Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, especially when it has something to do with photography. It’s no surprise that more camera manufacturers are bringing out new models that resemble vintage cameras. Fujifilm’s entire X line is based on evoking emotions with strong retro looks. Sony touched on this briefly with their a7c model. OM System still retains some of the classic styling of their SLRs from decades ago, carrying over the best of these designs to their digital line. And Nikon very recently made waves with their Zfc model, which resembles their classic FM2. But personally, there’s one film camera I’d like to see a digital version of. It’s not the much sought-after F3 HP, nor is it the drool-worthy design of the S2 rangefinder. For a lot of emotional reasons, I hope there will be a digital version of the Nikon L35 AD2 someday.
My all-time favorite compact camera
The Nikon L35 AD2 in the family belongs to my dad. It was a present to him from his in-laws, gifted to him sometime in the late 80s. That camera traveled all around the world with dad. Starting with Hong Kong, it accompanied him to India, The Maldives, Mauritius, Turkey, and to many other countries. It was dad’s constant companion and an ideal camera as he wasn’t much into the technicality of photography.
Plastic as the body may be, the construction is solid. It weighs in your hands well, and has a solid rubber hand grip on one side. There’s extra rubber gripping for your left hand as well. It has a very handy f2.8 35mm lens. For those of us who couldn’t be bothered to categorize our images in dated albums, there’s a date feature that can burn the current date onto the negative.
Half-press For Better Results
The trick to avoiding the camera’s autofocus system getting the better of you, especially in backlight situations, was to half-press the shutter. This ensures it doesn’t focus on the background as easily. Many times I’ve managed to ensure the subject in front of me, and not brightly lit background, was in focus. There’s a focal distance scale inside the small viewfinder. This helps you accurately understand where the focus has been set to. Like a lot of autofocus film compacts, the Nikon L35 AD2 is not perfect, but a lot of the fun in using this camera lies in navigating these challenges.
I’ve stood in front of this camera for countless photographs during my travels as a pre-teen. I was fortunate enough to even take a few pictures with it back then, despite us carrying maybe just a couple of 36 exposure rolls on each of those trips. Seeing that flash pop-up meant that I knew I’d get a sharper picture. Even if meant that the subject would be a tad washed out due to its power. The Nikon L35 AD2 isn’t quite pocket-sized, and it comes with its own leather pouch that you can tuck the camera into.
That Unique Shutter Sound
The one feature of this camera that I love the most, and something that readily transports me back to my childhood, is that ever-so-unique shutter sound. It definitely sounded futuristic for its time, and even now there’s no shutter sound from any other camera quite like it. It’s sounds more electronic than mechanical. But each time I heard it, there was this wonderful sense of satisfaction that a memorable moment had been captured.
The Nikon L35 AD2 served us faithfully until our trip to Malaysia in 1999. Halfway through the trip, the camera refused to work. It turned out to be some malfunction in the battery compartment and, unfortunately, no one in Kuala Lumpur had the necessary spares to repair it. Even on our return to Dubai, we found out the hard way that no repair store was able to source the necessary parts. With digital cameras slowly becoming more popular, the camera soon found its way into the storage cupboard for a decade and a half more.
Old Faithful Makes A Comeback
Then I saw an image of dad wearing this camera around his neck, a picture probably snapped by granddad. This was around the time my interest in collecting vintage cameras had piqued. I decided to give eBay a shot at trying to get the parts needed to fix dad’s beloved camera. Someone in Belgium had a mint version of this camera, and I gladly paid €9.99 for it. A week later it arrived in Dubai, complete with the leather pouch and trademark neck strap. Dad was delighted to see a working version of his camera again after so many years.
I took the camera on a trip to Switzerland in 2018 with a roll of Ilford Delta 3200. Ironic I guess, considering that the beauty of Switzerland is best seen in color. I currently have a roll of Kodak Gold 100 in it at the time of writing this piece. It’s been there for some months now, and the image count meter is currently at 12. I can’t say I’m being miserly with the roll, but I don’t want to go snap happy and just fire away at everything I see. My son has taken a couple of photos with it too so far.
Nikon Almost Made A Similar Digital Camera
Remember the ill-fated Nikon DL line? There wasn’t a sadder Nikon user than me the day they announced that this series wasn’t going to be manufactured. After waiting for nearly two years to own what I see as a similar camera to the Nikon L35 AD2, the announcement broke my heart.
Nikon should really consider making a 35mm full-frame digital compact with similar looks to the L35 AD2. It just might do for them what the X100 series of cameras did for Fujifilm. It’s a delight to look at, even more fun to hold, and the focal length is perfect for frequent photowalks. It’d be the perfect add-on to your photography collection, or as a travel camera when you want to travel light.
I just hope some celebrity or Tiktok sensation doesn’t post a video half-badly using one of these, causing the resale market price of the Nikon L35 AD2 to skyrocket.
