Kodak Ektar H35 Half Frame Film Camera, Sage

The Kodak Ektar H35 in sage is a reusable half frame film camera in a soft green, one of Kodak's four nature-inspired colours. It takes ordinary 35mm film but puts two pictures in the space of one, so a 36 exposure roll gives you about 72 photos. That halves the cost of film and developing per shot, which matters now film prices have gone up.

How half frame works

Each picture is half the width of a normal 35mm frame. Holding the camera normally gives a portrait picture, so turn it on its side for a landscape shot, the opposite of most cameras. When the film comes back from the lab, many labs scan or print two frames side by side as a pair, which makes it easy to tell a little story in two pictures. Ask your lab for half frame scanning when you hand the film in.

Lens, shutter and flash

The H35 has a 22mm f/9.5 fixed-focus lens and one shutter speed of 1/100s, so there is nothing to set. Everything from about 1m to infinity is sharp. The built-in flash runs from one AAA battery. Turn it on to shoot indoors and after dark.

Which film to use

Any 35mm (135) colour or black and white film works. ISO 400 film is the safest choice with a fixed exposure, particularly in winter or on cloudy days. Kodak UltraMax 400 is a good place to start, and Kodak Gold 200 works well in bright sun. Film is not included.

How it compares

If you would rather have fewer, larger pictures, the Kodak M35 and the Yashica MF-1 both shoot full 35mm frames. Full frames give more detail for larger prints. The H35 gives twice as many photos for the same money.

Colours

The H35 also comes in black, brown and sand. They are the same camera in a different finish, and you can see them all together on our Kodak Ektar H35 page.