Harman has released as motorised 35mm simple camera called the EZ-35.
The new camera comes after the release of Harman’s reloadable Kentmere camera in 2019.
Harman – the makers of the Ilford and Kentmere-branded films – listed the camera’s specifications as:
- Lens: 31mm, F/11
- Shutter:1/100s
- Focusing: Focus-free, 1m (3.3ft) to infinity
- Viewfinder:70% view
- Film transport: Motorised load, advance and rewind
- Flash: Built-in flash, 15-second recycle time
- Lens cover: Also acts as shutter lock
- Dimensions:110mm (W) x 62mm (H) x 38mm (D)
- Weight: 126g (w/o battery)
The cameras are listed for sale on the Ilford site for £47.99, including a roll of HP5 Plus.
A statement from Harman reads: “The Harman EZ-35 is a 35mm reusable film camera with motorised load, frame advance and rewind functionality making it the ideal camera for anyone starting out in film photography or those looking for a simple point and shoot option to capture their world.
“With a ‘focus free’, 31mm, f/11 lens, this excellent, environmentally friendly alternative to single use cameras works with all brands of both black-and-white and colour film (ISO 400 recommended).
“It includes a built-in flash with 15 seconds recycle time for indoor or trickier lighting conditions as well a lens cover/shutter lock to ensure you don’t waste a shot.
“The box contains everything you need to immediately start shooting including one roll of Ilford HP5 Plus 35mm 36-exposure black-and-white film, one of the world’s most iconic and popular films, as well as a standard AA battery and a wrist strap.”
The EZ-35 comes amidst a boom in the release of simple reloadable cameras, kickstarted by the LOMOgraphy Simple Use cameras in 2018.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
While I am always happy to hear about new film cameras, personally I prefer manual cameras because you can still take pictures even if the battery dies on you (I had this experience with automatic cameras many times). That’s the reason I never got into digital photography. Still, the more the merrier in the world of film photography.
It is small steps like this that I think will help convince a camera company to make a compact film camera again. The first Harman reusable camera sold very, very well.