Beach Trip With the Kodak Ektar H35 Half Frame Film Camera

What Is a Half-Frame Film Camera?

I can explain to those unfamiliar with the half-frame concept. I was unfamiliar with it until a roll came through the film lab where I worked. My mind was blown by how minor those negatives are. A half-frame film camera is precisely what it sounds like – it shoots photos half the size of typical 35mm photos. When the camera is horizontal, you’ll see a vertical image as you look through the viewfinder. Flip the camera vertically, and you’ll see a horizontal picture.

With a half-frame negative, the resolution is compromised. The image will not be as clear as a regular 35mm image and certainly not as clear as a medium-format image. But if the camera is crafted properly, this doesn’t have to be a “bad” thing.

I had been considering purchasing one of these cameras because they’re affordable, the sample images I had seen online looked promising, and perhaps most importantly—you get 72 shots in just one roll! That has made this one of the most cost-effective film products on the market.

I bought one of these cameras (in Sage!) at Don’s, along with two rolls of Portra 160. I was so excited to load my new little camera that I could barely stop myself from doing so before I got to the airport. I patiently waited until we arrived in Massachusetts (and I had safely had my film hand-checked at the TSA checkpoint!), and then I loaded up my new little Sage camera.

The Image Quality

This was the first shot of the first roll. Yes, I loaded my camera in the car and left the airport. I have no patience.

After shooting around 144 photos over a week at the beach in Plum Island, MA, I hurried to the darkroom the night we landed back in Texas. Honestly, the results this camera produced greatly exceeded my expectations. I’m a 35mm girl again!

Like many point-and-shoot cameras, the camera is very dependent on light access. The camera has a flash, which works quite effectively but only travels so far. You won’t be able to use this camera to make landscapes in the evening or to shoot wide shots of at-home scenes. But you can make portraits at night or shoot close-ups inside if the flash is on.

Something I found to be so interesting about the way some of the photos came out is the blurred edges that work as a vignette for the photograph. It almost reminds me of a tilt-shift lens. Not all photographs come out this way, but it is evident in some. The pictures also have a lovely painterly quality in some of the scans. Those wider shots in bright light seem likelier to have that “painted” look.

Carrying around this half-frame camera was a breath of fresh air for me. I am so used to lugging around a massive chunk of a camera that I forgot what it was like not to feel physically encumbered by my camera. This little guy is so unbelievably light and small that I wrapped him around my wrist and strolled up and down the beach and neighborhoods for hours.

There’s something so aesthetically pleasing about beachgoers amidst the beach landscape that I can’t help but want to photograph them. With this little camera, I could do so without being noticed. Not only is the camera barely noticeable, but because of the point-and-shoot’s nature, it truly was a “point-and-shoot” moment every time. I’m used to metering for the light, getting the focus set, hoping the moment wasn’t lost in the time it took to do that, and then inevitably being noticed by the stranger because I’ve been pointing my camera at them for minutes. With this half-frame camera, that wasn’t a problem, and I felt confident that my shot would come out the way I hoped.

Pleasant Surprises

One of the days, I took the camera out when there was a thunderstorm headed our way. I knew it wasn’t due for a bit (it moved away from us), so I wanted to see how the camera did in less light. I’m so surprised by how nicely these images came out because it was pretty dim when I was shooting.

Not to sound too much like a Kodak fanatic, but I think this camera is a testament to the craftsmanship and longevity behind Kodak as a company. When the people at Kodak create, they do so with the photographer at heart. Before I shot medium format, I went through many point-and-shoot 35mm cameras. They were all full frames, and I never found one that achieved this quality and receptivity to light like this one. The quality is better than the point-and-shoots I have previously shot with, and these negatives are half the size of standard 35mm negatives! I find that quite remarkable.

Okay, so, a couple of times something like this came out on the roll. For some photographers, this may be a disappointment. For me, I was so excited. I love weird, happy accidents that result from too much light or some weird something I probably did while shooting. Shooting film is never going to be perfect, but that’s part of what makes it so worthwhile.

Go get yourself a Kodak Ektar H35 Half Frame Film Camera – you will not regret it. Happy shooting!