TEC Olempia Big Royal View (Nokina)

While on holiday on the Isle of Mull I saw a charity shop. So of course I stopped and checked out any cameras. They had one. So for fun and charity I bought it.


Once I got it back to the hotel I did some research….there is a storm brewing so there is no travelling today. Anyway, I couldn’t find anything in the net apart from it has a few names and is a toy camera of the Lomography and Holga fashion. Super. I can play with this around the hotel while the rain falls. It takes 2 AA battlers in the camera and in the flash. I have those. Double super.


Bugger. Oh well, money to charity at least.

Update: I found another one of these cameras, this time a Nokina with no damage.

I took it for a tour of Leeds South Bank. I used a 200asa film, but as you can see 400asa or even 800asa would have been a better choice. It really underexposes films. From what I see on Lomography, it is a constant issue with these cameras.

The flash unit didn’t work so I took it off, quite frankly it was embarrassing to walk around with it on anyway. I loved the viewfinder on the top, but that was about all.

The motor drive on the camera was quite loud. When using the Nokina, it seems like you are focusing by turning the front but it is fixed focus. The turning changes the aperture. At the end of the day the photos are sharp, but underexposed. I am glad I finally got to use one. Now it will go back to the charity shop from whence it came. I would not recommend them, there are many better cameras in the world.

5 thoughts on “TEC Olempia Big Royal View (Nokina)

  1. Toby brownson says:

    Its a kind of service I supply to my local charity shops, except they don’t realise. ;)) Emptying the batteries out of the cameras on display and handing them to the shop assistant, even if I am not interested in buying the camera, actually especially if I am not!

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