u/Away-Arm308

I have recently added three Cosina 110 cameras to my already-too-large collection. As far as I am aware, this is the full line up that Cosina produced, but if anyone knows otherwise I would be very interested to know!

The PF 5000 and 6000 (I’m guessing PF stands for Pocket Flash) are somewhat similar to the Pocket Fujica series in that they are modelled after point and shoot 35mm cameras and also feature a wide 20mm lens. Both are conveniently run on a couple of AA batteries.

The PF 5000 is a manual exposure camera with three aperture settings. The camera accommodates both low and high speed film by changing the icons next to each aperture selection depending on the presence of the low speed indicator tab. It offers zone focusing with 5 preset positions from 0.6m to infinity. An integrated flash is deployed by moving the focus below 0.6m. Online sources suggest that the shutter speed is fixed at 1/200s, but I measure closer to 1/100s. I’m not sure if that’s just my camera though! You can use the camera without flash even if the batteries die.

The PF 6000 is a simpler affair offering fixed focus and no exposure controls beyond the use of flash. Instead, Cosina decided to fit this camera with a motor wind, making it slightly larger than the better spec’d 5000! Still, the motor makes a very satisfying sound but if your batteries die, you won’t be able to advance your film. The flash is implemented in the same way as the 5000.

The Pocket Electronic 510 is entirely different, being designed along the lines of more conventional 110 cameras. It’s a really nice model with an integrated lens cover to protect the very fast f/2.7 25mm lens. It features automatic exposure (covering a range of EV1 to EV17!) controlled by a CdS cell with shutter speeds from 6s to 1/240s. A red LED in the viewfinder warns of speeds below 1/20s and pictograms in the viewfinder show which of the four zone focusing positions are chosen. It can be powered by a 4LR44 cell. Sadly, although my model is in great cosmetic condition and came with the manual, it’s a bit of a dud: although the aperture on mine responds to light correctly, one of the shutter blades doesn’t move. So for now, this is just a paperweight. If I can work out how to remove the covers without damaging them, I hope I can get it working again.

I’m intending to run a roll of film through each of the PF models, so hopefully I will have some example shots relatively soon.

Taken on a trip to Vauxhall city farm. The Ricohmatic has a decently sharp lens with zone focus and auto exposure with the ability to compensate +/- 1 stop. It’s one of the better looking and higher quality 110 cameras, in my opinion and well worth a look if you can find one in good condition.

Very thirsty cows during the recent heatwaves in Sussex.

I just received this interesting flash unit for my Ricohmatic 110X, I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere online so I guess it’s quite unusual.

It’s similar to the MS-110 flash unit for the Yashica Electro 110 in that it clamps onto the body of the camera and connects directly to the magicube port.

This one is completely mint in its original packaging with the manual and warranty card included, it works flawlessly and cycles in a few seconds. I guess it might work with other cameras which feature a magicube port too.

Just came across this absolutely mad Ricoh Caddy mod on eBay (not my listing!). I wondered if it’s a police model or industrial or something?

Great camera though, and I would be tempted to buy it, but I think it would scare my other cameras. Plus, the thought of trying to get through 1000 shots is giving me palpitations, as is the asking price!

I recently got this unusual (and, I would say, rather beautiful) Italian 35mm rangefinder from Closter Costruzioni Fotografiche srl, a relatively obscure camera manufacturer operating out of Rome from the late ‘40s through to ‘60s.

Closter produced a range of cameras including the Princess series, of which the 2a is, I believe, the top-of-the-line model. The Princess cameras are somewhat unique in that they feature one of the strangest ergonomic choices I have come across in camera design. Like the Voigtlander Prominent, the focusing dial is located on the top of the camera, but, unlike the Voigtlander, it is located directly in the centre of the top plate! This somewhat esoteric design is what drew me to this camera and I can confirm it is inconvenient and cumbersome, requiring some awkward handling to avoid blocking the rangefinder window while adjusting the focus.

On the bright side, the camera feels like a piece of quality engineering and has some nice features including:

- 50mm Zemen f/2.8 lens with minimum aperture of f/16
- leaf shutter with a range from 1s to 1/300s plus B
- integrated extendable lens hood
- coupled rangefinder with focussing down to 1m
- small but surprisingly bright 1:1 viewfinder
- depth of field guide on the winding knob
- double exposure prevention
- shutter release button threaded for a standard cable release
- standard tripod socket located to the left side of the base plate

The film advance automatically stops once the next frame is reached but the shutter is cocked separately. When I got the camera, the shutter wouldn’t fire and the rangefinder was very dim. Fortunately, this camera is very easy to service. I have included some details of how to open it up as well as a couple of photos with the covers removed as information regarding this model is somewhat scarce (not surprising given that apparently only 5000 were produced).

The top plate is accessed by unscrewing the wind and rewind knobs, the focussing dial (using a pair of needle nose pliers) and three slotted screws, one of which is located on the front of the camera and provides access to a recessed screw which adjusts the horizontal rangefinder adjustment. There is a hex screw on the top of the camera which adjusts the vertical rangefinder adjustment and does not need to be removed.

The shutter assembly is accessed by removing the name plate (it simply unscrews), sliding the aperture selection dial off and removing the cam ring by unscrewing the small arm that keeps it captive. Unlike the original Princess which had a complicated separate mechanism within the body for setting the slow shutter speeds, the Princess 2a features a more conventional shutter design which is quite easy to understand. I gave the shutter blades a light clean using lighter fluid, accessing them from the rear of the camera, so I don’t have details regarding any further disassembly.

After cleaning several decades worth of dirt and congealed grease out of the shutter, re-seating a misaligned spring (located just above the shutter charging arm in the final photo) and polishing the rangefinder mirror and windows, I have a functional camera firing reliably and pretty accurately. I am planning a trip to Italy in October so intend to test the Princess 2a with film back in its homeland.

I would be very interested to know if anyone has experience shooting using this particular model or any of the other Closter Princess range. Thanks!

I recently spent a few days hiking a section of the Alta Via 1 in Italy’s Dolomites with my younger brother. I took my Pentax Auto 110 Super with the 18mm lens along with me, it was a really good, lightweight setup and I am really happy with my results. These were shot using a mixture of Metropolis and Tiger.

Recently did a day trip to Calais to pick up wine for my wedding. I took the Pentax along with, I believe, the 24mm lens and shot a few photos on the return journey. There was a good storm at one point with very dramatic forked lightning which I completely failed to capture.

I recently got hold of this well-featured camera produced by Vivitar. It features a coupled rangefinder, integrated flash, threaded cable release, tripod socket, lens cover and a f/1.9 lens. I believe this is the fastest lens available for a 110 camera, tied with the Kodak Ektramax. It also has the benefit of running on two AA batteries, so no punting for mercury equivalents or worrying about adapters. I took the camera along with me on a run from Kyle of Lochalsh to Plockton on the West Scottish coast.

Sadly, the film didn’t engage until I had wound on 4 frames so quite a bit of this roll came back blank. The lack of any backlight compensation is a shame too. Otherwise, I really like this camera, although XL is right, it’s gigantic!