Meikai 4351

Meikai cameras were actually made by a real camera company in Japan called Tougodo.  The first Meikai was the Meikai EL made in 1963. The Meikai EL has about the same capabilities as the Meikai 4351, however being part metal the Meikai EL looks better. It looks like Tougodo continued making cameras at least up until the late 1980's. They also made flashes and other camera accessories.

Comparing the Meikai 4351 with a camera that I wrote about earlier the, Meikai 4353 SSN , showed me that Tougodo was constantly working on improving their line of Meikai cameras.  That is if by improve you mean to make your camera be a better fake looking SLR. Judging by the numbers I would guess that the Meikai 4353 SSN is a later version than the Meikai 4351.  And the later version Meikai 4353 SSN does look to me more like an SLR.  I do wonder if anyone was ever really fooled by these cameras.  Although when I think of the kind of people we elect to public office, and the kinds of advertising campaigns that people fall for, I wouldn't be surprised if there were at least a few people who thought these were real SLRs.

Still even if they were fooled they would be, unless seriously deluded, unfooled when they got their first images processed.

And if they wondered why it took so long to finish their roll of film they would be enlightened when they saw images like the one above.  Now some cameras like the Meikai 4353 SSN have the tendency at times not to advance the film a full frame on occassion.  This often seems to happen near the end of a roll of film. The Meikai 4351 is the only camera that did this through an entire roll of film. Fortunately I only bulk loaded ten frames to test this camera. I am not sure if this is something that the Meikai 4351 does all the time, or if I may have had the film inserted too loosely.  Still I would guess that if images like the one above are what you have been seeking from a camera, then the Meikai 4351 might be the answer for you.

I wonder if Tougodo was the company that made a lot of the other fake SLRs that now fill up space in thrift stores and garage sales, or did they just stick to their Meikai brand?  If quality is a word that can be used with such cameras I have found some fake SLRs that were better than the Meikai.  The Time Camera that I used last summer probably could even be used for real photography under the right conditions. Anyway you have probably now read more on the Meikai 4351 than has been or ever will be written again.

Lavec LT-002

I didn't want to let another week go by without a post, however some may wish when they see the Lavec LT-002 that I had.  I had a case of the Lomo Bug and put some film in this camera that had been sitting around for a while.  I think it came from a garage sale last summer.  It was still in its box wrapped in plastic.  So likely it had never been used.  That seems pretty common for these cameras. A lot of them were give-aways that people didn't want to waste film on.

The Lavec LT-002 has apertures of 5.6,8,11, and 16.  Instead of a round opening for the aperture the Lavec LT-002 uses a rectangular slit.  I think that is what accounts for the vignetting at the smallest apertures.

I suppose that the standard that I use in judging these 35mm cameras for their Lomo qualities is the Holga. By that standard I think the Lavec LT-002 has some potential.  It even has some light leaks and occasional flaring. Although it is not usually as extreme as in the image below.

I have wondered why from time to time I chose to run good film through these cameras that are disdained by most photographers and humanity in general. My best guess is that after so many years of doing photography I know enough to have very good control over the results that I get when using my better cameras.  With a camera like the Lavec LT-002 there is a lot of uncertainty about what results I will get. I can chose my subject and make some attempt at composition(which isn't easy since the viewfinders usually show much less than the camera sees), however much of the result is beyond my control.  And there is something about that which I enjoy.  Although I imagine that the same experience would cause much discomfort to some. 

Anyway the Lavec LT-002 looks like it has some potential.  Although it probably won't be the first camera that I pick up the next time that the Lomo Bug bites.

Mikona MV-828

I saw this Mikona MV-828 sitting on this shelf in a local antique shop for at least two years.  A few months back I was there while everything was half-price, and feeling sorry for the camera I bought it.  Now I would like to say that this story ends in my having found an unexpected jewel. 

Well, if not a jewel than I am offering the rare opportunity to see some photos taken with a Mikona MV-828.  My guess is that this may be the only time in 2014 that photos made by this camera will be posted.  And if not I am fairly certain that this will be the only blog post about the Mikona MV-828. 

You can learn all you need to know about the Mikona MV-828 from looking at the picture at the top.  It doesn't have any features that you need a manual to learn about.  It does seem that the makers of the Mikona MV-828 took their claim for being a focus free camera seriously.  The lens consistently remains free of focus from the center to the edges.  This particular camera also suffers from light leaks and flare. 

I admit that I like the first two images.  For me the softness, the glow of the snow, and the leaks add something to the images.  I probably will at some time put some expired color film in the Mikona MV-828 to see what will happen.  Still I don't think I will start calling myself a lomographer.

Lex35

Decided to go 3 for 3 with cheap plastic cameras this week.  This is an entry from an earlier blog about what I think is one of the best 35mm cameras in this category. If you are one of the few who saw that entry I have changed a few words and added to and redid some of the images in the gallery.

A search shows that there are several versions of the Lex35. Some have a built in flash and there is a fairly sophisticated version that has auto rewind and DX coding. My Lex35 lacks those features. It is one of many cheap plastic film cameras that were made either to be given away or sold for very little. I found one post from 2006 that said the Lex35 was being sold by American Science and Surplus for $1.50.

Technically there isn’t much to the Lex35. It has one shutter speed which I would guess to be around 1/125, and one aperture that looks like f11. While it may sound funny to talk about build quality with a camera of this sort, the Lex35 does seem to be a little sturdier than most cheap plastic cameras. The film advance and rewind mechanism are quite good. One feature that this camera has is a fake panorama mode. There is a sliding switch on the back of the camera that turns panorama mode on and off. You can see the change of modes in the viewfinder. When scanning the negatives sometimes I like to leave the black upper and lower borders that this mode makes.

Overall I like the Lex35. I especially like the look it has with black & white film.  And I think some of the images are of a little better quality than I would expect from this type of camera.

So if you find yourself wanting to get beyond the often sterile images that digital offers, than maybe a cheap plastic camera like the Lex35 might be a good escape.

Lex35 Gallery