Australian Camera – September-October 2019

WHAT’S NEW

MiNT LAUNCHES

THE THINKING

PHOTOGRAPHER’S

INSTANT CAMERA

THE INSTANT PRINT camera revival shows

so no signs of slowing down (see comment p6),

but the vast majority of models available now

are essentially simple point-and-shoot types. The

long-awaited MiNT InstantKon RF70 is a very

different animal and provides much more control

over both exposure and focus. It uses the Fujifilm

Instax Wide print format – which is rated at ISO

800 and gives an image area of 62x99mm – and

the print is manually ejected so there’s plenty of

scope for creating multiple exposures.

The InstantKon RF70 employs a classic folding

design – similar to a Polaroid Land camera from

the 1960s – with the lens mounted on bellows,

while the main body incorporates an optical

viewfinder, a separate mechanical rangefinder

to assist focusing, and a built-in exposure meter

(coupled, but non-TTL) linked to a LED indicator.

It also sports a conventional shutter speed dial

and there’s a built-in pop-up flash. The lens has

a three-element optical construction (which

includes aspherical surfaces) with a focal

length of 93mm – which is close to the standard

focal length in the 35mm format – and a

maximum aperture of f5.6 (equivalent to f2.

in the 35mm format). The minimum focusing

distance is 75 centimetres.

For manual exposure control there’s a choice

of six aperture settings down to f22, and a shut-

ter speed range spanning one second to 1/

second, plus a ‘B’ timer which can be set for up

to ten minutes (and also offers a ‘T’ control op-

tion). The shutter is a leaf-type so flash sync is at

all speeds. There’s the option of aperture-priority

auto exposure control with ‘A+1’ and ‘A-1’ set-

tings giving +/-1.0 EV of exposure compensation

respectively. The exposure indicator – located be-

tween the viewfinder and rangefinder eyepieces

• shows red when either under- or overexposure
  will happen and green for correct exposure. The
  viewfinder itself has a magnification of 0.44x and
  includes both a brightline frame and close-up cor-
  rection marks (to compensate for parallax error).
  Other notable features of the InstantKon
  RF70 include a cable release socket, a tripod-
  mounting socket and a 2.5 mm audio-type
  minijack input that can be used for coupling
  an external flash. Optional accessories include
  an ND filter set and a lens hood. There’s also a
  slightly down-specced model called the Instant-
  Kon RF70 Auto which lacks the manual shutter
  speed settings. Both models are powered by a
  pair of AA-size batteries.
  The InstantKon RF70 is priced at $1300 and
  the Auto version at $1120.95.
  MiNT cameras are distributed by Brands
  Australia and for more information visit
  http://brandsaustralia.com/mint/

FUJIFILM’S MOST

COMPACT G

LENS IS HER

FIRST SHOWN AT thela

of the GFX 50R at Photokin

2018, the most compactpr

lens for Fujifilm’s mirrorless

medium format digital cam

era system has finally arrive

The ‘pancake’ style Fujinon

GF 50mm f3.5 R LM WR

weighs in at a mere 335gr

and perfectly complements

compact GFX 50R camera

combination weighs inat 1.

which is pretty light fora mediumformatkit.

The optical constructionutilisesnine

elements in six groups, including one aspherical

type to help counter both spherical aberrations

and distortion. The external construction is fully

weather-sealed to match the capabilities of the

GFXcamerabodies,providing protection against

theintrusionofdustandmoisture, and insulation

ub-zero temperatures

degrees Celsius.

ewFujinon GF 50mm

LMWR is the tenth G

t lens from Fujifilm and

ocallength is equivalent

0mm in the 35mm format.

measures just 48 millime-

s in length. The minimum

usingdistance is 55

ntimetres, and the mini-

maperture is f32. There’s

ne-blade diaphragm to give

ther,more-rounded out-

effects, and it provides

djustments on one-third

stopincrements.Thescrewthread filter fitting

diameteris 62millimetres.

Available in Australia from the late

September, the Fujinon GF 50mm f3.5 R LM

WR is priced at $1649. For more information

visit http://www.fujifilm.com.au

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Classiccameras.

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W Instant but with

options — MiNT's

InstantKon RF70 provides

control over both

exposure and focus.