Since my last two articles for the Bulletin I have become resigned to writing immediate amendments as events overtake me. No sooner was the winter Bulletin in the post than I discovered, via the trade literature for 1990, that about half the cameras I reported on are now no longer in production! Of course, this does not mean that they are all unavailable, as the stores will not be depleted all at once, and in any case I hope my reports will be helpful in the future to those who wish to comb the second-hand market, but the sheer speed with which the market has changed has been discouraging, to say the least. I hope the manufacturers feel they have now got it right and the range will remain stable for a while, apart from the occasional introduction of new models.

The issue of some new models for 1990 has ensured that there are still about 15 to choose from. The good news is that there are now more (relatively) cheap cameras which offer weather protection — including, unbelievably, a waterproof version of a Kodak disposable at £9, the ‘Weekend’! The bad news is that if you want your camera to have a high-quality specification as well as being suitable for adverse conditions (unavoidably expensive), then the options have been narrowed down.

At least this update gives me the chance to rectify one bad mistake I made in my original article. I reduced the range of Olympus weatherproofs from 3 cameras to 2 by referring to the AF-1S as the AF-1. The original AF-1 is still on offer, and is, in fact, highly regarded by the trade as a high-quality camera at a bargain price. The illustrations at the end of this article should make it all clear. As well as the AF-1 range, there are photographs of one new model and three established ones for which I could not find illustrations back in 1989.

I have arranged all the ‘protected’ cameras for 1990 I could find in tabular form according to price. This is economical with space, but some explanation of the columns is necessary. The figures on the LENS are the focal length, usually around 35mm for a single-lens compact, as opposed to the 50mm ‘standard’ optic supplied with most SL-Reflex cameras, followed by its widest aperture — f2.8 being the best available. FOCUSING is either F = fixed focus or AF = autofocus. Now only the Nikonos V has manual scale-focusing, as the Fuji HD-M and the Nikon AWAF are obsolete. If only one SHUTTER SPEED is shown, then speed is fixed; two speeds shown mean that there is a range of speeds available, of which these are the extremes. DX means that the camera adjusts automatically to accept films of different speeds. FILM ADVANCE refers to the method of winding-on: T = thumb wheel; M = motorised wind; L = lever wind. A tick under FLASH indicates that it is provided as an integral part of the camera. EXPOSURE MODE in these models is either F = fixed; P = program (selected by camera via meter); A = aperture priority (Trek 50) which means that you set the aperture and the camera adjusts to suit. The Nikonos, alone among the waterproofs, has manual aperture control.

LensFocusingShutter speed (s)DX film speedsFilm advanceSelf-timerFlashFill-in flashExposure mode'‘Backlight button’Weight (g)WEatherproof or WAterproofPrice (£)CAMERAKodak ‘Weekend’ 3535 F11F1/100TF100WA9Sirius ‘Beachcomber’34 F4.5F1/125TaccessoryF200WE40Keystone ‘Le Clic’ ‘Allweather’35 F5.6F1/125MF300WE50Keystone ‘Le Clic’ ‘Tuff 35’35 F5.6F1/125MF200WA50Sirius ‘Dive’ 3534 F4.5F1/125TaccessoryF200WA60Hanimex 35 KAS35 F3.8AF1/125MP240WE60Vivitar ‘Trek’ 5035 ?F1/30~ 1/350?MA?WA80Minolta AF-SP35 F4.5AF1/125MP270WE99Olympus AF-135 F2.8AF1/30 - 1/750MP225WE129Olympus AF-1S35 f2.8AF1/15~ 1/750MP225WE130Konica MR-64040+60 F3.5AF1/5~ 1/500MP348WE140Yashica T335 F2.8AF1sec~ 1/630MP275WE140Olympus AF-1 Twin35+70 F3.5AF1/15~ 1/730MP255WE149Minolta ‘Weathermatic’35+50 f3.5AF1/40~ 1/150MP400WA180Nikonos 5variousscale1/30~ 1/1000+BLaccessoryMA855WA427+

The waterproof I bought back in the summer of 1989 was the Fuji HD-M, and the results so far have exceeded all my expectations. If I had to choose from the present selection my agonising would be just as lengthy, even after excluding some on the grounds of fixed focus and shutter speed, which I dislike. Apart from the illustrations of the Olympus AF‑1 series, I have found one of the Sirius Beachcomber which, like its waterproof twin, blends quality and price nicely, although flash is available only as an accessory, which increases cost. The Minolta AF-SP is an impressive newcomer at a fair price. The Konica MR-640 has been around for a year or so and has an excellent specification for £140, but at this price my only quibble is that its two lenses of 40/60mm are not as widely-spaced as the much more effective 35/70mm AF-1 Twin, although it is probably more versatile than the 35/50mm lenses of the Weathermatic, which, however, has the advantage of being fully waterproof, which no other twin-lens camera is. Whether or not it is worth the money, the Nikonos V is ‘the daddy of them all’. It is the only camera in this selection that a serious underwater photographer would choose. Manual scale focusing can be seen above the lens, manually set apertures below it. The knobs lie on either side of the lens housing. The padded part of the front body casing is available in either green or orange. For myself, I do not anticipate a need for a further ‘dinghy’ camera update before the turn of the century, and one of my many futile New Year resolutions is to write only on subjects which are a shade more permanent in future!