I looked through my list of cameras tested and realised there are surprisingly few Nikons on there. So, this post goes some way towards addressing that. I was recently hunting through some junk bins and came across two versions of the same series. The total price for both was $3.
Yipee! Of course, I bought both, then I went further and put the same kind of film in each, Fuji Acros 100. AND to go further I took both cameras out on the same kind of day…unfortunately dull, humid and rainy.
So the first film I finished was from the Nikon TW2D.
This camera came into production in 1987 and was Nikon’s first autofocus point and shoot. There is a button on top to switch between 35mm and 70mm. There is a slider on the front which turns on the camera and opens the shutter cover. As you can see there are also buttons to control the flash, continuous shooting and midroll rewind. On the side of the lens barrel is a slider for soft focus too. Unfortunately, the zoom motor for this example was faulty and struggled to control the lens barrel extension or retraction. The camera seemed to work fine in the 35mm position, but struggled to do anything if you tried to set it to 70mm. Anyway, here is my test roll.
Hmm, there are a couple of nice shots, but on the whole, these are seriously underexposed. Bless this little camera, it really tried hard, but it just didn’t work. BUT, if the exposure had worked it would be a great camera. I would recommend it if you can find a good example.
And on to the next, the Nikon TW20 AF.
This one was a bargain, $1 for the camera and case. This one was produced a couple of years after the TW2D from 1989. It also has a button to switch focal lengths, 35mm and 55mm. The former camera had the first autofocus, this one has the first red-eye reduction. For a point and shoot it isn’t the smallest camera I have ever tried, even a little ugly on which I agree with this great blog. But I love sliding lens covers so that redeems it in my book. The lens cover also protects a few other buttons such as the self-timer and flash suppression. But was it a bust like the $2 camera?
This camera is AWESOME! All the more for costing $1. Remember it was a very dull day and I was using 100ASA film. For the most part, the exposure is great, plus the focal length button worked well. I really enjoyed using it and would recommend it if you can get a good example.
Keep or Sell: The TW2D is in the bin, but I kept the TW20 for a while. Eventually, I sold it to reduce my collection.
The TW2D looks like it has a better lens than the TW20; too bad it wasn’t fully working.
My one experience with a Nikon P&S of this era was not positive so I’ve tended to stay away from the lot. Maybe I shouldn’t!
Yeah I did like the TW2D more, it really tried to work. And even though everything was underexposed I could still get some passable shots. I think I still prefer the Mju though.
The TW20 did very well. It would be nice to see some Fujicolor on a sunny day. Great find (I’m not a Nikon person so I wouldn’t have even picked it up for a buck!)… but maybe I should see if there are some undiscovered gems out there from Nikon.
Hi, I have only just discovered your blog, wow. Fab. I have nearly caught up with reading your back issues. Please don’t stop trying camera and writing your experiences. I think yours is possibly my favourite now. If you ever fancy swapping junk cameras let me know. I always have something around from a carboot or charity shop. Or maybe even bid on that online auction site. My fave is a Nikon 600af, you know the 28mm f3.5 compact. I have a few espionage too, Love old Minolta rangefinder AL’s and himatic’s. My main gear is a A7II with Pentax glass, so yeah manual focus and aperture. Also have a thing for agfa…Optima and silette. Fab little cameras.
Please keep it up loving it.
Thanks very much. If you check out my site for peggyannephotos.com there is a contact form. That way we can chat via email. Swapping camera is always good 🙂
Espionage = espios as in Pentax espio. Bloody unpredictable text!!
Espionage=espio. As in Pentax espio, sorry unpredictable text monkeys throwing spanners in the works.
Hi! Looking for a L35AF I bought a lot consisting on this camera and a TW2D ( never hear of it before but being a Nikon I though it couldn’t go wrong). After trying a Reala expired roll I was amazed with the results! Images crispy sharp! I like the on/off button much better than the L35AF (wich I tend to leave on dreaning my batteries). The TW2D is also very fast and not too noisy. I little bit too big but it’s ok. The lens switch I find it funny and only used it once to try it. About the soft efect I didn’t remember to use it! Now on a weekend scape and guess wich is my secondary camera… You got it right. P.S. Tomorrow I’m trying that soft efect!