Are there any wide angle fully mechanical fixed lens film cameras ?

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

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Hello all,

I love using my various fixed lens mechanical Cosmic/Smena cameras but quite often they just aren't wide angle enough to capture what I want and I end up reverting to my Digi cameras to get the image. I have a Sony a6000 which I use 99% of the time at 16mm so I'm looking for something 28mm or less. Do they exist ? I've bben looking around ebay at simalr cameras to the Cosmic but as yet haven't found anything

Thanks all
 
Quite a lot of compacts had a 35mm lens (e.g. Olympus XA); I think that there was at least one camera that went wider to 28mm but I'm not sure. I'm going to assume that the XA doesn't meet your "fully mechanical" spec though.
 
With film I like to make my own decisions, so fully mechanical is my thing, that way I only have myself to blame when it goes wrong. I do have a couple of SLR's that would do the job but prefer the smaller fixed lens more compact cameras. My ideal would be fully mechanical, no light meter, wide angle, multi exposure possibilities and fairly small, I maybe asking a bit tooooo much ! I may end up reverting to my Praktica B's which are still quite small
 
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If you want to go really wide there is the Lomo Fisheye / Fisheye 2 which produces a circular image on 35mm .

kevinthephotographer.wordpress.com

Equipment: Lomo Fisheye 2

My latest camera purchase was the Lomo Fisheye 2 which I bought used from eBay for £16. I’m not usually one for the “Lo-Fi” approach but I didn’t fancy paying £450 for a fis…
kevinthephotographer.wordpress.com kevinthephotographer.wordpress.com
 
I’m going to be launching my new dual coated glass element M39 24mm/f11 lens really soon, which is fixed aperture, fixed focus. Coupled with a basic rangefinder body (I’ve got one on my Fed Zarya) and you get an entirely fixed ‘SnapShot’ camera, that focuses from 1m>Infinity.

The lens attached to my digital A7 is a beta printed body. The final version will be machined from a single block of aluminium and anodised black.
 

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stevelmx5 said:
I’m going to be launching my new dual coated glass element M39 24mm/f11 lens really soon, which is fixed aperture, fixed focus. Coupled with a basic rangefinder body (I’ve got one on my Fed Zarya) and you get an entirely fixed ‘SnapShot’ camera, that focuses from 1m>Infinity.

The lens attached to my digital A7 is a beta printed body. The final version will be machined from a single block of aluminium and anodised black.
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An example I shot on my Zarya with Acros 100

I’m hoping to be able to bring the lens out at £99, just waiting on the final costings of the anodising/engraving.
 

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@BADGER.BRAD I have a Voigtlander Bessa L with a Voigtlander 25mm Snapshot lens & matching viewfinder that doesn't get a lot of use nowadays, If you're interested I'll get some photos taken and stick it up in the classifieds.
 
stevelmx5 said:
I’m going to be launching my new dual coated glass element M39 24mm/f11 lens really soon, which is fixed aperture, fixed focus. Coupled with a basic rangefinder body (I’ve got one on my Fed Zarya) and you get an entirely fixed ‘SnapShot’ camera, that focuses from 1m>Infinity.

The lens attached to my digital A7 is a beta printed body. The final version will be machined from a single block of aluminium and anodised black.
Click to expand...

This is excellent Steve and I wish you every success.

The camera that got me into photography was the Kodak Instamatic 36 which my parents gave me for my birthday (or maybe Christmas) when I was a boy. That camera had a fixed 43mm f11 lens and simple cameras like that have drawn me ever since. OK 43 and 24mm are quite different focal lengths but even so I could really lust after one of these for the fun and the memories and with modern ISO capabilities it'd be much more useable than that lovely old Kodak 36.

Sorry to take the thread off on a tangent but I just had to say this :D

Oh... It's just struck me that this would go on MFT and be 48mm :D
 
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My GSW690 is fully mechanical with a fixed 65mm. The GW690 is the same but with a 90mm lens
 
I seem to remember a few large format wide fixed lens, I think the fuji mentioned by Karl was one I always fancied. There was another with what looked like a roll cage around the lens, cant remember the make now though.
 
woof woof said:
This is excellent Steve and I wish you every success.

The camera that got me into photography was the Kodak Instamatic 36 which my parents gave me for my birthday (or maybe Christmas) when I was a boy. That camera had a fixed 43mm f11 lens and simple cameras like that have drawn me ever since. OK 43 and 24mm are quite different focal lengths but even so I could really lust after one of these for the fun and the memories and with modern ISO capabilities it'd be much more useable than that lovely old Kodak 36.

Sorry to take the thread off on a tangent but I just had to say this :D

Oh... It's just struck me that this would go on MFT and be 48mm :D
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Thanks, much appreciated

I chose 24mm as a focal length that there aren’t many cheaper options for, and went with M39 mount because it’s compatible with so many systems (including MFT!).
 
swanseamale47 said:
I seem to remember a few large format wide fixed lens, I think the fuji mentioned by Karl was one I always fancied. There was another with what looked like a roll cage around the lens, cant remember the make now though.
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The Fuji GX617 has the bump cage around the lenses, although they’re interchangeable medium format (and very expensive!)
 
stevelmx5 said:
The Fuji GX617 has the bump cage around the lenses, although they’re interchangeable medium format (and very expensive!)
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I used a Fuji GS645S for press work in the 1980s: the 60mm lens was the equivalent of a 35mm lens on full frame. The only problem was the extreme fragility of the lens mount, which the very solid bumper bar around the front of the lens alleviated but didn't cure.

...but the default upright format was great for "grip 'n' grins"...

Childrens Librarian.jpgMarine mechanics Fuji 645.jpg
 
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swanseamale47 said:
I seem to remember a few large format wide fixed lens, I think the fuji mentioned by Karl was one I always fancied. There was another with what looked like a roll cage around the lens, cant remember the make now though.
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I can remember that one as well - and also can't recall the name. I keep thinking "Alpa" but a search doesn't turn it up. These though (like the Hasselblad SWC that I don't think has been mentioned) aren't pocketable and aren't 35mm, and I suspect that these are also attributes being sought. Nor are they low priced.

I'm assuming that the fixed lens requirement is there to make the camera/lens pocketable, otherwise it would be easy to fit a 28mm lens onto a vast array of cameras. And for the same reason, 35mm film.
 
Does the Reto Ultrawide and Slim count?

It's fully mechanical, albeit in a very restricted basic point-and-shoot fashion - it has fixed aperture, fixed shutter speed, but with a wide 22mm lens. It's a clone of the older Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim.

You can buy them brand new for around £35 or so.

I know you quite like lo-fi cameras @BADGER.BRAD , so it would be right up your street from that perspective. It can take quite nice photos too if you don't mind loss of edge sharpness and vignetting.

Here's a link to the photos I've taken with mine:

www.flickr.com

Reto Ultrawide & Slim

Explore this photo album by fishyfish_arcade on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
 
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StephenM said:
I'm assuming that the fixed lens requirement is there to make the camera/lens pocketable, otherwise it would be easy to fit a 28mm lens onto a vast array of cameras. And for the same reason, 35mm film.
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That's exactly the reason Stephen, I think because of the lack of cameras with a wide lens and some flexibility with regard to settings I may well go small SLR with a 28 or even 24mm lens . Just looked at you photos with the Reto Nige they look really good , not that I should be surprised as your photos are always good ! I was thinking at one point of a Diana Mini as they have quite a wide lens but this may well be an alternative !
 
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stevelmx5 said:
The Fuji GX617 has the bump cage around the lenses, although they’re interchangeable medium format (and very expensive!)
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Maybe thats the one I was thinking of, although I thought it was a different make. It was a good while ago.
 
My recollection was of a camera with one (or two) wooden grips on the side(s) and a relatively slim (but definitely unpocketable) body.
 
Something of that shape, but with the "lens cage". Perhaps I'll dig a little more - I'm old enough to get confused really easily and it might be the Fuji SLR that I'm using as the basis of the "memory":)
 
StephenM said:
My recollection was of a camera with one (or two) wooden grips on the side(s) and a relatively slim (but definitely unpocketable) body.
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The Pentak 6x7 had an add on wooden grip. No way was it pocket friendly ;)
L1110996-e1610374246720-1024x681.jpg
 
swanseamale47 said:
I seem to remember a few large format wide fixed lens, I think the fuji mentioned by Karl was one I always fancied. There was another with what looked like a roll cage around the lens, cant remember the make now though.
Click to expand...
If you are ever on this side of the bridge give me a shout, always happy to have an excuse to get out with a camera and I can bring along the MkI Texas Leica
 
The camera with a cage round the lens.... could be the Fuji GS645S rangefinder (not sure about the exposure system). It has a 60mm lens on a 6x4.5 format.
The Fuji GS645W is the same camera with a 45mm lens.
 
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I'm beginning to suspect I'm wrong about the lens cage, and I'm thinking of an Alpa 12SWA.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
I may well go small SLR with a 28 or even 24mm lens
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Well I now prefer my Canon 20mm over 28mm or 24mm, you only have to be a bit careful how you use it e.g. close shot of the front of a car and the bonnet is extra very long. But a least the DOF is excellent with everthing sharp. There were very cheap hidden 24mm gems once like Ensinor 24mm but looking on ebay the price has shot up, so unless you have deep pockets you might have to settle for 28mm.
 
YES!!!!

Thanks for that.
 
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