I found another one of these cameras, this time a Nokina version and the battery compartment is not corroded. So I have updated the original post to reflect the new test photos.
I am not sure it was worth the effort.
Big Royal View Update
Tag Archives: big
Konica Big Mini NEO-R
This the second Big Mini I have tried and one of the cameras I tried in my last week in Japan. The first one I tried had a faulty flash, but this one’s worked well. The panoramic switch next to the viewfinder was loose and kept returning to that setting, so I taped it up. If I decide it is worth the weight to keep it I might end up glueing it in place as that feature is superfluous now. This time I did not use an experimental film but did use a new-to-me developing lab.
I found the internal panoramic mask a little confusing at first given the issues with the switch. When turned off the mask is down whether it is the choice or not. So when putting a film in the camera you might think the mask is stuck. Once you turn on the camera the lens moves forward and the mask shifts into the correct position. There is a cool cover over the lens that moves out of the way when switched on. You can find technical details for this 1994 camera here.
I used two point and shoots around the same time, this one and the Olympus Mju 105 Delux. I much preferred the results from this one. That might be due to the slightly larger aperture of 3.5 as opposed to 5.6 on the Olympus. The zoom on this one was smaller, 35-70mm.
I got both films developed at the same place and both had the same purple tinge, though we were having heatwave maybe the film just melted.
Here are the results from this camera.
Ok, ignore the film, the camera is sharp. It looks great. Given a choice between this and the Olympus I choose this one. Plus as I am leaving I do not have to use that lab again. But my overall feeling is that I do not like either.
Keep or Sell: I think I took it back to the shop or gave it away, I don’t remember now.. It wasn’t worth the weight.
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.
Konica Big Mini Nou 135
After looking for film cameras to test or buy a few names pop up over and over again. One of them being “big mini” from Konica. I think they are usually ridiculously expensive for a point and shoot. Therefore I had no intention of ever buying one. I doubted I would ever see one in a junk big…hello Big Mini Nou.
This version is from 1995 and seems quite rare. There is little about it on the net, especially in English. Once I popped a battery in I found the flash on this one did not work, which was a shame. But would it work outside? I decided to use some Lomography cyan film. After using this film for the first time. I have to say I hate it and don’t see the point. Plus a regular scanner cannot handle it at all. So if you do use it then get a cd made at the time of processing. That being said here are my scans.
As I said, I hate the film and feel like throwing away the other Lomography film I have…but won’t. It is hard to say whether the results are due to the processing, the scans or the camera. I think the camera is the last in the line of suspects.
So let me try and talk about the camera. It was fun to use and it seemed to handle all the conditions very well, a few of the shots were in dark areas. They all seem sharp and well exposed.
Due to the flash issue, I am not willing to keep this or sell it. There are so many other cameras out there with a working flash. So this one will go in the bin. If I see a working big mini for a reasonable price I would recommend buying it..but I would not recommend the film
