In the world of 35mm point and shoot cameras, the Fuji ZoomDate 90 isn’t even a blip on the radar screen. It never makes the “10 Best” or “Cameras You Must Own” lists. I haven’t read even one rave review. But, I found this camera in a thrift shop for $5 and decided to give it a chance.
The camera’s features include a tiny viewfinder, glacially slow zoom, jittery hunt-and-peck autofocus and a host of noises that attract attention from anyone standing nearby. The lens is not particularly fast, nor is it especially sharp. The camera modes reset each time the camera powers off, so a surprise, not so subtle flash happens at least a few times per roll. The battery life seems to be the best feature of the camera. I have had to change the battery only twice in the last two years. So, it’s got that going for it.
Why would I bother with such a camera? What’s the point?
I like the images that it produces. It’s as simple as that.
Here are five recent images out of my Fuji ZoomDate 90. All shot on Tri-X at box speed and then developed in Rodinal.
