First released in 1968, the Hi-Color is a spring driven auto advance 35mm viewfinder camera by Ricoh in Japan Japan. My version is the 35S with the self timer lever, and in a very nice black paint with patterned front inserts. It was this colour scheme that made me buy it! It looks so much better than the standard silver models.

Shutter speeds are adjusted by turning a wheel below the lens, and ranges from 1/30th to 1/300th of a second. The aperture is controlled by the CDS meter on the front, and there is manual overide.

Fed up with using expired film to test cameras and getting inconsistent results, it was loaded with fresh Kodak Gold 200…

I am really not sure what is going on with these shots! They all appear out of focus, but when zoomed in there is so much grain it is hard to tell. I am rather disappointed with the roll, but somehow happy that it did kind of work!

Nothing in this scene is clear and sharp, so makes me think it is not the focus out of calibration, but more so any issue with the lens glass itself - although it does look clean and clear without any haze. I will have to inspect the negatives when they come back from the lab.

Luckily the shutter priority auto exposure got it nearly right, although maybe a stop over, as I did keep forgetting to check what speed it was set on! Mainly because the speed window is tucked away below the lens out of sight. I just shot away as if it was fully automatic.

I do really like this composition of the dull business park units with shadows from the trees cast on them, and this is probably the best exposed shot on the roll, but again it is just too fuzzy. The grain structure looks to be from a cheap half-frame camera rather than a full frame.

The 35S could have been a real joy if the negatives were better - I could have overlooked the annoyingly placed speed setting, but unfortunately it will be better as a static piece in the cabinet, rather than a shooter. A shame, but that is how this hobby goes sometimes.

I do believe that some cameras are better to not use - for example I love my GOMZ Leningrad and worry that if I use it - it won’t retain it’s mythical status.

Ricoh Hi-Color 35S

Is this the largest Chinon collection?

Tower Bridge sunrise…