C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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compact-35mm
The Cosina CX-2 (1981) is a compact zone-focus 35mm camera featuring a fixed 35mm f/2.8 Cosinon lens, fully programmed electronic shutter, and silicon-cell metering. The body is polycarbonate but competently engineered; Cosina built cameras for Nikon (FM10), Canon, and Vivitar under OEM contracts, so quality exceeded the retail price. It accepts two AA batteries — uncommonly practical compared to the CR123A or V76PX cells required by contemporaries. Zone focusing (portrait/group/landscape icons) keeps the design simple; the lens is sharp by program-compact standards.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The humblest pocketable 35mm. Zone-focus, program exposure, two AA batteries, and a sharp Cosinon lens — the affordable answer to the Rollei 35 and Minox 35.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Lens | 35mm f/2.8 Cosinon, 4 elements |
| Years | 1981–1985 |
| Shutter | 2s – 1/500s, electronic programmed |
| Meter | Silicon cell, program-only AE |
| Focus | Zone (3 zones: portrait / group / landscape) |
| ISO range | 25–1600 |
| Weight | 215 g |
| Battery | 2× AA |
Cosina Co., Ltd. of Nagano, Japan became a leading OEM camera manufacturer in the 1970s–80s. The CX-2 was their own branded compact, aimed at the budget market that could not afford a Rollei 35S or Minox 35 GT but wanted a pocketable fixed-lens camera rather than a bulky point-and-shoot. It was sold under various badges — Vivitar, Revue, Hanimex — in different markets. The CX-2 was discontinued around 1985 as autofocus compacts pushed zone-focus models out of mainstream retail.
The CX-2 has become a film-revival staple because clean examples cost $30–90 and produce better negatives than their prices suggest. The Cosinon 35/2.8 resolves well center-to-corner wide open; programmed exposure is calibrated conservatively (it prefers to overexpose slightly, which is forgiving on negative film). The AA battery requirement means you can buy cells anywhere in the world. For someone who wants a pocketable 35mm with no fuss, it is the sensible alternative to spending $600 on an Olympus mju-II or $800 on a Ricoh GR1.
Zone focus is the barrier: you must estimate subject distance and turn the lens ring. In practice, the 3-icon system (portrait ≈ 1.2 m, group ≈ 3 m, landscape ≈ ∞) covers most situations and the 35mm focal length at f/5.6–8 (program typically chooses this in daylight) has enough depth-of-field that errors are rarely visible.
Lens is fixed. No system accessories. Standard hotshoe accepts any ISO-compatible flash; the programmed shutter adjusts for flash sync automatically (typically X-sync throughout the range).
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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