Wow, first post in a while. Truth be told, I’ve been busy taking pics for various projects and just haven’t had the time to sit down and write lately. Some of these I’ll share here shortly, but for now, it’s time for a bit of fun. What you see above is my latest acquisition, a blackbird, fly 35mm TLR camera. Originally available in Japan only, now you can pick them up at B&H as well as a few other shops like Urban Outfitters and the like. So why a 35mm TLR? Why not. It looked like fun, and fairly stylish fun at that, plus I’m a sucker for quirky Japanese goods, which this camera definitely is.

Since I’ve only just received it a week or so back and put 3 rolls through it to date, this is going to be a bit of a mini-review, based mostly on my first impressions and initial user experience.  And because you have to unpack it first, let’s start with that.

What you see here is the main box for the camera, and then the plastic case that’s enclosed inside which holds the camera. In typical Japanese fashion, the packaging is very important, so aside from being merely attractive, it also serves a bit of a purpose (besides protecting the camera). According to the maker’s website, the designer felt that since a camera ultimately spends more time NOT taking pictures than taking them, it’s important that you should be able to enjoy the camera during that down-time, hence the birdcage display case. Nifty idea, and very Japanese, but of course, one hopes the camera is as well thought out as the case and concept. In my opinion I’d say, yes, it is, but with a few caveats.

Using the BBF is very simple – you pop open the viewfinder at the top, set your focus based on a guesstimate of range, pick the appropriate aperture, frame your shot, then pop your shutter. Repeat as needed. As a camera, it’s fun to use, operates fairly smoothly, and generally garners attention from the surrounding folk. It’s also very lightweight, and quite portable too, so it has a lot going for it. But it also has some issues I think that detract from the overall experience.

First, film loading is a bit tricky. The film mechanism is very well designed, but because of the 35mm format the camera has to do some acrobatics with the film path to make things work. It’s not impossible, but it is a bit tedious and you do have to be very careful so as not to break anything in the process. This leads to my second nitpick, build quality.

Make no mistake, the camera is put together very well. All the parts fit cleanly, precisely, and neatly – there’s no slop whatsoever, which is great. But it’s not built strongly, and that kind of sucks, especially for the price ($120 or so). Sure, I’m not expecting pro build in a toy camera, but I do expect more than a 100% plastic build, and fairly lightweight cheap plastic at that. Yes, I realize that toy camera fans often get off somewhat on the plasticky toy camera feel as part of the experience, but those cams typically don’t cost $120, and at that price I really expect a more solidly built camera with better plastic quality, metal parts where needed (gears, shafts, wear parts in general), and the feeling that I don’t have to baby it with every use just to keep it in one piece.

I also expected a better viewfinder. To put it bluntly, it sux. While being very bright and sharp, it’s tiny, probably no doubt due to the 35mm format being used. It’s tight too, so you can’t use it accurately with both eyes open really; better to close one and squint like most other cams for the most part. While this won’t bother some people who like a bit of randomness in their imaging experience, for those like me that compose their shots w/ more thought and precision, it could drive you nuts. On the flip-side, the sports finder option is useful though, but not for most work.

Regarding image quality, here’s where I really have to think a bit. Overall, objectively it’s fairly mediocre – lots of flare, vignetting, soft spots, etc. If you’re looking for a good camera to take your everyday snaps cleanly and clearly for posterity, this is not your baby by any means I’d say. And this is where I’m torn. For sure, it delivers exactly what many toy camera fans want – Holga-esque lo-fi character in spades, which right now is very ‘in’ and thus very contemporary. If that’s the look you prefer, then you’re good with the BBF. Problem is, like anything, trends fade, and when the lo-fi aesthetic runs its course, you’re stuck with a $120 TLR w/ mediocre, cliched, and dated image quality. Not good. That’s another point too – a Holga costs only $20, so you can get essentially the same image quality for $100 less, though the user experience is not the same. And I also have to point out that my $0.99 Vivitar camera from the Salvation Army shop takes very similar quality pics, in a much more ergonomic package to boot. When put into that kind of perspective, the BBF starts to lose its lustre in my mind.

So ultimately, what to do? Nothing really, I guess. For those times when I want what the BBF provides, I’ll pull it out and have at it. That may not be very often, but that’s OK. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it by any means, I just expected it to be a bit more than it actually is. And you may be different, and actually looking for exactly what I think it’s lacking in, so towards that end I would say it’s a good product as it’s well designed and serves its intended purpose. Personally though, I would advise to go buy an old Kodak Brownie TLR instead, which can be had for dirt cheap, has a better viewfinder, produces a larger negative, and most certainly will stand out stylishly from amongst the crowd.

Here’s some sample pics from the first roll: