The Meikai is a cute little camera. As toy cameras go, it was quite nice. It has a lot of metal and a relatively substantial feel to it. The flash sync actually works.
On the negative side, the viewfinder is tiny and difficult to use for framing. The counter is odd, skipping numbers and being nearly impossible to read. The cold shoe would not properly seat my flash. The shutter release sticks and requires excessive pressure to release. Once past the resistance it fires with a soft double click.
My first attempt this week involved an expired roll of Kodak Gold 400, respooled redscale. The results were disastrous. I’ve reloaded it with non-expired film and headed out again. I enjoyed shooting with it, although it wouldn’t be my choice for important photography. Did I mention the light leaks?
This was one of only 4 recognizable shots on a 24 exposure roll. I know the Meikai can do better.
Update: I shot a fresh roll of Portra and the results were much better. Due to a bit of silliness involving iPhoto and Time Machine they were slightly delayed but are up now.
Notes from Mosquito Hill 