Nons SL660 review: the magical film camera I fell in love with - Digital Trends

1 year ago 33

The Nons SL660 connected a stone by the water.

“The Nons SL660 delivers a rewarding analog photography acquisition and beauteous images with retro charm.”

Pros

Interchangeable lenses
Great physique quality
Accessible mode to get into movie photography
Fun to use
Delivers unsocial and beauteous images

Cons

Film is expensive
Getting close absorption and vulnerability is tricky

The merchandise of a palmy Kickstarter campaign, the Nons SL660 is present a reality. This unsocial camera offers the amusive of an instax camera combined with the premium physique prime and the flexibility of an interchangeable lens system.

As idiosyncratic who grew up arsenic a integer photographer, I’ve ever envied the physicality of film, and person regretted that truthful galore of my images are trapped connected hard drives and representation cards. Printing astatine location is simply a headache, and ordering prints is expensive. However, if you’re shooting rolls of film, past you’ve either got to make it yourself oregon nonstop it disconnected to beryllium printed. That’s wherever instant movie comes in, and it offers an alternate that combines the immediacy of integer with the carnal quality of film, portion sidestepping the difficulties associated with really getting your enactment printed.

Nons SL660 plan and operation

Instant Film Photography Adventure with the Nons SL660

The SL660 is simply a chunky beast of a camera, but portion it whitethorn beryllium the size of a DSLR, it’s obscurity adjacent arsenic dense to lug around. That’s due to the fact that a movie camera doesn’t request the heaps of electronics that are crammed wrong your mean integer camera, nor does it necessitate a large large lithium-ion artillery (though it does person a tiny 1 built-in). That’s not to accidental that it’s cheaply made, and successful fact, it’s 1 of the much solidly built cameras I’ve used. The metallic lodging is reassuringly rugged, which is simply a invited alteration from the integrative exteriors of galore modern cameras.

The controls whitethorn look a spot alien to those much utilized to integer cameras, but it’s truly rather straightforward. The backmost hatch opens up for movie cartridges to beryllium inserted, portion connected the near broadside of the lens is the lever that engages the reflector and arms the camera to instrumentality a photo. You’ll privation to hold to property this until you person identified the country you’re going to sprout — otherwise, you whitethorn accidentally trigger the shutter. The shutter fastener is located to the close of the lens and operates arsenic immoderate camera’s shutter fastener would.

On apical of the camera are a acold footwear equine for assorted accessories, the dial with which you prime the shutter speed, and a tiny LCD screen. This surface displays the fig of remaining shots successful the movie cartridge, the remaining artillery capacity, and your airy meter. The airy metre reads the airy levels successful the absorption you are aiming the camera and tells you what F-stop to acceptable your lens to for the close exposure. This camera is champion utilized with afloat manual lenses with mechanical apertures operated via a dial connected the lens itself.

However, it tin besides beryllium utilized with physics aperture lenses by mounting the aperture with the lens mounted connected a integer camera earlier detaching and mounting the lens connected the SL660. The physics lens volition clasp the preset aperture aft it is acceptable utilizing the integer camera. While this is an effectual workaround, it’s surely thing of a hassle.

The movie compartment of the Nons SL660.

On the backmost of the SL660 are the USB-C charging port, powerfulness switch, and movie eject button. Once you person snapped your shot, simply clasp down the movie eject fastener and the SL660 volition spit your photograph retired the side, wherever it volition instrumentality a fewer minutes to develop. Due to the exposed USB-C port, and the assorted different unsealed openings successful the camera, I would not usage this camera successful adjacent precise airy precipitation.

I tested the SL660 with the Nons 35mm f/2.4 lens. A 50mm f/1.8 lens is besides available, arsenic are adapters for assorted lens mounts, including Nikon F, Pentax K, M42, and Contax-Yashica.

Nons SL660 representation prime and performance

Grading the SL660 connected representation prime based connected the emblematic metrics of sharpness and different factors that specify the imaging perfection sought by modern integer cameras would beryllium neither just nor productive. For 1 thing, the imaging show of the SL660 is dictated by the Fujifilm Instax Square movie it requires. This movie isn’t precocious resolution, has precise mediocre dynamic range, and a alternatively precocious ISO of 800. Compounding this, the camera uses an integrated optic to boost 35mm format lenses to the larger quadrate format film. The shutter velocity besides maxes retired astatine 1/250, which is truly precise slow.

The upshot is that the SL660 is champion utilized successful low-contrast situations, and if you privation to usage wide-open aperture settings for glorious swirly bokeh, you’ll either request to sprout successful dim lighting oregon usage neutral density filters to darken the scene. Also, due to the fact that of the quality of the movie and the integrated lens strategy of the camera, don’t expect razor-sharp images retired of the SL660.

Once you and the camera are successful sync, its evident challenges metamorphose into the ingredients of creator style.

All this needs to beryllium said and understood astatine the outset due to the fact that the SL660 is simply a camera that requires you to turn intimately acquainted with its quirks and foibles. Once you and the camera are successful sync, its evident challenges metamorphose into the ingredients of creator style.

Photos captured with the SL660 thin to person a dreamy, aged prime that to maine evokes a unusual consciousness of nostalgia. There’s besides thing truly magical astir seeing an representation look connected insubstantial successful the infinitesimal aft you’ve captured it. I besides find that capturing a integer photograph of the Instax people with the determination of the changeable successful the out-of-focus inheritance makes for a precise compelling taxable for sharing connected societal media.

Nons SL660 performance

The Nons SL660 shutter dial and LCD panel.

Mechanically, I ne'er had immoderate crushed to kick astir the SL660. Its assorted controls are precise tactile and casual to operate, and I find the sounds caused by the process of shooting photos to beryllium highly satisfying. A insignificant contented for maine is that the built-in airy metre seems a small unreliable, though that’s astir apt owed to my inexperience with airy meters. I find the champion strategy is to purpose the camera astatine assorted points passim the country I mean to shoot, which helps maine find which settings volition present the optimum results. I besides had occupation achieving close absorption owed to the somewhat tiny size of the viewfinder.

In respect to artillery life, I received the camera partially charged, and didn’t fuss to complaint it earlier shooting. As of this writing, I person changeable astir 30 images, and person mistakenly near the camera turned connected respective times. Thankfully, it shuts disconnected automatically aft 10 minutes, and the artillery has not noticeably depleted. Depending connected however overmuch you shoot, your acquisition whitethorn vary, but based connected however I’ve been utilizing the camera, I would beryllium amazed if I needed to complaint it erstwhile each 3 months.

Nons SL660 terms and availability

Starting astatine $600, the SL660 isn’t cheap. If you privation a lens, the 50mm f/1.8 costs $50, portion the 35mm f/2.4 volition acceptable you backmost $110. For a akin price, you could prime up an extremely susceptible modern integer camera and seizure much elaborate images. Alternatively, you could get a Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo camera for conscionable $200, which tin seizure integer photos and enactment arsenic a wireless Instax printer successful summation to capturing Instax movie images. However, the SL660 provides an acquisition that integer can’t replicate, and it’s a overmuch higher-quality enactment with greater versatility than inexpensive Instax cameras.

Alternatively, Instax backs are disposable for adapting nonrecreational mean format cameras to sprout with instant film. This volition present higher-quality images and a amended shooting acquisition than the SL660, but determination you’re looking astatine spending hundreds of dollars for the back, body, and lens, perchance landing you good implicit $1,000. The biggest downside of the SL660 is that the Instax Square movie it requires costs $20 for a battalion of 2 cartridges with 10 shots each. That means each clip you click the shutter, you’re spending $1, and that’s peculiarly achy erstwhile you’re learning to usage the camera and are making a batch of mistakes.

The Nons SL660 offers a high-end instant movie experience

The Nons SL660 successful furniture of colorful autumn leaves.

Testing the Nons SL660 has been an unthinkable experience. It has opened my eyes to the joys of shooting with film, and to having carnal copies of the images I capture. When I instrumentality a photograph with 1 of my integer cameras, determination is small inducement to deliberation earlier I shoot, and aft I download the images to my computer, I whitethorn ne'er look astatine them again. The SL660 slows maine down and forces maine to constitute each changeable meticulously. With the last images printed out, I find myself often flipping backmost done them and enjoying them immensely.

This is simply a camera for creating creation and capturing lasting memories extracurricular of the situation of a machine hard drive. Even for a lensman specified arsenic I am, usually shooting with the Nikon Z9 and different cutting-edge camera gear, the SL660 deserves a peculiar spot successful my kit for moments I truly privation to savor. It’s not cleanable by immoderate means, but those flaws number much arsenic quality than cons. The lone truly unfortunate facet of this camera is that the movie it requires is truthful expensive, but that’s beyond the power of Nons.

If you emotion photography and are looking for an breathtaking caller acquisition to animate you and assistance you hone your skills, past the Nons SL660 is what you’re looking for.