Sunday, 31 August 2008

• Epic Edit's $50 Film Camera Project : Meikai Point & Shoot

   Epic Edit's $50 Film Camera Project :

  Souping up a $1 Point & Shoot

  

  This is my 3^rd review on cheapo simply basic plastic P&S. (And I really should stop buying anymore of these plastic cameras…even if they cost me only $1). With the similar features of these basic P & S, it’s not that sweeping a statement to say that if you’ve used one, you’ve used them all. 

  Other than the $1 price-tag, I bought it because I was curious about the Meikai brand. In its early days, Meikai was a Japanese brand making its cameras in Japan. Over the years, as production costs became higher in Japan, and Japan became increasingly associated with superior consumer technology, Meikai cameras were produced in different lower-cost locales. This camera under review was Made-In-China.

   

  Perhaps subconsciously, I was hoping that the Meikai heritage would produce another surprise find like Vivitar’s Ultra Wide & Slim. Unfortunately, the camera fell short on this point. It was a drizzly day when I took this Meikai out for it’s maiden shoot, and without the aid of a flash, the images were well, all washed out. (I've included 2 photos from the maiden shoot for comparison against the roll submitted for review.)

   

  To soup up this $1 plastic, China-made camera, I paired it with my US$65 lomography ringflash (which is incidentally is also made in China.) I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Since the ringflash wasn’t securely attached to the Meikai, I also experimented with using it above the lens, as well as a simulated “slave flash”. Lesson learnt ? Use the ringflash as it is meant to be used, around the lens.

   

  As a final comparison, I have also slipped in 2 shots from that same session which was shot on the LC-A with the ringflash. Both cameras used same batch generic 200 film made by Ferrania, Italy.

   

  Can you spot which ones were shot on the LC-A ? 

   

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  The album for this review can be accessed here :

  http://photo.xanga.com/toycamper/albums/f2ced02c37283d

   

  

  • 6:35 AM
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