A fully manual 6x6 format camera, without light meter, using knob film advance with "red window".
- Taking lens: Ricoh 8cm (=80mm) f3.5 Anastigmat. The lens appears to be a 3 element lens
- Shutter: The Riken shutter has speeds of 1/25, 1/50 (highlighted in red), and 1/100 plus B. It is cocked and fired with the same lever or can be fired with a cable release.There is no double exposure prevention.The leaf shutter has two blades.
Aperture: goes from a marked f3.5 to f16, without click-stops. Beyond f16 the lever will continue to move to approximately f32 (though f22 and f32 aren't marked). The aperture is formed by 9 blades which gives nearly circular out-of-focus highlights.
DOF scale: is provided at top of viewing lens. Marks for f3.5, f4, f5.6, f8, f11 and f16.
Viewing lens: 8cm f3.5 and appears to be 3 element lens.
Finder: groundglass without fresnel so the corners are quite dim. There is a horizontal and vertical line about 1 cm from each edge of the groundglass. A flip-up magnifier (about 1" dia) is also provided for critical focusing. The Holiday also has the sport finder. The camera can be held at eyelevel and you look through a square hole in the back of the viewfinder shade. The front of the shade (the top of the camera when closed) has thin lines cut in it which mark the edges of what the camera will photograph. If you view with both eyes open you will see the frame superimposed on the scene.
Meter: none.
Focusing: the taking and viewing lenses are geared together. Rotating one to focus will turn the other. Focus distance is marked on the viewing lens (in feet).
Film advance is done with a knob. There is no automatic stop. A red window is used to stop on the numbers printed on the paper backing of 120 film. There is no mechanism to prevent advancing without taking a photo (blank frames).
Film changing is done by opening the back and removing an insert that holds both spools.The old spool is moved to the takeup position,the film put in the supply position and the film leader is started on the takeup spool. The insert is put back in the camera and the door closed. The red window is used to judge when the film has been advanced to frame one.
Flash: My camera has a hotshoe on the side oposite the film wind knob, and is fire at all of the marked shutter speeds. There is no other PC connector on the camera body.
Ricohflex Holiday info courtesy of Steve Persall.
Photo courtesy of and copyright Steve Persall.
