HISTORY OF THIS CAMERA
My professional and private background is all about electronics, audio and 'The Arts' but NOT photography! My photographs on this website will atest to that (it's the best I can do with the equipment I have!)
Recently I have been asked by an associate/friend to 'look after' their collection of photographic equipment and small format film projectors and stock due to his serious ill health and inability to look after this gear any longer. While most of the photographic gear is original, older Japanese marketplace equipment (his country of birth) this camera stands out as being something much more recent.
This is Chinese product and I can see online many people offering very similar camera's, the only differences are the name - it appears that a Chinese factory pumps these out and simply rebadges to suit the customer.
I guess this is one of the simpliest 35mm film cameras you can get ... no flash, no electronics at all (meaning that no batteries are needed) no auto anything!
Presumably this type of camera is aimed at the children's market ... simple to use and rugged construction with SOME protection from liquids e.g water
PLEASE read the description below completely and decide if this camera may be of interest to you.
There are no returns or refunds offered, this is second hand gear and offered 'as-is' but I do try to give some information in the TESTING section of this description.
PACHA Point N Shoot Camera
Technology: 35mm Film (Analog)
Model: Unknown - not indicated on the case
Comes with the Blue nylon wrist carry strap
Lens: 28mm
Fixed focus
NO batteries required
Completely manual in operation
Clear plastic "outer case" which is designed to protect the camera while in use. I have seen some pretty outlandish claims about "water protection", some even saying these are safe to use up to 3 metres underwater! DON'T TRY IT - there is simply no way this camera will survive such depths ... yes, it does have a Silicon seal on that clear case but no such seals on the external controls such as the film winder or the "Take A Picture" button.
The front label does say "Drip proof" which is pretty meaningless, perhaps it would survive a light splash or two at the beach but nothing more.
Lens has no built in 'slide protector' mechanism
NO threaded hole on the underside for a tripod, this camera is intended for hand operation only
Weight: 125g
Dimensions: 120mm wide x 50mm front to back and 80mm high
TESTING:
Testing limitations: I do not have any 35mm film rolls, which means I have only visually inspected the lens and viewfinder to the best of my "newbie" abilities, looking for bacteria or mildew spots and of course, scratches to the lens. I could not see anything like this, it all looks clean.
Operation of the "Take A Photo" button feels fine, as does the film winder and the top side film counter is currently sitting at S, which I guess means START (?) As I have no film, I could not check the film winding operation completely. I notice a small button on the base of the camera and this seems to be a film "transport" release so that the film can be manually rewound in preparation for processing at the photo lab
The clear plastic protective case has a nice secure latch system to keep it closed - this is working fine
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
Clean
NO physical camera body or outer external clear case damage at all
NO cracks to any of the plastic
Not even scuff marks, it appears to me that this camera has never actually been used - I cannot consult with the owner about this (he is fighting for life, camera's are the last thing he needs to worry about!) but I do know he collected ALL things in the photographic and old film world, even modern very simple equipment such as this camera - just to see how they designed the camera and modern manufacturing techniques used.
There you have it ... nothing flash at all ... in fact I couldn't image a camera being more simple than this but I presume the nature of the design is perfect for users such as youngsters!
All labelling, which is pretty scarce in any case, is unworn and easy to read.
I have now packed this camera into a sealed clear plastic package to maintain the present condition and keep out airborne dust.
