52 rolls, 52 cameras, 52 weeks

And following on from last week we have another twin lens compact camera&hellip The Nikon TW-2D (also sold as the Tele•Touch Deluxe).

When it was introduced in 1987, Nikon claimed that the TW2/TW2D was the 'world's thinnest dual-lens, AF compact' (a claim that seems unbelievable 30 years on!)

Nikon TW2D

Another camera with 35mm and 70mm lenses, the TW2D also boasts a built-in 'soft effect' filter, activated by turning a ring at the front of the lens barrel. Like the Olympus AF-1 Twin, film speed setting is automatic but in the case of the Nikon it can be overridden (albeit with much button pushing).

I've no idea of the shutter speed range, the original instruction book doesn't mention it and for once Google has let me down too, but I think that the slowest speed is around ⅕ sec.

Let's see how it compares to the Olypmus AF-1 Twin!

I've been using another Olympus this past week… the AF-1 Twin.

The AF-1 Twin was introduced in 1988 and as its name suggests has a twin lens system, switchable between a 35mm wide-angle lens and a 70mm short telephoto lens.

Olympus AF-1 Twin

I like twin lens compact cameras, with a short 35~70mm zoom I usually end up using only the extremes of the range anyway and although it may not actually be true I like to think that two fixed focal lengths will give better image quality than a cheap zoom… Discuss!

The AF-1 Twin is a chunky little beast but still pocketable (the sliding lens cover negating the need for a case) and I've shot a roll of Ilford XP-2 super that I've had kicking around for ages with it.

This week's camera is a real blast from the past for me…

The Olympus OM-1N is a slightly updated version of the original OM-1 that was announced at Photokina as the M-1 in 1972. Leica (with their M series rangefinder cameras) complained about the 'M-1' name and thus was born the 'OM-1'.

Olympus OM-1N + F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 Auto-S lens

I had one of these beauties in the 80s and loved using it so when this example popped up in a charity shop recently I couldn't resist!

Manual focus, manual exposure and a range of relatively inexpensive but excellent Zuiko lenses make the OM-1 a good buy for anybody wanting a simple 'old school' entry into film photography.

I'd almost forgotten how nicely the OM cameras handle… aperture, focus and shutter speed can all be adjusted without taking the camera from the eye and without sacrificing a comfortable grip on the camera/lens combination. The positioning of the shutter speed ring may be unconventional but it works fantastically well!

Finally got round to writing last week's post… Phew!

The Nikon F-301 (sold in the USA as the N2000) was introduced in 1985, replacing the FG. Although manual focus, the F-301 was the first Nikon SLR to feature a polycarbonate body, built-in winder and DX film coding.

Nikon F-301 + 50mm f/1.8 AI-S lens

Power is supplied by four AAA batteries that fit into the base of the camera which results in the tripod socket being extremely offset although the AH-3 adapter could be used to rectify this issue. The viewfinder is beautifully clear and focusing is a doddle with either split-image rangefinder or the microprism collar.

Two program exposure modes are available (normal and high-speed) as are aperture-priority and manual, TTL flash is also available with a suitable flashgun.

Over the years I've managed to acquire a pair of F-301s and having dug this one out to use it again I have to admit that I don't think I'll be parting with either any time soon…

Another Pentax this week, the MZ-M (also sold as the ZX-M) 35mm SLR…

Pentax MZ-M with SMC 50mm f/2 and 28mm f/2.8 lenses

The MZ-M was released in 1997 and was intended to be the successor to the student's favourite, the K1000. It never really caught on in the way that the rugged mechanical K1000 did though but as a plus the MZ-M doesn't command as high a price secondhand…

When used with KA mount lenses the MZ-M offers programmed AE, aperture and shutter priority and manual exposure modes, with the K mount lenses I'm using only aperture priority and manual are available (not a problem for me!)

Pentax MZ-M

The controls are simple but include everything most film shooters need, +/- 3 stops exposure compensation, depth of field preview, AE lock and the facility to manually set the film ISO.

And the weight of this camera! (or rather the lack of it) makes it an easy camera to carry around all day without getting a sore neck or shoulder… something I'm all in favour of!

I've loaded a roll of Bellamy Hunt's (AKA Japancamerahunter) JCH Street Pan 400 and I'm looking forward to seeing how both film and camera perform!

Some more results for you today!

'Trollies' - 1/125sec @f/8

In keeping with the age and style of week two's camera, the Olympus Ace rangefinder, I shot a roll of Kodak Tri-X rated at ISO 320 and had it processed and scanned by Peak Imaging in Sheffield.

'Our Glorious Dead' - 1/250sec @f/8

'Tunnel' - 1/250sec @f/8

'20ft 6ins' - 1/250sec @f/11

'Retro' - 1/250sec @f/11

'Steps' - 1/125sec @f/11

I must admit that I'm not over keen on the Ace, finding focusing incredibly difficult (although the faint rangefinder spot and my need for some new specs certainly can't have helped…) Again, the only editing amounts to straightening, cropping, sharpening (and a little shadow recovery).

Off on my travels for a couple of days so yet again I'm packing light with this Pentax Espio 145M super…

The various models of the Pentax Espio/IQZoom series crop up fairly regularly in charity shops and a recent trawl of the local branches turned this up just last week.

This is one of the more compact models in the range even though it boasts a 38-145mm zoom lens. Something I immediately noticed when I popped in a fresh battery was that the focal length in use is displayed on the LCD panel (as seen below). How accurate this is I'm not sure but I wish that more manufacturers had equipped their offerings with the same feature.

With shutter speeds ranging from 1/400 - 2 sec (1/2 sec - 1 minute in Bulb mode) and wide or spot AF it would appear to be a capable little beast albeit hampered by the slow f/4.8 - 12.5 maximum aperture. I'll be loading some Kodak Portra 800 to help minimise the shakes!

Another Minolta this week, in the shape of the X-300 SLR…

I picked this up a couple of years ago needing a repair to the MC coupler around the lens mount, the aperture ring was impossible to turn. A little dismantling found a spring that was attached to nothing in particular and some fiddling and a lot of swearing got it all put back together and the camera seems to work just fine!

I've picked up a couple of the excellent Rokkor lenses in the meantime, the MD 45mm f/2 that appears in the photographs and an MC 28mm f/2.8. The X-300 is a simple manual/aperture-priority automatic SLR that was produced between 1984 and 1990 as a less expensive alternative to the X-500, lacking its off-the-film flash mode, depth-of-field preview button and interchangeable focusing screens.

When I returned to SLR photography in the early 1990s (after a period of using some very uninspiring point & shoot cameras) I bought a Centon DF-300, a Chinese copy of the X-300 made for the UK photographic retail chain Jessops and quite frankly I hated it, quickly getting rid of it in favour of (if memory serves) a Canon EOS 1000FN.

The 'original' X-300 has a much better build quality and a nicer feel to it than the DF-300 and the Rokkor lenses should be noticeably better than the truly horrible Centon zooms that I purchased all those years ago!

Another 35mm SLR this week in the form of the Minolta 7000 AF (also sold as the Maxxum 7000 and α7000).

The Minolta 7000 is regarded by many as being the first real autofocus 35mm SLR camera, hitting the market in February 1985. The Nikon F3AF and Pentax ME F were earlier than this but both required bulky motorised AF lenses to function whereas the Minolta had its AF sensors and focusing drive inside the camera body which allowed much smaller and cheaper lenses to be produced.

I remember a couple of my school friends having Canon AE-1 Program kits and they both regarded autofocus as 'cheating' somewhat… how times change!

The new AF lens mount wasn't initially popular with loyal Minolta users as the existing (and often excellent) MC and MD lenses weren't compatible with it but the company did gain a lot of new customers who liked the convenience and advantages that autofocus offered.

I picked this example up in a charity shop last year, complete with the 50mm f/1.7 lens for £15 and was surprised to find another (much tattier) example in another shop in the same town later that day for three times that price!

I'm travelling again this week so once again I'm packing something small and lightweight.

This little gem popped in a charity shop last year, complete with box, case, instructions and remote control for the princely sum of £8.75.

The Fujifilm Zoom Date f2.8 (also sold as the Silvi f2.8) was introduced in 2003 and is unusual in a number of ways… First of all is the zoom range of 24-50mm, I can't think of any other compact camera that features a lens that wide in a zoom. Then there's the f/2.8 maximum aperture on said lens (although according to Hamish Gill's 35mmc blog the programming doesn't often make use of that particular specification!)

The camera also has twin shutter release buttons and an option in the menu allows use of either one or both to be selected. I can't really see the point in that 'feature' though… There's also a 'Self Snap' mode that makes use of the 24mm end of the zoom lens, pre-dating the selfie craze by a number of years! Again, this isn't something I can see myself using…

(Perversely, I'm loading it with Kodak film… I'm such a rebel!)