I have just started a short teaching assignment, meaning I have a little more cash. So, I decided to go back to my roots. I didn’t go mad, just this £6 camera from a local charity shop. I was surprised to see it as it is not a common brand in the UK. I have tried a couple of Goko cameras, including another Macromax.

This one looked to be in perfect condition, with no battery damage.

Prices online vary wildly, from a few pounds to over a hundred. Ultimately, it is a plastic point-and-shoot with one very special feature mentioned in the name: MACROMAX. Like the other Goko I tried, this one can focus down to 10 cm; it literally has macro-max. The super Macro mode focuses between 30cm and 1m. The Ultra Macro mode, between 10cm and 30cm. The lever on the side of the lens sets the focal zone. The green zone is for 1m to infinity. The macro modes are the yellow and red zones. There is a light on the top of the camera which matches the zone colours if they are engaged. A lovely visual reminder if you forget you have moved the lever away from green. In the viewfinder you will notice parallax framing for the closer distances.

The other functions are more in line with the fantastic-plastic nature of the camera. It has a 31mm focal length with a fixed f/6.7 aperture. It has three shutter speeds: one second, 1/90 second, 1/300 second.

I loaded my example with a roll of Kodak 200 and carried it around with me. It ended up going to Scotland, Wales and England over the space of a few weeks. As you can see below, it struggled with low-light situations. The shots are sharp in the green setting, but in any macro mode, you must ‘measure’ the distance carefully. If I used the camera again, I would attach a wrist strap guide that I could pull to 10cm. Mike Eckman said it was originally sold with a frame that attached to the front to aid distance measurement. I did find a photo of one; it looks like it was used to turn the camera into a text copier or to take photos of hobby items like stamps.

AND it does not do well if you accidentally leave it on the wrong setting, so make sure you look at that indicator light.

Some of the photos look like I am drunk, they fall to one side. That is a constant issue for me. One reader suggested it was caused by my right-handedness.

It is a capable charity camera, but I don’t think I would pay a lot for one. Mike’s post suggests the higher prices are due to the rarity. I think he is right. I am tempted to print a 3d 10cm attachable guide or a simple wrist strap guide and try it again, so watch this space.