Hanimex35 DL Dual Lens
Autofocus Compact
The story
The Hanimex 35 DL Dual Lens is a product of 1987-89, when plastic bodies got better lenses than the metal ones they replaced — a autofocus compact paired with a 35mm f/4.5 & 70mm f/8 (dual lens, rotating). Some backstory: hanimex was an Australian importer — this body is a Haking OEM design also sold as the Halina 35X and Revue AC-3.
Specifications
- Format
- 35mm
- Year
- 1989
- Lens
- 35mm f/4.5 & 70mm f/8 (dual lens, rotating)
- Min. focus
- 1.5 m
- Flash
- Built-in with on/off switch
- Battery
- 2× AA
Notable features
- Rotating dual-lens turret (wide / tele)
- Focus-free fixed focus
- Motorised film advance
- DX film coding
Shooting it today
The 35mm f/4.5 & 70mm f/8 (dual lens, rotating) is on the slow side, so it rewards good light or a roll of ISO 400 — but the body shrinks accordingly into something you'll actually carry every day. On the film-availability spectrum, plain 35mm is as easy as it gets in 2026. It runs on common AA batteries — you can resurrect one on a Sunday afternoon with whatever the corner shop has in stock. The built-in flash will fire whenever the meter decides it should, so learn the override before your first night out. Minimum focus is 1.5 m, close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: the 'tele' lens is just a 2× teleconverter bolted in front of the same 35mm — the turret literally rotates it into place. Pair it with HP5 or Portra and you have a general-purpose travel camera that handles 80% of what you'll point it at.
Who it's for · Verdict
The Hanimex 35 DL Dual Lens sits exactly where you want a sleeper to sit: low prices, working examples plentiful, and a spec sheet that holds up against far pricier rivals. File away for later: fixed-focus optics and a plastic front element make it one of the most authentically lo-fi 'dual-lens' compacts ever sold.
Fun facts
- §1Hanimex was an Australian importer — this body is a Haking OEM design also sold as the Halina 35X and Revue AC-3.
- §2The 'tele' lens is just a 2× teleconverter bolted in front of the same 35mm — the turret literally rotates it into place.
- §3Fixed-focus optics and a plastic front element make it one of the most authentically lo-fi 'dual-lens' compacts ever sold.
Field note
A stranger talked up the 35 DL Dual Lens so convincingly across a market table that I bought it and shot the walk home. The 35mm on the 35 DL Dual Lens turned out to be exactly how far I naturally stand from people, so I stopped composing and just looked. A single pair of AAs carried the 35 DL Dual Lens from the first frame to the last. We missed the last tram on purpose to finish the roll, and two years on those 35 DL Dual Lens prints still cover the fridge door.
Creative field note — inspired by this camera's character, not based on real events.
Find one
Most copies turn up second-hand on eBay. We've linked a saved search so you can see current listings.
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