Kodak Ektar H35 Review: A Modern Take on Classic Half Frame Cameras
Half-frame cameras are ideal for anyone starting out in analogue photography. They offer double the fun for half the film costs because the camera does exactly what it states: it takes photos half the size of a typical 35mm photo. This means you get 72 shots from a 36-exposure roll, helping you save money on film and development costs. Unfortunately, the image resolution is half the size too.
Unlocked potential
When I first heard about half-frame cameras, I was quite excited and started considering buying one. However, I had mixed feelings about it too. I have always felt that the limitation of photographs is what makes analogue photography special: you select your subjects more carefully, you take time to find the right motifs and put more effort into appreciating the medium.
With double the number of shots available, not only might the image quality be reduced in terms of resolution, but also in composition and selection. On the other hand, having more shots available can be more freeing and allow you to experiment and act more creatively.
When looking for half-frame photographs online, I was most inspired by how they were scanned. Two pictures are scanned in a full frame, meaning there are two motifs on one picture, often separated by a black line, also known as a 'split frame'. So, in a sense, the camera also operates as a curator, showcasing pictures together. Combining two shots makes the final picture even more creative, as unusual combinations of motifs enable new storytelling methods.
Photograph of a half-frame camera
The new and old half-frame cameras
I love the charm of old cameras and the stories they tell, so I started looking for an older model. Half-frame cameras were especially popular in the 1960s. You can still find the occasional Rico Auto Half (E2), Canon Demi or Olympus Pen F.
During my research I discovered that these old half-frame cameras are quite rare these days. If you read reviews, you should also watch out for malfunctioning selenium meters. They can gradually deteriorate, giving the appearance of a working camera but providing insufficient energy to produce correct exposures.
This is why I decided to buy a new half-frame camera second hand, to maintain the sustainable aspect of buying something 'old'.
Kodak Ektar H35
Kodak and Lomography were the first two manufacturers I considered for a modern version of a half-frame camera. I really liked the design of the Lomography Lomourette Picnic Edition. The Diana Mini and the Lomo LC-Wide can also take half-frame photos.
In May 2022, Kodak released the Kodak Ektar H35 which was upgraded in September 2023 by the Kodak Ektar H35N.
I chose the Kodak Ektar H35 because I spotted one on Vinted for only 16 euros. I checked the photo samples beforehand which looked good – not perfect, but still ok.
Ektar is originally a professional colour negative film from Kodak. The 'H' stands for 'half frame' and the '35' indicates that it requires 35 mm film. The Kodak Ektar H35 is a pocket-sized camera measuring 110(W) x 62(H) x 39(D)mm and weighing only 100 grams (excluding film). It is therefore very handy, even for travelling.
The camera is made entirely of plastic. It has a 22mm f/9.5, two-element, optical-grade acrylic lens, which means it's basically a plastic lens like the body that also feels very plastic despite the leather imitation. It features a built-in flash which requires one AAA alkaline battery and you can turn it on or off manually. It comes in four colours. The design resembles one of the old analogue cameras.
A cool feature is that you can also purchase an underwater case. I also appreciate that the flash uses a standard battery that is easy to buy.
The difference between the Kodak Ektar H35 and the Kodak Ektar H35N
The cameras look very similar and have the same measurements. The upgraded H35N version (“N” most likely stands for “new”) has a built-in star filter that creates four-beam flares in photographs. It also has a bulb shutter and a tripod hole for long-exposure photography. The H35N's 2mm F8 2-element lens consists of one glass and one aspheric acrylic lens that promises to produce sharper photos with more detail. I have spotted at least six different colour models of the H35N.
The H35 starts at 55 euros and the cheapest price I found for the H35N was 66.26 euros (in April 2026 in Europe). I think both prices are quite high for a plastic camera – I would recommend looking for the cameras second hand. Several people are selling these cameras, so I am sure you can find an affordable one.
What does using the Kodak H35 feel like?
For me, photography is all about feeling, including how a camera feels when you use it. This camera feels very lightweight. However, the plastic does take away some of its charm. You cannot compare it to any other old analogue point-and-shoot camera in terms of how it feels in your hands or how it sounds when you press the shutter.
As I bought the camera second hand, it came without instructions, so I was initially worried that I might use it incorrectly, but it is actually very easy to use. If you look through the viewfinder horizontally, you can already see a vertical frame – that’s a big difference compared to any other non-half-frame camera. The object needs to be 1.5 metres away to get a sharp picture. After pressing the shutter, you need to rotate the film advance wheel until it stops rolling, so that you can take a new picture.
When I pressed the shutter button, I had the feeling that I might have blurred the picture a few times because the button is quite deep and I often shifted slightly while pressing it. Surprisingly, not a single picture was blurred.
The film rewind knob is fragile, I was scared of breaking it while rewinding the film manually. You need to be very careful when using it. If it breaks, you maybe could use a coin to rewind the film.
Developing the Kodak H35
After finishing the roll of film, which took a while because I had to take 72 pictures, I handed it over to my favourite lab. I was surprised to receive 72 single photographs instead of 36 pictures showing two motifs per photo.
This was my fault because I didn’t check how the lab would process them. It would have been wiser to inform the lab of my preferred method of film processing beforehand. It's a good idea to ask the lab in advance if they can do half-frame scanning, so you can decide whether you want the photos to be scanned as full frames (two per picture) or half frames (single photos).
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the photos; I expected a much worse outcome. I used a roll of Kodak Gold 200 film; I like the colours and the grain of the photographs. I am not sure if the viewfinder is very accurate, as I usually compose my shots very carefully, yet there were still some unwanted objects in a few of the corners of my pictures.
Conclusion: Should you buy a Kodak Ektar H35?
Using the camera was fun and I think it would make a great gift for anyone looking to take their first steps into analogue photography and learn how film photography works. In my opinion, it makes a much better gift than the popular Kodak Charmera mini digital keyring camera which also costs around 40 euros.
Unfortunately it doesn't convey the feeling of using an old film camera; rather, it reflects our current time quite well with all its plastic components.
I would recommend using an inexpensive roll of film as it is essentially a toy camera and the photographs are not the sharpest due to the plastic lens. Whether you'll be affected by the resolution of the scans depends on what you want to do with the pictures. My lab lets me choose between two sizes. My single half-frame pictures are 1463 x 2075 pixels and are around 2.3–2.8 MB in size.
As I have a few point-and-shoot cameras that can take sharper pictures, I am not sure how often I will use the Kodak Ektar H35, though I would still love to give it a try and develop two pictures in one just to get the split effect.
Sample pictures of the Kodak Etkar H35
Turrach, Austria
Vienna, Austria
All sample pictures taken with the Kodak Ektar H35 in Austria. Film: Kodak Gold 200
This post is not sponsored.