Cheaper Alternative to the Kodak Ektar H35 - The AgfaPhoto Half Frame

[@JordanToussaint]

I always loved the look of these half frame cameras, the tighter crop on the grain kind of gives it a grittier 16mm look. Great for candids and street photography. Awesome video!

[@Eclectachrome]

thank you!!

[@ArchiesLens]

Oooh I’ve been super curious about half frame cameras in general so it’s cool to see this as an option. Great review 🌸✨

[@Eclectachrome]

Thank you! I have found them surprisingly good so absolutely love them for saving money on film!

[@ArchiesLens]

@@Eclectachrome that's awesome! I'm all here for getting double the exposures 🙌🏾

[@kierstipe7541]

TBF south Wales railway stations are so photogenic, some great shots of Cardiff General and Bridgend, great post too👏👏

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks!!

[@theoldcameraguy]

Looks like a nice alternative to the H35. I really liked Agfa’s full frame reusable.

[@Eclectachrome]

Yeah for sure! I was surprised the release on the Agfa was so quiet!

[@trevoroneill8131]

@@Eclectachrome what film do you use for this camera

[@שירהדשא]

Is the Agfa’s full frame better option from the h35? In your opinion?

[@theoldcameraguy]

@@שירהדשאFor me, yes, because I prefer full frame and a horizontal landscape orientation and viewfinder.

[@raceface_m2579]

Looks Ike they’ve revamped the product! Awesome

[@acesanders2877]

Love P&S cameras! Me lover of both brands: Kodak and Agfa! I take your word seriously so yeah, whenever I can get me one of this plastic pocket P&S cheap film cameras I'd pamper my film cameras collection with one of it! Thank u for sharing! Two thumbs Up!

[@Eclectachrome]

thank you!! they are super nice when you don't want to fuss with settings and exposure 😊

[@acesanders2877]

@@Eclectachrome Indeed. II would normally use a pro-like gear like a SLR camera or at least a DSLR (I chose Nikon for DSLR photo gear) in a special situation, tho and yet in a rather ocasional gathering with friends, a good P&S camera delivers a quick and nice image in the end! Even so, I like the way you test film, gears and brand new photo cameras! It's super fun to watch your videos sneaking around and studying light and optics and film. Very enriching knowledge! Love it!

[@mattgermond7957]

So cool! Very tempted to pick one up! Thanks for sharing Molly 😊

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks Matt!!

[@acecreates]

I've seen these and the other similar half frames.. it looks like a neat little camera. For me, I think I'd use that (with the flash!) Is perfect for party photos with a flash. That lofi 90s look...yum. Thanks for sharing, as always!!

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks for watching!! yep total party cam!

[@petesime]

I ended up ordering a vintage half frame camera (and a battery converter because the old mercury cells are no longer made). Mainly for build quality and the glass lens. I don’t mind the smaller frame, it’s still bigger than 110 - which I think has its own charm, but I don’t like that only one vendor is still making film for it.

[@Eclectachrome]

yeah good that 110 is being made though! but wish that more companies would make it. But with the half frame, it is bigger negative and glass lens will be nice, which one did you go for? I love my fujica half!

[@petesime]

@@Eclectachrome An Olympus Pen EED. I haven't developed anything yet from it, but it has a nice build quality.

[@Eclectachrome]

@@petesime cool, those are super nice!

[@AnalogueDiaries]

I'm always on a fence about this type of cameras, as you mentioned those rewinders feel very flimsy and it's a matter of time when it'll break. I only tried Lomo Simple use which was super fun, but it has the same issue with film rewinder. Great images!

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks! yeah its the only thing I feel will break but will have to be careful.

[@AlexLuyckxPhoto]

That flimsy rewind knob is a problem across the board with these cameras. I see it in the RETO Ultra-Wide & Slim and the LOMO Apparat. Great results, as always, and that's from someone who isn't a half-frame fan.

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks! yeah definitely, that's my only bit about this camera, the rest of it is as you would think for the price, but the rewind knob could definitely have been made a tad stronger. Perhaps it's the same parts manufacturer though for all of them?

[@Bonsees]

I ordered mine a couple of days ago when I saw your IG post 😆

[@Eclectachrome]

WOO!!!! hahah looking forward to see what you think of it!

[@Bonsees]

@@Eclectachrome

[@niktaylor5222]

Nice video. The Kodak looks like it was modelled on their Instamatic 126 cameras from the late 60's. I had a 133 model which was my first film camera!

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks! oh yeah it does! do you still have that one?

[@NunoAlmeidaPhotography]

Nice shots! It definitely sounds like a great option for its price range!

[@Eclectachrome]

thanks! yeah definitely better priced and decent for it :)

[@artrecords7196]

Sinceramente, me encantan estas cámaras para disparar blanco y negro con flash. Lo malo es que como tú bien dices, la palanca de rebobinado en cualquier momento parece se vaya a romper. Y también me pasa que el botón inferior para soltar la película y rebobinar, se pulsa con nada, y el contador de frames se pone a 0 continuamente, por lo que nunca sé cuántas fotografías me quedan.

[@SteffenVadla]

Great video and nice shots!

[@Eclectachrome]

Thanks a lot!

[@filmcamerajourneys]

Nice video. What film did you run through it? I really have to say you have a great here are the facts with just a flair of personality on-screen-personality. Keep up the great videos!

[@Eclectachrome]

thank you! it was the bananachrome 400 film from sunny 16, I forgot to say in the video 😊

[@filmcamerajourneys]

@@Eclectachrome sounds like a fun film to use. I've been enjoying Japan Camera Hunter StreetPan 400 as my black and white film.

[@Eclectachrome]

@@filmcamerajourneys thats an awesome film!

[@lapoupadotcom]

It sure is great that manufacturers are making film cameras again, however last week I bought a CLA'd 50-year-old half-frame Olympus Pen EES-2 for practically the same price as a new H35 and I think it might be a better purchase for just about anyone... (except maybe someone who really hates zone focusing or something)

[@Eclectachrome]

yea I'd agree if you have that option! sounds like a fab find 😊😊

[@Nieuwhollands]

The ergonomics of the word ergonomics is just not ergonomical at all 😋 It seems these days that anything Kodak is overexpensive. Which is sad because Kodak is so good. Feels like they're setting the stage for everything else being competitive just because it's priced better (though it is clear that the Agfa is a better option than the H35 not just pricewise.) Glad you reviewed this one!

[@Eclectachrome]

hey thanks! hahaha english is hard often...that's true, we are in a very price conscious place at the moment but yeah turned out I really enjoyed this one so much more! Although, I'll be honest, I think it had a lot to do with how it looked LOL

[@mwales2112]

I looked at B&H and other suppliers and all sell them with 31mm lens, not 50mm. I noticed European sites that sell the 50mm version. Maybe 50mm is not for us in the US.

[@Eclectachrome]

the half frame version?

[@mwales2112]

@@Eclectachrome Looks like its a full frame..

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

I saw that also -- the US retailers did not have the Agfa half-frame *BUT* look for the One-Shot half-frame -- it is the exact same camera. I got one, with a roll of "One-Shot" 18-exposure (36 pics on the half-frame camera, B&W film from Amazon for $42 US. I have the Agfa full-frame and they are the exact same body with some mods to the lens/viewfinder, film-plane and winder to get half-frame shots.

[@Eclectachrome]

@@aengusmacnaughton1375 yeah I saw Dave from the old camera guy post that! looks like the same camera so nice that its also available in the US 😊

[@BerndtOtto]

Sounds good, but … F5.6 ??? Most people are loading these types of cameras with ISO 400 films, which means, that on a sunny day ( F16@1/400sec according to the sunny 16 rule ), the photo would be overexposed by about 5 stops !!! Is that camera actually usable ? I would instinctively use such a camera in good weather. ☀️ What film speed did you actually use for your test shots ? I missed that information in the video somehow. ☺️

[@Eclectachrome]

ohhh I can't remember saying that actually, it was a 400 speed film, the Bananachrome one from Sunny 16! good it was a cloudy dark day, yeah you would have to use as low an iso as possible, although using a 400 speed film on a cloudy day with the ektar h35, the photos were so dark so maybe 5.6 works better with clouds. I just shot a 400 speed color film through on a sunny day so will be curious to see the results on that!

[@wobelaarlivenl]

Hi! Thanks for the review! Great images you've shot! :) i was just wondering (since I'm completely new to film cameras) does it have a self timer? Also could you maybe add a link to an image in rhe description so I could take a better look at the quality of the images if shoots? :)

[@Eclectachrome]

hi! it doesn't have a self timer unfortunately and I don't have a link to the images sorry!

[@lelandfitz1762]

Thanks for the review I just got an Agfa Half Frame myself. As you reviewed the Ektars aswell I am curious as to how the focal length differs? Agfa says it's a 50mm, Kodak says their Ektars are 22mm. Yet both come from seemingly the same body and a 31mm focal length. The problem with those new plastic cameras is that they manufacturing seems to be so easy that they don't have any serious engineers anymore LOL I wrote to Agfa, they told me they simply cropped everything with a factor of x1.6 - thus making the Agfa Half Frame a 50mm and (even more outrageous!) a f=5.6 Sorry for this rant, I guess what I basically want to know is: Do you see any difference bewtween the Ektar and the Agfa Half Frame when it comes to focal length? Is the Kodak really this wide or the Agfa really this narrow? Or did both of them simply crop the numbers differently and one or both of their numbers (22mm vs 50mm) is/are wrong? Thanks.

[@Eclectachrome]

awesome, the Agfa Half Frame is a lot of fun! I do notice a difference, my images on the Agfa seem more on the 50mm end of things thinking from a 35mm film negative perspective, and the H35N seems wider. However, that's only a general impression from memory and perhaps if I were to do a more technical analysis of it, there may be a different answer! I'm not sure what they do with these cameras but for them, it likely doesn't matter much because the target audience might not ask those kinds of technical questions lol

[@lelandfitz1762]

@@Eclectachrome thanks for your fast response. If you don't remember any big differences then I'm sure they aren't as different as those numbers would suggest. I am by no means a pro and more confused about this (apparently) huge difference in specs.

[@GreenlifeFin]

What BW film did you use? I really like the contrast.

[@Eclectachrome]

oh gosh I can't remember, and I don't think I said in the video, but it could have been Kentmere 400 possibly! I usually shoot that with cheaper cameras like the half frame :)

[@GreenlifeFin]

@@Eclectachrome How did you like the camera?

[@Eclectachrome]

@@GreenlifeFin it was fun!

[@שירהדשא]

I don’t know if I should buy the Kodak h35 or agfaphoto full frame, do u still think the agfaphoto is better, even if it’s full frame and not half ?

[@Eclectachrome]

hmm i'd say if you don't mind lower resolution, the half frame will make shooting film much cheaper - then you could get the H35 or H35N - H35N is a little better because it has a glass element to the lens. If you want more resolution in your images, the full frame is the way to go! now, I think the H35N is my favorite but totally up to you!

[@RamoArt]

Sorry for asking such a dumb question... While you did mention the rewinder knob feels less flimsy on the Agfa over the Kodak, I didn't really get a good impression of build quality or just the feeling of quality. It's weird but I can't stand cameras that feel super cheap. I tried a Kodak Printomatic (which is way more expensive than both of the half frame cameras in question) and it felt so horribly cheap that I had to return it. Don't like Lomograpraphy cameras, especially since I've broken 2. But I do like my modern Polaroid OneStep2 despite it being plastic, it feels like it's well built. Some of the really old plastic point and shoot film cameras also feel fine. With that said, do you think there's any chance I'd enjoy using one of these modern half frame cameras? If so, which one? I'd appreciate your opinion!

[@Eclectachrome]

Hmm you might not because they all feel overall cheap. Sounds like you'd like the Fujica Half or the Olympus Pen F maybe?

[@FocalMatter]

I have the H35 recently and I actually really like it (I don’t know the price as it was bought as a gift for me) so it was win win for me😁 I LOOOOVVVEEEE YOUR pics with this camera!! Wow!! They’re so moody. The rolls I put through my half frame weren’t the best but I feel it was all too dark and I was too far away from subjects when flash was on. I’m really impressed how these shots came out for you. You couldn’t tell it was a little plastic camera from my perspective and your photos are always 🔥 Your videos are always awesome!! Soo good 🙌🏼

[@Eclectachrome]

thank youuuuu!!!! such a nice gift, definitely a win there :) Yes! I had the same with this one, anybody farther away than like a couple meters is dark lol you are way to kind! but yeah definitely these plastic cameras could keep up with some of the others!! Would you do a video on the H35?

[@FocalMatter]

@@Eclectachrome I think I’ll leave the camera reviews to the professionals… such as yourself 🙌🏼

[@mansonandsatanrock]

I'm looking for a half-frame. Is the view finder on this accurate?

[@Eclectachrome]

Not 100%, but most others in the same price/class range aren't as they are essentially windows lol

[@Zarcoil]

hi there, thank you for review. what about aperture change when using flash? like it does on kodak h35n

[@Eclectachrome]

good question! i don't know at the moment and I left this camera in the UK so I can't check it at the moment :/ I don't remember it doing that but there's a chance it could do!

[@seyanplays]

Good day! I just want to ask how will I know if i already shot twice on 1 exposure? I just bought that camera and im just a beginner. Thank you!

[@Eclectachrome]

hey! so I believe that camera won't let you shoot more than one image on one frame - if you hit the shutter button, and don't wind on, it won't allow the shutter to be opened again until you wind on to the next frame - let me know if that makes sense? awesome that you just got the camera and are starting to shoot it!! let me know if you have any other questions on it :)

[@seyanplays]

@@Eclectachrome I guess i'll see when developed. Thanks for the reply!

[@Eclectachrome]

@@seyanplays of course! Let me know how it goes

[@SteveMorton]

Yes a more realistic price for a reusable plastic camera.

[@Eclectachrome]

definitely!

[@1marcelfilms]

finally today. I found the even cheaper knock off version of this thing in aliexpress.

[@1marcelfilms]

so overpriced 😩

[@Eclectachrome]

what is it up to these days?