I got this thing because I was sick of lugging around my father’s old, gigantic, crappy Minolta Freedom AF (more like freedom fixed focus) when I wanted a camera, but couldn’t bring my F80.
After a little research, and some eBaying I found this lovely Sears 35rf… a rebranded Ricoh 500rf.
The eBay description said it was unused. That was true. When I got it the focus ring was stuck. With nothing really to lose, I forced it. It took a while, but now the focusing is, more or less, smooth.
The light seals are a bit gooey but still in tack; however, I had a couple very noticeable light leaks on the latest roll of film I had developed… I think I’ll have to change them soon.
Right now I’m using regular Dollarama brand Alkaline 1.5 volt batteries and the metering seems fine, at least good enough for print film.
The lens is sharp and fast enough… although with the closest focusing distance of 3ft and widest aperture of f2.8, there’s no real bokeh to speak of.
All in all, I think it was $30 well spent.
What film does this camera use? My fiance had this camera, it’s in perfect working condition, I just don’t know what film to use.
Hi Alyssa…
The camera uses normal 35mm film up to ISO 800. Enjoy!