Throwback Edit Version: I edited this in June 2024, checked the links and converted it to the new WordPress format.
This camera has one of the longest names of a camera I have ever seen, with the least amount written about it on the internet, maybe people don’t want to write it all down.
Anyway, from what I have seen and read it was released in 1993. It has a 35-80mm zoom, but has no markings as to the aperture range. I couldn’t find a manual online, a really mysterious camera. So I didn’t find out what the use of the mountain/HG button was for. Any ideas?
There is a dioptic adjuster and a panoramic switch on the back. It also had a databack.
I got this camera for $1, I think because the place where you held it was a sticky mess. I covered that with some funky purple leather, which you can see in the photos. I didn’t do it neatly as I had no intention of keeping it. Loading the camera was a little tricky, I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to use a leader as the back didn’t open up all the way. I tried it that way first and it didn’t load properly. So then I tried it by first unhooking the yellow bar so the back could open wide, I left a longer leader. That worked. This camera loads all the film to the end and with each shot, rewinds it back into the cassette.
So did it work? I loaded a roll of Rollei RPX100 and left it in my bag for a week.
This was a camera to leave on a table and see what pictures turned up. But you can also see a fault that turned up. On shots where the subject is hectic, you can’t see anything wrong. In the shots where there was a clear sky, you can see ghost blobs. At first, I thought it was a fault with processing or scanning. But they are all in the same place in different shots. I had another look at the lens on the front and it looked clear. On the inside, it also looked clear. So I breathed on it.
Then the blobs were visible. I tried cleaning it, but they remained. So this camera will go in the bin. It is not special enough to try further. Though as you can see it was fun trying it out.