Ricoh FF3
The Ricoh FF3 is one of those camera that neither offends or excites. Its 35mm 5 element lens isn’t the fastest at f3.2 or that free of distortion wide open. And it’s completely automatic exposure system gives no control over settings to minimize that. Given enough light thought the camera stops down the aperture and the lens is good enough. I do like that it takes regular AA batteries which are far easier to find and cheaper than lithium camera batteries. The film advance is noisy but functional. Speaking of noisy the self timer beep is more along the lines of an alarm clock leaving you feeling like it’s going to explode rather than take your picture “Smile”. The viewfinder provides some distracting bright sometimes flashing icons to indicate the focus distance and if flash should be used: Portrait,chest bump,plunging stock prices and lightning strike. The focus is easily fooled so be sure that the icon matches your expectations. It can focus in the dark though with its active beam AF system so that could be fun with flash “surprise!”
Despite its quintessential early 1980’s design with hard plastic edges it’s surprisingly nice ergonomically when used with two hands. With one hand your more likely to have your horizon at 45 degrees as all the weight is on the side away from the shutter button. In the end its a camera that’s more about the 1980’s look it portrays than the results you will get. There are far better cameras to choose.
