A Film Camera Hunt and a Risky Bet
Last week, I saw one of my mutuals on Threads upload three cameras that immediately caught my attention:
Nikon Lite Touch film camera
Ricoh GR III
DJI Osmo Pocket III
…plus three rolls of Kodak Gold film.
My GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) kicked in. I started thinking that I needed a compact film camera, something similar in size to the GR III. So, I went on a hunt through the Mercari marketplace and found several film cameras within my budget of ¥15,000–¥25,000.
The cameras that piqued my interest were:
Olympus MJU I/II
Nikon AD2
Olympus XA 1/2
To be honest, I really wanted the Olympus MJU II, as it met all my criteria for a compact camera: Similar size to the GR III, fixed lens and sleek design. Unfortunately, its price was over ¥35,000.
Then, out of nowhere, the Konica Big Mini caught my attention. There are two versions:
BM-201 – a square-shaped retractable lens with f/3.5
BM-301 – a round lens with f/2.8
Naturally, the BM-301 was more appealing, but its price was significantly higher than the BM-201.
A Lucky Find on Mercari
One day, while casually browsing Mercari, I found a BM-201 listed for just ¥2,100—but it was an auction. I was skeptical since this camera is quite popular, and the usual price for a similar condition is around ¥15,000–¥20,000, guaranteed to be in working condition. This one, however, was untested due to a missing battery.
Still, with a mix of courage and luck, I won the auction for ¥4,000.
When the camera arrived, I loved how it looked. Not 100% flawless—there were some scratches, but none in visible spots.
I quickly loaded a roll of film to test if it actually worked.
And… it worked!
That same evening after work, I went out to shoot the entire roll, then sent it for development to confirm if everything was in order.
The Unexpected Issue
During the last shot, I noticed something odd. The film counter reached 39, but the camera didn’t rewind. I tried shooting a few more frames, but still no rewind. After searching on Google, I discovered a tiny rewind button that I initially mistook for a reset button because of its small size.
I wasn’t sure if this camera had automatic rewind or if it needed manual intervention, but pressing the button successfully rewound the film, and I sent it off for developing.
The Nervous Wait
From the moment I handed in the film until the next day, I was anxious. If the results were good, I’d be extremely lucky. But if they were a flop, well… there goes ¥4,000. Regardless, I had already fallen in love with the camera, even with its minor imperfections.
At around 3:00 PM, I received the scanned images via email.
And then…
Out of 39 exposures, I only received 28 files.
Definitely weird.
A Heartbreaking Discovery
Upon closer inspection, every single photo overlapped—none of them were properly exposed. It was as if every shot was taken with a double-exposure effect.
The frustrating part? The actual photos looked amazing—but all ruined by overlapping frames.
I consulted my film camera expert, Raufan, and he suggested that the issue might be with the film winder, but advised trying another roll before drawing conclusions.
I agreed. Another possible cause was an improper film load, which might have caused misalignment, or perhaps forcing a shot at the end of the roll.
Testing Again
As I write this, I’ve already taken 10 test shots with a new roll and plan to finish it by the end of the week.
Hopefully, this Konica Big Mini will become the perfect tandem camera for my Ricoh GR III. 🤞
It’s so hurt when I look at a single image, but accidentally find it interesting after I upload it to Google Photos
