The Value of a $30 Rangefinder Camera

I considered myself late to the film photography game when I started back in 2017. Even then, most camera and film prices have increased, and getting a decent camera for less than AUD100 is hard. I remember paying AUD110 for an Olympus XA2 and feeling like I couldn’t justify the purchase… fast forward to today, the prices have fluctuated even more to the point where I question the sustainability (economically) of shooting film. Film prices aren't what they used to be, but this I can cope with. Camera prices, on the other hand, are not so easy to justify. When some plastic point-and-shoot cameras with basic features are going for AUD500 and beyond, you start to wonder if the world has truly gone mad. The power of social media hype has truly poisoned the film photography world, turning it into a locus of consumption…If you're lucky, you can get a working fixed-focus point-and-shoot camera for less than AUD100. Well, I was more than just lucky. I found this Kino 300 KMC at the Wentworth Park antique market held in October 2022 for just AUD30. What a steal! The gentleman who sold the camera was selling some other gears for much higher prices, and I actually asked why this one was so cheap, to which he responded with...

"… no one knows the brand, and the lens is a bit stiff."

I checked the camera right away and found that the rangefinder is pretty much unusable, as the patch is dim if it exists at all. However, the shutter speed appears to be accurate, the lens has hyperfocal distance markings, and for AUD30, I'm content with it being a zone-focus only camera. So I took another lap through the venue, and when I saw that the camera was still there waiting for a buyer, I approached it again. As I was contemplating whether I'd spend my precious money on this unknown camera, I heard a voice saying...

"Do it."

Dismissing the possibility of me hearing my own inner voice (which happens often during critical decision making process i.e. Ebay purchase), I turned to the right to find that it was another interested buyer. He proceeds with saying that...

"The number of cameras you need is always everything you have now plus one."

His wisdom enlightened me, and I succumbed to temptation. I walked out of the venue with the Kino 300 KMC and a Kodak Retina 1b that I bought from another seller.

What is the Kino 300 KMC?

It’s a fixed-lens rangefinder camera with a 45mm f/2.8 lens. Shutter speed goes from 1s – 1/300s with Bulb mode, and that's about it…. As previously mentioned, the rangefinder is non-existent except when shooting outdoors on a bright sunny day. It has a hinged film door that is convenient to use and a film counter that you need to adjust manually each time a new roll is inserted, a bit like the Leica M2. It doesn’t have any built-in light metres, but it does offer a cold shoe where I can place my Reveni light meter.

Honestly, for what I paid, it is such a great camera. I'm not going to compare it to better fixed-lens rangefinders like the Olympus 35SP or Canon GIII QL19 for this purpose because I don't think it's a fair comparison. But for what it is, the Kino 300 KMC is very well built, and although it's not as compact as I want it to be, the ergonomics are well designed, and the camera is easy enough to be operated with one hand.

I started by putting a roll of Ilford HP+ through the camera, and without noticing, I have run five rolls through it within 2 months, which means I quite enjoy shooting with it. The stiff focus ring turns out to be a plus because the zone focus I pre-set is not going to change easily, even after placing it in the bag for a while. On top of that, the camera being so cheap means I don't have to be precious about it at all. There's no fear of bumping it into anything as I walk around!

And then I realised that I hadn’t done any test rolls with the camera. The panic starts to kick in as I remember that there might be a lot of things that are wrong with the camera… Does the lens focus properly? Is the hyperfocal distance even that accurate? I mean, it’s a AUD30 camera, and how about the light seals? To my horror, there is no evidence of any light seals in the film door, and I prayed that the camera is designed to be light-tight enough without the help of such things. By the time I develop the film, I will have taken some shots of some Christmas dinners and other gatherings that I would want to keep as mementos. Thankfully, I was relieved to see that all of the shots had turned out well.

After shooting with the Kino for a certain period of time, I realised that I hadn’t enjoyed shooting with a film camera this much for a long time. For a while, I was so fixated on finding the ultimate compact camera that I compromised on a lot of things, including the price I paid for such gear. This camera restored my senses and reminded me that it is not just the gear that makes shooting film great; it is being able to shoot film that ultimately makes it a great experience. After a period of hesitation as I pondered whether it was worthwhile to shoot film, the simplicity of the Kino 300 KMC has brought me back to wanting to put a roll of film into a camera.

Have you found any great deals on film cameras lately?