TL;DR: These two cameras are the same. If you can’t find manuals for the Fuji, use this Samsung one: https://cameramanuals.org/samsung/samsung_af-slim-zoom-e-s.pdf (Credits to Michael Butkus Jr, who’s been archiving camera manuals since 1997 with https://butkus.org/chinon/index.html)
What ever happened?
I had thrifted some cameras, and was unable to find any manuals for the Fuji Zoom Cardia Super 115 I got. It has a ton of modes like Fuzzy, Portrait, and something that looked like a self-timer and interval shooting. The problem was that I didn’t actually know how they operated.
I came across a video by ThisRetroLife saying that the Fuji Zoom Cardia Super 115 is actually a clone of a Samsung Fuzzyzoom 1050 (also known as Zoom 1050 AF/ Maxima Zoom 105).
However, the Samsung Fuzzyzoom 1050’s maximum focal length, at 105mm (see Adam Paul’s review), is 10mm short of the Fuji 115. It’s close, but not quite.
I ended up looking for Samsung cameras with a focal length of up to 115mm. A rudimentary Google search gave me Shawn Granton’s review of the Samsung Slim Zoom 1150. Delightful! They’re truly clones of each other.
Then, after trying to look up mentions of the Fuji Cardia Super 115 on Reddit, I realised that u/marakh had come to the same conclusion 2 years ago, and I could’ve skipped a lot of this sleuthing if I had scoured Reddit more thoroughly to begin with:
Typical experience of being online where I think that I’ve done something original, then find someone else who’s done the same thing years earlier. Tough.
Just for fun, I decided to try and see if I could find original prices for the Samsung and Fuji. I didn’t manage to find one for the Fuji (please let me know if you do), but did manage to find a mention of the Samsung. The Samsung Slim Zoom 1150 used to retail for USD$599 (according to the June 1994 issue of Popular Photography1).
It’s quite remarkable how these cameras have depreciated over the years. A Samsung Slim Zoom in Singapore has been sold for SGD65 (listing here). I got the Fuji Zoom Cardia Super 115 for JPY550 (SGD5-ish) in the junk section of a hardware thrift shop in Japan.
I guess I can’t complain about how point and shoots you can get off the shelf these days like the Kodak M35 feel plasticky and cheap, because they really are cheap (relative to the original cost of the cameras I’m comparing them to).
Will it shoot?
The next thing to figure out is – will the manual for the Samsung Slim Zoom 1150 also work for the Fuji Zoom Cardia Super 115?
Testing the multi-exposure mode
I don’t have a Samsung Slim Zoom 1150 to conduct a point-by-point comparison, but the Samsung manual seems to hold up in relation to the multi-exposure mode. I found multi-exposure to be the mode that’s easiest to test – I don’t know how to assess if Fuzzy or Portrait work the way they’re supposed to, and I’m too stingy to test Interval and Continuous shooting.
The manual at page 23 states that you’re not restricted to double exposure – you can do as many exposures as you like, as long as you set the mode to multi-exposure again after each shot. This is a feature I wouldn’t have ever deduced independently.
I set multi-exposure 3 times for a total of 4 exposures, but I don’t think the final one showed up properly. However, you can still discern at least 3 exposures – (1) a shot of the ceiling, (2) a bulletin board with a note pinned on it, and (3) a cupboard with a jug.
A good old double exposure, featuring Sroyon/@midtonegrey (you should read his articles on 35mmc and Casual Photophile)2
Other photos
Sometimes I wonder how much I should write with future people in mind – like stating more details about time and place in my photos, in case there’s some kid from the future who needs to do a history project about wayward, bumbling 20-somethings living in Singapore in the 2020s. But I digress.
These were taken sometime in July 2023 with Kodak ColorPlus 200. I take photos, but don’t really consider myself a photographer - Right now, my fascination lies with thrifting and testing these little machines as opposed to committing to the craft of composing and thinking about images. I feel bad since I feel like I’m being a bit mercenary and not treating these cameras as nicely as I should.
Popular Photography, June 1994 issue at page 57. Also today I learnt that I can center images in markdown by adding
#centerafter the path… ↩︎Posted with Sroyon’s consent, as all photos of people’s faces should be. I have a weird gripe about this because my university posted photos of me on the school’s website without asking. I used to think about doing street photography, but I’m too awkward to approach strangers in public. ↩︎