KonicaC35 EF (Pikkari)

The Konica C35 EF (Pikkari) is a product of the late 1970s — the last gasp of fully mechanical pocket cameras before electronics took over — a compact rangefinder-style with built-in flash paired with a Konica Hexanon 38mm f/2.8. Some backstory: launched in 1975, it was the first 35mm camera with a flash built into the body — the ancestor of every point-and-shoot that followed.

Format

35mm

Year

1975

Lens

Konica Hexanon 38mm f/2.8

Shutter

1/60s – 1/250s programmed (Copal)

Min. focus

1.0 m (zone focus)

Flash

Built-in electronic, manual OFF / FLASH ON slider

Battery

2× AA

The Konica Hexanon 38mm f/2.8 sits in the daylight sweet spot: sharp wide open, well-corrected against flare, and small enough to disappear in a jacket pocket. Standard 35mm keeps it compatible with whatever Kodak, Ilford, Fuji or CineStill stock you find on the shelf today. 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 (zone focus), close enough for a coffee cup or a face but stops short of true macro. Something that catches new owners off guard: In Japan it was sold as the 'Pikkari Konica' (pikkari = flash of light) and became a runaway hit. Best for everyday life and half-length portraits — a 40-ish lens stays out of the way and renders people without distortion.

The Konica C35 EF (Pikkari) hasn't been swept up by the algorithm yet, which is the entire window — get one before the rest of the internet catches up. File away for later: the f/2.8 Hexanon is a full stop faster than the later EF-P's f/4, which makes the original EF the one to hunt down.

• §1Launched in 1975, it was the first 35mm camera with a flash built into the body — the ancestor of every point-and-shoot that followed.
• §2In Japan it was sold as the 'Pikkari Konica' (pikkari = flash of light) and became a runaway hit.
• §3The f/2.8 Hexanon is a full stop faster than the later EF-P's f/4, which makes the original EF the one to hunt down.