In 2021, I purchased this camera from an antique mall in Tucson, but in that incarnation, it was part of a mechanism to record store robberies - as discussed in this post. This time, the Ricoh 35 ZF (ZF= zone focus) returned to Tucson as part of my gear for a week of photography and travel in the Tucson area. Since the meter no longer works, I attached a small hot-shoe meter, which I received from Reflx Labs. I ran two rolls of film through the Ricoh, and am really pleased with the results.
Since the ZF is so compact, it was easy to carry along as an extra camera in my bag, and using it on this trip with color emulsions made it a nice option. I know some people have problems with zone focusing, but in reality, if you are shooting at f/11-f/16, anything more than 15 feet away will be in focus if you set the focus scale at “mountain.” It really only comes into proper guestimation when shooting wide-open and less than 15 feet. So, for most things, I just left the focus on infinity and worried about the aperture/shutter speed, which in the ZF, is completely manual, and that’s another reason I like this camera.
For a mid-1970s compact camera, it’s not exactly something special. However, the 40mm f/2.8 lens is good enough, and the range of shutter speeds -B, 1/8-1/500 are pretty standard. There’s certainly other 35mm compacts from that era that get more attention, but this delightful little camera is a fine companion.
Shot on Superia 200
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| Salt Lake City (SLC) terminal |
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| our VRBO on the outskirts of Tucson |
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| Mammoth, AZ Mining memorial |
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| Mammoth, Mining memorial |
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| Mammoth PO |
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| closed on 77 |
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| El Capitan pass roadside park |
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Many towns have a large letter on a mountainside -
I presume for the local high school sports team.
Globe, AZ |
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| days gone by |
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| Globe, AZ |
Taken on Karmir 160 (actually Kodak Aerocolor IV)
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| Sweetwater Wetland Park |
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| Saguaro National Park W |
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| Saguaro National Park W, Signal Hill |
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| raindrops on Cholla. Saguaro NP East |
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| Saguaro NP East |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson |
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| The Karmir film, purchased from Ball Photo in Asheville |
2 comments:
Simple cameras days that made their job fine without all the functions we can't live without apparently today.. :)
Great report about your corner of the world. I like the typical wooden doors (green, pink and white).
I've found your blog through Roentare from Melburne.
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