Fuji DL Super Mini
A diamond treated rough, what a little gem. I love the design and finish, the fact that mine is missing the plastic around the viewfinder and that I’m using hockey tape to seal the back hardly detracts. I also like the notion of the 28mm wide lens which pairs nicely when carrying another camera with a longer focal length.
I try to highlight for each camera one thing that sets it apart and for this Fuji it has to be the focus system. In addition to autofocus there is also manual focus with its many steps between 0.35m and infinity as well as snap focus. Snap focus sets focus to a fixed distance and uses a small aperture to provide a zone where everything is in relative focus. This is great for moving subjects or when focus would otherwise be difficult to achieve.
My first roll of negatives through the camera were all scratched though and I could see when I opened it up a little pile of film powder. I identified the source of it as a bent spring tensioner and fixed it. That is one of the reasons I test cameras with outdated film, to find and fix problems. Sometimes I even like the look old film gives me, but not scratches they aren’t cool.
