Ilford Sprite 35-II 35mm film camera .

The Ilford Sprite 35-II is a reusable 35mm camera built around one idea: remove everything that gets between you and taking a photo. There's one shutter speed, one aperture, and a fixed-focus lens. You load a roll of film, look through the viewfinder, and press the button.

The lens is a 31mm wide-angle, fixed at f/9. It's in focus from about a metre to infinity, which covers most of what you'd point a camera at. The wide field of view is forgiving — you don't need to be precise with framing to get the shot.

There's a built-in flash powered by a single AAA battery. In daylight you probably won't need it, but indoors or in shade it makes the difference between a photo and a blank frame. The flash takes about 15 seconds to recycle between shots, so it's not for rapid-fire — but this isn't a rapid-fire kind of camera.

Load 400-speed film. The f/9 aperture and 1/120s shutter are set for outdoor light, but ISO 400 gives you enough margin for cloud and shade. ISO 200 is fine in sun. Anything slower wants bright conditions.

Film advance is a manual lever on the top plate, and you rewind by hand when the roll is done. The whole thing weighs 122 grams. It's small enough to slip into a pocket and cheap enough that you won't worry about it.

This is not a camera for people who want control. There are no settings to adjust, no modes to choose, no menu to navigate. That's the point. If you want to find out whether you like shooting film without committing to an expensive camera, the Sprite is where you start.