Nikon L35AF Camera

Product Information

Exposure: Fully automatic, range EV 6 (f/2.8 at 1/8 sec.) to EV 17 (f/17.5 at 1/430 sec.) with ASA/ISO 100 film The hardest part to get going on L35AD2 is installing the CR2032 battery to power its mostly useless date feature that would burn digits into your photos. It only shows years up to 2019, thus if you really want that on your film, it may make the most sense to just show the day of the month and time. My copy also had all of that in Japanese. Here are some better and weaker parts of this camera: What films should I use? Nikon L35AF with Kodak Portra 400 There’s no memory for this, so you will repeatedly have this dialogue – camera saying “I want to use flash”, and you responding “but I don’t want you to”. So, it probably didn’t surprise anyone that Nikon took their sweet time to release their first fully automatic compact camera with autofocus when the original Nikon L35AF debuted in 1983. But when they did, they didn’t screw around. That first camera had a 5-element 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar-Type lens that offered sharpness unrivaled in the compact segment at the time. The lens did not feature the Nikkor label typically associated with Nikon SLR lenses, which caused some confusion for Nikon as rumors spread that the lens was built by a third party. This was only a rumor though, as the 5-element lens was both designed and built in house. The designer of the lens was Nikon’s own Mr. Koichi Wakamiya who had designed other Nikon lenses such as the Series-E 100mm f/2.8 and UV Nikkor 105mm f/4.5S.

Nikon L35AF – Pikaichi - Photo Thinking - Camera Review

The Nikon is probably the most underrated brand in this category of cameras. In 1983, Nikon released its first autofocus compact camera, the Nikon L35AF.Theearly models coveredspeeds from 50 to 400 ISO,butlater versions were included 1000 ISO. In today’s market, the one with 1000 ISO is more expensive and desirable. These images reflect 8 of that roll of 24, and I am happy to report that every single image was correctly in focus. Nikon had clearly worked out any auto focus kinks by 1987 when this camera first went on sale.The light meter also appears fairly basic, I don’t have a manual so I’m not sure of its operational range, but the shutter stays open for quite some time if there is little light finding its way to the light meter. So, beware if you are going to suppress that flash, those long shutter speeds might make for blurry photos if you aren’t careful. The meter itself is seemingly centre weighted and did a pretty good job in exposing the shots I took with it. The Photos When looking close though I see that the L35AF has sort of a “biting” sharpness that’s typical for Nikon glass – I was very impressed with both the Yashica T3 & T4 as well but they’re different. And then there’s the battery door. This is the camera’s Achilles heal. It was apparently designed by a drunk engineer as an afterthought, likely as part of a contest for who could choose components with the lowest possible build quality and durability.

Nikon L35AF - A review of a broken camera (that will see life Nikon L35AF - A review of a broken camera (that will see life

In many ways, this camera looks and feels like Minolta AF-S : a little trashy. But I wouldn’t let that deceive you — L35AD2 is a well-made, and expertly thought-out point-and-shoot with a slightly shabby-looking shell. The self-timer is ideal for group or self-portrait shots. To use the self-timer, you will need to pull the lever as far as it will go and depress the shutter button. This causes the self-timer to light up. After 10 seconds, you will hear that the shutter is released. To cancel, return the lever to its original position before the shutter release button is depressed completely. and vice-versa: you can force the L35AF into flash mode by covering the meter with your hand and half-pressing the shutter.Anyway, for our purposes, I’m going to call this camera the Nikon One Touch for the rest of this review. Yet, I still have a level of curiosity in how such a cheap and basic camera can perform. How bad could it really be? I feel like these automatic cameras from the late 70s and early 80s were pioneering designs in themselves as they introduced the world to features and capabilities never before possible. In an way, these cameras brought photography to the masses in the same way the original Kodak and Brownies did in 1888 and 1900. To turn on the Nikon One Touch, you slide a lever beneath the lens to open the front cover. I really like this built-in lens cover, as it is far less likely to get lost or fall off inside a bag than the traditional lens cap. Also, the lever stays in place, so you don’t have to worry about the camera accidentally turning itself on while being jostled in luggage. Once again, two years later, Nikon would release a third L-series camera simply known as the Nikon One Touch AF3. This camera combined many of the best features from the first and second L35AFs and added a few more things to the mix. The AF3 boasted the Macro function of the lens, plus added a flash override button, and returned the 46mm threaded filter ring. Much like the later AF3 functions are somewhat limited. There is a grand total of 5 controllable features on this camera, but just like when using the AF3, sometimes it makes you wonder just what else you could possibly need from a point & shoot. The shutter

Nikon AF3 - One roll review - 35mmc Nikon AF3 - One roll review - 35mmc

I actually really like this simplistic approach to flash, it removes the need for a flash menu, and whilst it means there aren’t any fancy red eye or fill flash modes, I so infrequently use those, it doesn’t bother me too much. And actually, it looks to have some sort of automatic flash diffuser that pops up sometimes… Perhaps someone in the know might be able to shed some light, so to speak, on what that does and when? Focusing, the lens and its macro designation Lastly, sometimes the camera can just be completely dead or the flash can be rendered useless, these would both have to be fixed by a professional if you wanted to get them sorted. My Opinion On The L35AF Single-lens reflex (SLR)cameraswereNikon’s strongholdatthattime. In an effort to keep up with the competition, Nikon released its own point-and-shoot camera.Itwasthe trend ofthenewcamerastylewhichenergized the entire industry. The camera was an immediate success thanks to its robust design and excellent specification. The L35AF was named ‘Pikaichi’ (meaning “top-notch”) in Japanese. The flash — powered by the same AA batteries — is quite good. I found it to be powerful enough for most of my shots. But mainly, I liked how easy it was to get out of the way. Nikon’s lens is fast enough not to need flash for most of the day-lit scenes, even if the camera suggests using the flash in a form of it popping up. Pushing it down to its place is all that’s needed to inform the camera that you don’t need one. This is vastly better than going through settings each time as is the case with most ‘90s point-and-shoot film cameras. Some words about the shutter button: this is quite different from most other point-and-shoot cameras – it feels very “mechanical”. This is due to the fact that it’s travel is very, very long – and you are pushing a “focus indication needle” (that’s shown in the viewfinder) in place at a half-press (that feels more like a “somewhere in between”-press).

Reviewing a broken camera

And that really is as best as I can sum up. For everything I like about it I find something that niggles in contradiction to that like, which in the end has just left me with a feeling of vague dissatisfaction with it. I can see why many people do like it, especially looking a the photos, but for the sort of cash they now seem to go for, I think I’d pass… A life after death Compared to the AF3, the Nikon L35af is actually a bit smaller. Certainly not as wide. I’d love to show a comparison photo but I gave the AF3 to someone for Christmas. Of course, saying it’s smaller than the AF3 doesn’t really make it small. A rhino is smaller than an elephant, but it’d be daft to say a rhino is a small animal. In the world of compact cameras, this thing is definitely the rhino.