KodakEktar H35

The Kodak Ektar H35 is a product of the years right before discontinuation notices became routine — a half-frame compact paired with a 22mm f/9.5 (single element). Some backstory: doubled the half-frame revival when it launched in 2022.

Format

35mm half-frame

Year

2022

Lens

22mm f/9.5 (single element)

Min. focus

1.0 m (fixed focus)

Flash

Built-in

Battery

1× AAA

The 22mm f/9.5 (single element) 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. Half-frame doubles a 36-shot cassette to 72 exposures, which changes how you shoot — pairs and sequences instead of single hero frames. 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 1.0 m (fixed focus), close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: a single plastic lens — but the whole point is the lo-fi character. Best for visual diaries, long holidays and contact-sheet-style shooting where pairs of frames talk to each other.

Half-frame is having a quiet renaissance; the Kodak Ektar H35 costs a fraction of a Pen F and shoots twice as many frames per roll. File away for later: came in cream, black, sand and sage; sold out in waves on launch.

• §1Doubled the half-frame revival when it launched in 2022.
• §2A single plastic lens — but the whole point is the lo-fi character.
• §3Came in cream, black, sand and sage; sold out in waves on launch.
• §4Disposable vibes.