Kodak Ektar H35N - 35mm half frame camera .
The Kodak Ektar H35N shoots half frame — each exposure uses half of a standard 35mm frame, oriented vertically. A 36-exposure roll gives you 72 shots. A 24-exposure roll gives you 48. That alone changes how you shoot. You stop rationing frames and start taking photos you wouldn't normally bother with.
By default the image comes out in portrait orientation. Lean into it — half frame suits people, buildings, trees, anything with vertical emphasis. Turn the camera sideways for landscape compositions. Either way, the smaller negative has a character of its own: visible grain, a slightly lo-fi quality that suits the kind of spontaneous shooting this camera is built for.
The lens is a coated 22mm with a glass element — a real improvement over the original H35's all-acrylic optic. It's fixed focus from about 1.5 metres to infinity, so don't try to shoot anything closer than arm's length. The aperture is f/11 in daylight, switching to f/8 when the flash is on. The shutter fires at 1/100s.
Load 400-speed film if you can. The fixed f/11 aperture and 1/100s shutter need light to work with, and ISO 400 gives you the best range of conditions — sun, cloud, shade, indoors with the flash. ISO 200 is fine for bright days. ISO 100 wants full sun. If you're buying one roll to go with this camera, make it a 400.
There's a built-in flash powered by a single AAA battery. The camera itself doesn't need the battery — it's purely mechanical otherwise. There's also a sliding star filter built into the lens housing that adds four-point flares to bright light sources, and a bulb mode for long exposures if you have a cable release and a tripod. Neither is essential, but they're there if you want them.
It weighs 110 grams. It fits in a jacket pocket. It costs less per frame than almost any other way to shoot film. If you're curious about film photography, this is a low-commitment way to find out whether you like it. If you already shoot film, it's a good camera to throw in a bag when you don't want to carry your main setup.
- + First-time film photographers who want a low-cost, low-commitment way in
- + Doubling your frames — 72 shots from a single 36-exposure roll
- + Everyday carry when you don't want to think about settings
- − Anything closer than 1.5 metres — fixed focus, no close-up capability
- − Low light without flash — the f/11 aperture and 1/100s shutter need decent light
- − Enlargements or fine detail — half frame negatives are small; expect visible grain