1/2 frame analogue auto camera

[Boo53]

I must admit I'd never heard of a 1/2 frame analogue camera and hadn't come across a fully automatic camera without batteries.

This youtube is about an Olymus model and explains how it works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwm_Dya0PFQ&t=1126s

[ameerat42]

Ahh, this one below did have batteries, and you weren't plagued with having to turn
the camera awkwardly upwards to take a landscape shots, as it was already turned up
for you. Of course, for portraits... But it still felt OK.
Yashica Samurai half frame camera

I took it on my first S America trip, chuffed at the idea of getting so many "extra shots"
for the same price" - of the film only! Developing too cost the same, but PAYing for the
double the number of prints became rather DISappointing because, to me at least, there
was a noticeable drop in image quality compared to a full 35mm frame. - Luckily, I had
one of those as well on that trip. I think I took it on a subsequent trip or two, but I was
not as starry-eyed about my expectations.

What made it fun to use? - It's ease of operation.
What happened to it? - I can't remember, but it stopped working.

Here's happy fellow - who looks remarkably like I do now I've got silver hair - trying to
tell you its virtues... (Here it's called "Kyocera...")

[Mat]

My first camera was a 1/2 frame Richo E2 which I still have. I used to go for the 12 frame film rolls as I could usually get about 26 shots out of it. If I went with a 36 then it would seem to take forever to shoot the whole roll of about 76 shots. yes I used to get more than double the shots per roll.
here is a link to one on the tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhhJj8R94mY

[Boo53]

After the instamatic my 1st "proper" camera was a ricoh, but a full frame. All I could afford was B&W processing so perhaps if I'd known about 1/2 frame I might have been able to afford colour.

My ricoh wasn't an auto like the one in the video, but rather a ttl metering model, sort of. It had an optical viewfinder with a little level that went up and down on the rhs. When it was in the middle it was "right".