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Crap Cameras on a Roll - Howay Anny-35 and Halina 35X + Lomography Metropolis


These two cameras are favourites of mine. They are both heavily flawed.

 Their limitations are what make them produce distinctive photographs that couldn't be made in any other way.

 We start off with the Howay Anny-35

 This is a box-camera in the guise of a rangefinder. Actually these are not my words, but those of the manufacturer.


I have written a short review about a very similar camera (the Meisupii) here. My impression so far is very close to what I wanted from it: Light-weight and small, with few options of exposure, it is very easily used. All you need to decide is whether to over-expose your film or not, if you use a 200-400 ASA film like me, choosing with the f-stops f/8-16. I think shutter speed is somewhere around 1/100th of a second. The focus if fixed, so is there from 1,5 meters or so.



 An affliction of both current cameras' lenses are fogging. It appears when there is strong light coming into the lens from the front, either from a strong light source like the sun or a field of light like the sky or a window. When fogged the picture appears to have a white veil all over and sometimes the fogging appears as a halo. The photo above has no fogging to speak of since I was in the shade when the exposure was made and no large bright light source is visible.

In the greenhouse strong light came from above and was filtered through the already fogged/dirty windows, dispersing the light all over. Even though I had my back to the light the photo was in part fogged.





Again, here I was in the shade, and no strong source of light hits the lens. 


 This exposure was made to capture the geometrics as well as the wonderful varieties of red.





I like barns! Sorry!
More fogging, from the sky, but I love the feeling of vintage postcard resulting from this lens!

I can't remember where the blue light came from. This is taken with my macro lens held in front - an element from a discarded tele-lens.

The film used in the Howay was half of a Kodak film I got with a partly used disposable camera. The film was past its due with ten to twenty years, I can't remember.

 As for the subject of focus - I mean sharpness of lenses - it is not my main concern when it comes to photography. Good enough focus and more work spent at composition is my way.

Halina 35X

 This is a lovely little camera. Read more here and here.

The Halina is basic, equipped with aperture, some shutter speeds, focusing and film winding.




The film LomoChrome Metropolis is very nice looking. I love the muted colours and the deep blacks. I could have made the photos lighter in post-editing but in most cases preferred how they came out of my (flatbed) scanner.



Over exposed photos come out paler, of course, with drastically less saturated colours than those exposed at 400ASA, which is what I tried to aim for.









My love story with the Halina 35X continues...
Thanks for tagging along! Don't hesitate to comment or check out my Instagram at #ourbooksmalmo. Visit my Etsy shop getOurBooks where you can find vintage cameras and photography equipment. If you feel inclined to contribute to this blog with material in the same vein, don't hesitate to contact me.

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