Konica Pop: The Color Machine

She comes in many bright colors. She produces great bright colors. She’s iconic, pocket-sized, and functional. She’s neat and eye-catching. You’ll never go unnoticed with this marvel box in your hand!

Manufactured from 1982 to 1985, the original Konica Pop was a 35 mm compact camera as simple as could be: it has fixed focus and only one shutter speed, the exposure is automatic and CdS-controlled. Also known as the C35 EFJ in Japan, this camera only had three ISO/ASA options: 100, 200, and 400. You have to manually advance the film through a lever and rewind it using the rewind crank placed on the bottom of the camera but this might be a pro if you want to experiment with double exposures. The reason behind it is that it does not allow the shutter to release until you pull the advance lever and effectively moving to the next frame.

It had a built-in flash which pops-up (hence the name, Pop) when you move a black button placed on the front of the camera. The flash requires 2 AA/1.5V batteries and does its job, especially with subjects within 2 m even in the darkest room at night which is quite useful! In 1985, a new model with a faster recharge-time flash was launched (no longer reading “Hexanon” on the lens). And then in 1988, the last version featuring the autodate feature came out.

This little style icon from the 80s sold 1.5 million units in different models: red, green, blue, pink and the sleek, classic black. I must confess I decided I needed one the second I saw the red one, and never regretted it. But be aware that by carrying this shiny red beauty around, you will always be the center of attention. It’s not the right choice if you’re a shy person or someone who’s into spontaneous street portraits but this baby will definitely be THE must-have for parties – it’s this camera’s own habitat!

This is the closest you’ll ever get to the simplicity of a disposable camera, but there’s a reason why I call it a marvel box. This camera’s lens – a Hexanon 36 mm, with a maximum aperture of f/4 – yields great contrasts and surprisingly bright, saturated colors… in any possible light condition!

Don’t be fooled by the soft look of these previous photographs, this camera can produce sharp pictures too – and perfectly well-defined details! No zoom? No problem! This camera is pretty good at close-ups too! It really is iKonic(a)!

This is not a toy camera, but I’m sure you fellow Lomographers would love to try one not only for the super-saturated colors but also for the light leaks it often produces! Well, my own Konica Pop does not produce many, but only because I was lucky enough to find one which looks like brand new. It even came with its original black leatherette case – but here’s one of the few:

Smart, pocket-friendly, charming, and easy-to-use, there’s really nothing more you could ask for in a camera. Add to that its great optics and built-in flash and you definitely have a keeper. Once you’ve tried it, the Konica Pop will be your perfect everyday analogue companion… that’s exactly how it became my favorite travel-camera!

Upload the prettiest shots you’ve taken with your own Konica Pop to your LomoHome!

written by sidsel on 2011-07-05 #gear #people #35mm #review #konica #camera #1980s #camera-review #lomography #film-camera #user-review #konica-pop #konica-c35-3fj #japanese-cameras #80s-cameras