Blue Deluxe, Kodak S 100 EF, and Vivitar Champion II

No idea who made this camera other than it was made in China.  I got it because I had not seen this design before.  A single shutter speed and aperture camera.











Despite the urgings of my higher self I have developed an affection for the cheap plastic point & shoots of the 1980's and 90's. So a camera like the Blue Deluxe is hard for me to resist.  As its color would suggest, with its 1/125 shutter speed and f/11 aperture, the Blue Deluxe is a camera for sunny days and blue skies.

Many cameras of this sort have the defect of occasionally taking a technically decent image. The Blue Deluxe seems to be free of that defect.

The viewfinder is a problem in this camera.  When originally framed only the door and a small area around it was shown in the viewfinder.  Obviously the camera is taking in a much larger area.

I felt an unexplainable affection for this Kodak S 100 EF when I first saw it at an antique shop this weekend. The only thing I can think of is that it is a reincarnation of a camera that I knew in a previous lifetime. 





The Kodak S 100 EF is a little more advanced than the Blue Deluxe.  It has three apertures and a flash.  It can work without batteries.  Two AA batteries are only needed for the flash to work.  The lens is a doublet.  The camera originally sold for 59.95 and was out from 1989 to 1993. 

The Kodak S 100 EF appears capable of taking images superior to those of the Blue Deluxe - at least from a technical viewpoint.

I don't know much about the Vivitar CHAMPION II.  It appears to have only one aperture and one shutter speed.  These will work without the battery which is needed only for the flash.







I imagine that it would be a challenge to collect all the Vivitar cameras of this type.  Just making a list of all the ones that were made would be a major feat.  The Vivitar CHAMPION II is one of the rare cameras that I was unable to find example pictures for on Flickr. 

Popular Photography on Google, Vivitar 24mm lens

From a January 1981 ad in Popular Photography.  Frank's was a hot place for photographers in its glory days. 














I remember the ads for Frank's used to catch my eye.  I think is was because it was the only camera store ad that had pictures of the people that worked there. I wondered if they were still in business and found that they may still be hanging on. They didn't make a transition to digital and appear to be going on with business by selling off their remaining inventory from film days while trying to find a buyer for their store building. I found a mention of the store in a Yelp review from 2010, so they were still open at that time.  They still have a website.
Frank's Highland Park Camera
It looks like the winding down process  has been going on for a while.  Here is a thread from 2005 discussing Frank's.
Good Bye Camera Landmark - Franks' Camera in LA

I made the photo for Frank's ad from an issue of Popular Photography that I found in Google Books.  There are issues there from the 1980's, 1990's, and the 2000's. The issues are searchable and obviously are a useful resource for anyone interested in cameras from that time period.  I hope that some earlier issues become available. 
Issues of Popular Photography on Google Books

Yesterday I developed some test images I took with a Vivitar 24mm 1:2.8 Auto Wide-Angle PK mount lens. I wasn't seeking out this lens, however when I was checking out Sears camera stuff on Ebay I saw this lens offered along with a KS Super camera, a Sears 135 lens, and the standard Sears 50mm 2.0 lens, for a very cheap price.  I won the auction for $14.  I figured it was a good deal since I could probably sell the Vivitar or the Sears 135 for more than that if they were in good shape.  When I got the stuff it was all in good shape.  The Vivitar had front and back caps and the Sears had caps and a carrying case.  There also were a few filters and a nice camera bag.  So I felt like I got my money's worth.

So far I have one picture to offer from the Vivitar.  It is pleasing to me at least. The film is Arista Premium 400 developed in HC-110 for 6 minutes at 68.