RETO Ultra Wide & Slim

dourbalistar

dourbalistar

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Last year, RETO revived the Ultra Wide & Slim, another clone in the long line of ultra wide & slim plastic cameras. It's practically identical to the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim, which as I found out is itself a clone. However, you can buy the RETO version brand new for $29.99 and it comes in a variety of colors. So there is that, I suppose. I have the Pastel Pink color, because this is a toy camera after all. I just finished processing a roll and yes, there's vignetting, soft corners, and all the rest. But the results are surprisingly good for a 22mm plastic lens with a fixed f/11 aperture and fixed 1/125 shutter speed. :cool: More photos to come, stay tuned. Is anyone else using this newest incarnation?

RETO Ultra Wide & Slim, Arista Premium 400, expired 2014, developed in LegacyPro L110 for 6.5 minutes.


2022.07.12 Roll #312-07534-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
 
I also find the look of the Reto- pics quite interesting. I glued a filter adaptor around the lens, so I can use the little cam with a ISO 400 film from shadow to bright sunshine. Soooo light and easy in the bag...!
 

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dourbalistar said:
Last year, RETO revived the Ultra Wide & Slim, another clone in the long line of ultra wide & slim plastic cameras. It's practically identical to the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim, which as I found out is itself a clone. However, you can buy the RETO version brand new for $29.99 and it comes in a variety of colors. So there is that, I suppose. I have the Pastel Pink color, because this is a toy camera after all. I just finished processing a roll and yes, there's vignetting, soft corners, and all the rest. But the results are surprisingly good for a 22mm plastic lens with a fixed f/11 aperture and fixed 1/125 shutter speed. :cool: More photos to come, stay tuned. Is anyone else using this newest incarnation?

RETO Ultra Wide & Slim, Arista Premium 400, expired 2014, developed in LegacyPro L110 for 6.5 minutes.


2022.07.12 Roll #312-07534-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Not bad at all for a 30 dollar plastic camera.. But of course, in your (fine!) image, composition and subject matter probably draw attention away from the camera's deficiencies..
 
Harry the K said:
I also find the look of the Reto- pics quite interesting. I glued a filter adaptor around the lens, so I can use the little cam with a ISO 400 film from shadow to bright sunshine. Soooo light and easy in the bag...!
Click to expand...
Brilliant, @Harry the K! I'd seen similar modifications, but the others seemed to obstruct the viewfinder. What size filter adapter did you use? I used 400 speed B&W film in my test roll, and some frames came out overexposed. Bright sun up in the mountains was probably not the best conditions for Arista Premium 400 (aka Kodak Tri-X?) and yellow or red filter would definitely have helped.

neal3k said:
I've been enjoying mine for quite some time.

$30 New Camera - Griffin Colors by Neal Wellons, on Flickr

New $30 Reto Camera - Strange Colors by Neal Wellons, on Flickr

Outhouse and Mill with Tiny Plastic Camera by Neal Wellons, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Great stuff, @neal3k! I have a few color rolls that I need to send off to the lab, including at least one roll of Kodak Ultramax 400.

pvdhaar said:
Not bad at all for a 30 dollar plastic camera.. But of course, in your (fine!) image, composition and subject matter probably draw attention away from the camera's deficiencies..
Click to expand...
Thank you, @pvdhaar, much appreciated! Of course, I cherry picked one of the better photos from the roll. Some came out overexposed, some slightly underexposed, some tilted horizons. All part of the fun I guess!

Retro-Grouch said:
Hmm, the results are almost too good to make it worthwhile. If I were to use a toy camera, I'd want bad results. Holga bad. But if this thing comes in Pastel Pink, I could be tempted!
Click to expand...
Haha, if Pastel Pink isn't tempting enough, at some point RETO added Teal and Olive colors.
 
dourbalistar said:
Brilliant, @Harry the K! I'd seen similar modifications, but the others seemed to obstruct the viewfinder. What size filter adapter did you use? I used 400 speed B&W film in my test roll, and some frames came out overexposed. Bright sun up in the mountains was probably not the best conditions for Arista Premium 400 (aka Kodak Tri-X?) and yellow or red filter would definitely have helped.
Click to expand...
The adapter is 39 to 37 mm. The glueside is the 37, so I can use my 39mm filters from the Summicrons, reversed. However, I had to make a little cutout on the adapter due to the elevated frame around the vf- window. But the adapter is 99,8% invisible in the vf.
 
Harry the K said:
The adapter is 39 to 37 mm. The glueside is the 37, so I can use my 39mm filters from the Summicrons, reversed. However, I had to make a little cutout on the adapter due to the elevated frame around the vf- window. But the adapter is 99,8% invisible in the vf.
Click to expand...
Thank you, @Harry the K! I did notice a little notch cut out in your adapter. Good to know there's not too much blockage, though I'm not sure how accurate the viewfinder is anyway.
 
Amazing how sharp the plastic lens (just two elements, do I remember that correctly?) delivers in the middle region of the frame.
 
The little Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim (vuws) has accounted for a disproportionate share of the photographs I have made in the last ten years. Partly that is because the camera's diminutive size and light weight make it so easy to stuff in a pocket on the way out the door. Beyond that, however, the radical wide angle lens also encourages more boldness in subject selection. There is also the satisfaction of getting dramatic results from such a simple-seeming instrument.
I have always preferred color film for the vuws, but that has become problematic due to current film prices.
12b.jpg
 
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