AgX said:
In post #8 you see it Vivitar branded.
Click to expand...

Yep, same camera. Vivitar and Hanimex often shared products - each marketing in different parts of the world. In fact, I think I saw the Vivitar version just a few days ago at a local thrift. There were loads of big viewfinder point and shoot cameras in the 90s. Minolta had one too.

I also saw one of these for $3: Jeva 35 Twist Zoom. I'd have bought it except that it was chipped under the viewfinder. Cheap quirky camera. Right up my alley.

 

elcabezagrande

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I have virtually the same camera wearing the Kalimar brand


Kalimar Autowind Zoom by Greyscale3, on Flickr
 
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