Those that know Nicole and I know that we have what appears to be an on going camera acquisition problem. To remedy this but continue to try out ALL of the cameras we have decided to start borrowing cameras from our fellow camera enthusiasts instead of trying to purchase or hoard them all to ourselves. (Though that does still undoubtedly happen too.) Not all are winners though and some are just easier or more fun to use but you have to shoot with them first to find out! Thus, we decided if we run a roll through every camera we are interested in, not unlike going on a 5 minute date with a bunch of strangers at a singles night, we can quickly see which are worthy of being added to our collection (or put on our list of “must haves.”) Camera speed dating!
Here is most recent camera I had the pleasure of a quick date with…the GAF Memo 35 EE 35mm rangefinder.
A few quick facts about the GAF MEMO 35 EE…this sweet little rangefinder camera was made by Chinon for GAF (formerly Ansco) in the 1970s. It is almost a direct copy of a Konica C35 with a Chinon 38mm f/2.7 lens. So not surprising I have a strange affinity for this wee camera, as I love Ansco cameras and seem to have recently acquired a love for Chinons. I hadn’t shot my C35 when I bought this little GAF camera, and had no idea they were essentially the same camera. I came across it at a flea market, in a bin of unexciting cameras, stuffed in it’s little case. The flea market overall had been rather disappointing but this last minute $5 purchase made up for it. It was my second random rangefinder camera purchase and I was incredibly surprised when it took really great photos. Like the C35, you basically just set this camera to the “A” setting and away you go. It’s coupled rangefinder is clear and very easy to use and I love how small this camera is to carry around. Possibly the best $5 I ever spent! Here are a few (mainly dog related) shots I took with it last summer on Lomo 400.
