One of my favorite cameras...

 ...and it's tragic end (maybe).

©Tanya Decheva, Urban Cats, 2014

Let me tell you about that wonderful piece of work - Nikon L35 AF. It's a point and shoot camera, manufactured by Nikon from 1983 to some years later when they released the newer better version...which in my personal opinion is not that great. The Nikon L35 AF has an autofocus system that you can count on. I've rarely had any problems with the focus, even when the lights are low. The lens is 35 mm, which is now one of my top focal lengths. Since it's a point and shoot camera, the exposure is also automatic. Which you think it would be good on some levels, but this camera is extraordinary in terms of exposure.

©Tanya Decheva, Shop Cats, 2018

One thing most people would see as a defect is the vignetting on the shots. The corners are always a bit darker than the rest of the image. I actually prefer it and sometimes add it on other photographs in the editing process. It gives a sense of fading of the rest of the world outside the photo frame. This post is becoming somewhat a review but I'll get to the story I promise...just a bit more about the camera. It's equipped with a flash, like most cameras of this type. It's meant to be used by hobbyists and not so much by professionals. So the flash comes in handy when it's too dark and it's automated. So whenever the light meter commands, the flash would pop-up. It's intensity is actually also very well calculated and you wouldn't get overexposed shots. But if you want, you could just press it down until you take the shot. Surprisingly you would also get a good image...of course a bit darker, but good. I sometimes used it as a fill light - you just have to trick the camera to think it's dark. And again, you have a well exposed photo, it's not overexposed by the flash. I still don't know how they did that...

©Tanya Decheva, S., 2017

I could talk for hours about that amazing piece of mechanics and electronics Nikon gave to the world...but I'll tell you the story of my camera. The summer of 2014 - my boyfriend at the time has bought himself a point and shoot camera (another great one Minolta Hi-Matic AF). Oh boy, it was so different from all the other heavy, big cameras that we've got. You could just put it in your pocket, you could walk the streets and photograph people whithout them noticing...or even if they did, no one cared because with that camera in your hands you look just like another tourist. So I got excited to get one of those point and shoots. We found an ad online and arranged a meeting with some guy to buy the camera. That would be the Nikon L35AF. He didn't know what he was selling neither did we what we were buying. It was 20 leva (that's like 10 euro) - so cheap. As we got home I loaded a film and started testing. Some parts from the outside were missing (maybe a self-timer) but it was working just fine.

©Tanya Decheva, D., 2015

For the next 5 years this was my go-to camera. I used my other cameras too, but for most of the time I would prefer the Nikon L35AF. I would bring it everywhere with me, it has become a part of me. It made me feel free when I took photos, I would think mostly about my subjects, my composition and light...not about the exposure or focus...did I forgot to change the shutter speed or aperture. Not worrying about all this I became more creative and even started shooting street, something I was insecure about before. But something happened maybe in 2016 or around that time. The winding mechanism is also automatic and it would just not work sometimes. One time I shook the camera and patted it on the side and it winded the frame. That was strange, but since I didn't know anyone that could fix that I continued using the camera. Every time it didn't work, I would help it and for a while it was alright. 

And then, a year and a half ago I dropped it in the most stupid way possible. It was fine for a little while but then the shutter button stopped working at all. I searched and asked around if someone could repair it, but no one wanted to deal with that kind of camera. I've decided I could buy a new one, but nowadays they are way too expensive for me and my budget. For some time I hesitated to try and repair it myself, but then a friend of mine said he could help. Yesterday we had a Repair Cameras Party at his studio. 

Nikon L35AF and me with a screwdriver, 2021

It took me a lot of time to disassemble it, lots of hidden screws. As it turned out, when the self-timer was broken, some parts were stuck inside, interfering with the shutter button mechanism. I cleared them, my friend helped me reassemble the shutter button and for some time it worked. I even made two photographs. But the flash wouldn't pop-up as it used to, so I opened it again and tried to fix that as well. If you ever try repairing cameras that have a capacitor inside, be careful it could give you a shock even if there are no batteries in. So I fixed the flash, but now again the shutter button acted funny. It got stuck again and I don't know what I did, because I didn't even touch it the second time I opened the camera. My enthusiasm quickly faded away. I was in the same place where I started. It was getting late and I was exhausted so I left it for another time to try again. I know I can get it to work even if that means I could not use the flash. I will keep you posted on the progress and you keep my camera in your thoughts - I'll try and bring this magnificent camera back to life.