{"id":49134,"date":"2024-12-02T00:07:45","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T16:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/blog\/49134"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:30:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:30:59","slug":"%e7%ac%ac-231-%e5%8d%b7%e5%ba%95%e7%89%87%ef%bc%9a%e5%a4%b1%e7%84%a6%e4%b9%8b%e7%8e%8b%ef%bd%9ckonica-c35-af-35mm-f2-8-%e8%88%87-ilford-hp5-plus-400-%e9%bb%91%e7%99%bd%e5%ba%95%e7%89%87","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/blog\/49134","title":{"rendered":"EP231: The King of Missed Focus \u2014 Konica C35 AF 38mm f2.8 with Ilford HP5 Plus 400"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nRoll #231 \u2014 if this had been shot on digital, it would have been deleted immediately \u2014 because it's out of focus<\/p>\n

Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400
\nDeveloped & scanned: Li-lai Photo, 2024\/9\/25
\nCamera: Konica C35 AF 38mm f2.8<\/p>\n

-<\/p>\n

In some ways I've been lucky \u2014 many of my first experiences with film cameras have been with genuinely good examples of their type. My first TLR was the Olympus Flex, which left me with a very positive impression of the format. I assumed all TLRs were that straightforward to use, which wasn't really true; the Olympus Flex just happens to be one of the better-executed Japanese TLRs. Beyond TLRs: in the early days of the autofocus point-and-shoot, almost every major brand released a first-generation model with a 38mm f2.8 lens, manual film advance, and the Honeywell VAF (Vistronic Automatic Focusing) system.<\/p>\n

My first \"autofocus, manual advance, large-aperture point-and-shoot\" was the Olympus C-AF 38mm f2.8 (released 1981), and my experience with it was excellent \u2014 accurate focus, beautiful metal body. But with so many similar cameras from that era, I was curious about the others. Which leads us to this roll, shot on the Konica C35 AF 38mm f2.8 (released 1977) \u2014 the camera that started it all, the first mass-produced autofocus point-and-shoot.<\/p>\n

Before buying the Konica C35 AF, I'd heard it had focus reliability issues. Testing confirmed it: this camera misses focus often, especially at close range or in low light. The Olympus C-AF uses the same Honeywell VAF technology but never had this problem \u2014 whatever adjustments Olympus made in the four years between the two cameras clearly helped. One obvious addition: the C-AF has a focus assist lamp that lights up when you half-press the shutter, giving the autofocus system better information to work with.<\/p>\n

The C35 AF predates that, and its autofocus performance reflects that \u2014 unreliable enough to make you nervous. And beyond the focus, the body is standard plastic, unlike the C-AF's elegant metal shell. I don't have a bias against plastic bodies in general \u2014 some cameras wear plastic beautifully, like the Konica Big mini BM-301 (35mm f3.5), the Olympus XA2 (35mm f3.5), and the Cosina CX-2 (35mm f2.8). But after spending time with the C-AF, coming back to the C35 AF makes the difference in build quality feel obvious.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: if you're interested in manual-advance autofocus cameras from this era, the Olympus C-AF is a clearly better choice than the Konica C35 AF.<\/p>\n

-<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#1
\nThe first frame \u2014 I was on the way to buy breakfast and deliberately took this route so I could catch a train passing. The C35 AF's maximum shutter speed is 1\/250, same as the Konica Hexar AF, so freezing fast motion is out \u2014 but that same limitation gives you motion blur, which restores the sense of speed in the frame. Two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#2
\nA traditional egg crepe stall. The five big characters on the grill \u2014 \"Please dismount to collect orders\" \u2014 tell you they're getting delivery platform orders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#3
\nI took my son to the movies \u2014 suggested we go by bus. He took this one at the bus stop. You can see some haze in the lens here, possibly fungus, giving the frame a soft, dreamlike quality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#4
\nBelow the cinema, the kind of arcade installations that reliably trap children for twenty minutes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#5
\nWandered into a Lady grinder demonstration and ended up staying for an hour, trying samples the whole time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#6
\nMy son is too tall for the stroller now, but for a full day out solo with a kid, having it along still provides peace of mind. No need to worry about him suddenly deciding his legs don't work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#7
\nA bus in Banqiao, New Taipei City.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#8
\nBuses used to be either tap-on or tap-off, which confused a lot of riders. Most have switched to tap both ways now \u2014 simpler and clearer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#9
\nMy son and I in our seats \u2014 I was testing the C35 AF's autofocus accuracy in dim light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#10
\nSwaying on the bus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#11
\nFocus starting to drift \u2014 possibly too close to the minimum focus distance of 1.1m. At that range, the C35 AF's margin for error is very small.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#12
\nA hike on the Hengling Historic Trail at Yangmingshan with my mom and son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#13
\nPassed a massive Japanese ash tree along the route. According to another hiker, this tree is completely covered in rhinoceros beetles during breeding season \u2014 an astonishing number of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#14
\nResting at a pavilion \u2014 though we'd barely walked any distance at this point.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#15
\n(No caption \u2014 frame included as-is.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#16
\nThis one is clearly a C35 AF focus miss \u2014 at this distance, there should be no excuse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#17
\nThe Konica C35 AF, when it does focus correctly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#18
\nThe whole way up the trail, my son walked with my mom, chatting the whole time. I followed behind watching. Some of these moments will be memories they carry for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#19
\nBack at the Japanese ash tree on the descent \u2014 shot it backlit this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#20
\nSelf-portrait.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#21
\nGrandmother and grandson reading a trail sign together.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#22
\nGot closer for a shot. Missed focus again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#23
\nWe started late, so the parking lot was nearly empty on the way back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#24
\nAfter the hike, we came to Beitou for beef noodles. This is a betel nut stall passed on the way. Side note: in Taiwan, if a storefront name includes the word \"center,\" it usually means the place is small. A kind of overclaiming that signals the opposite. Same pattern with company names containing \"International\" \u2014 usually anything but. And brands with \"fashionable\" in the copy \u2014 almost never fashionable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#25
\nAlmost becoming a grandmother-and-grandson silhouette series.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#26
\nTwo colors of cloud in the same sky \u2014 not something you see often.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#27
\nAt 1\/250, getting a clean hand-held shot while moving is already difficult. The C35 AF's shutter travel is long due to the half-press focus mechanism, which means camera shake can creep in during the press. The Olympus C-AF has the same long travel but tops out at 1\/500 \u2014 which generally keeps shake out of the equation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#28
\nEnding with a frame of unclear purpose \u2014 possibly a close focus test. This one actually focused.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That's the full roll \u2014 Konica C35 AF 38mm f2.8 with Ilford HP5 Plus 400. Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roll #231 \u2014 if this had been shot on digital, it would have been deleted immediately \u2014 because it's out of focus Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Developed & scanned:...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1854,1924],"tags":[1797,2039,2058],"class_list":{"0":"post-49134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ilford-hp5-plus-400","8":"category-konica-c35-af","9":"tag-lilai-photo","10":"tag-iso-400-black-and-white-film","11":"tag-38mm-fixed-focus-point-and-shoot-camera"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/12230017.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49135,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49134\/revisions\/49135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeals75.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}