Back in February 2019, in a piece called A Life In Cameras, I wrote the following:
Olympus Mju II - This was the camera I really fell in love with. It really was a beautiful little camera. It felt super compact (it literally fits in one hand) and I took some photos of it I was really proud of (at the time). It really was a joy to use, and it is one of many reasons why I held off switching to digital for a long time. I absolutely loved this camera. Even now, I look back on it with great fondness. To the extent I really need to go up in the loft and seek it out again…yes, it’s in the loft…somewhere…what a way to treat something you love!
And. well, guess what? I found said camera and have recently finished my first roll of film! It’s been a long time since I used it (or shot film at all), but I was delighted to discover it still seems to work (although we’ll know for certain when the film is processed) and is in pretty good condition (except for a slightly broken battery door…apparently something that is not uncommon). Once I knew it was potentially as good as when I last used it, I bought some Ilford HP5 Plus film and gradually made way through the 36 exposures
My aim with this camera is really to have a very compact carry around camera to get shots as and when. Of course, both the XT-3 and D7200 aren’t really suitable as a carry around, certainly for the commute. And whilst the iPhone 14 has a pretty nifty camera, it’s not really the same, so using the Mju II seems an obvious solution in wanting something pocketable.
Although it’s not the best for street photography, what with the camera loudly clicking and whirring when you take a photo, it strikes me it’ll be good for the odd shots here and there, especially more abstract photos, as well as some street photos from a distance. It’s not without its flaws though…
The biggest being the tendency to fire off the flash even when it’s not necessary. As a result, you have to do the classic Mju II move of: open up the lens and hit the flash button twice to circulate the flash mode into the off position every time you take a shot (it doesn’t store the settings in its memory and so you have to do this every time). That and the viewfinder taking some getting used to (it’s pretty small), can cause some minor frustrations. However, my memory of it back in the day is of a camera that takes really nice shots (and it’s weather sealed!) and is really sharp for a point and shoot. Let’s see how that holds up when I get this film developed…
Of course, getting the Mju II out of the cupboard could look like a bit of a hipster move. It seems to be all the rage at the moment, and has developed somewhat of a cult following online. The rocketing prices for second hand Mju IIs play a part in this of course, with the 20 year+ point and shoot now going second hand for anything from £150-£200. Which seems to me to be an amazing sum for an imperfect point and shoot from the 90s but, well, I did love the camera back then so maybe it’s understandable…
So how will this play out? Will it be a hipster fad I toy with for a few weeks and then throw back into the cupboard or try to sell it second hand? Or will I rediscover my love for it and make it an essential camera for my camera bag when I’m out and about. Stay tuned to find out I guess!