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Carena BF-35 AF
France Version française
Photos by - text by Sylvain Halgand. From the collection of -. Last update 2024-03-04 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in from 1997 to 1998.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 5431

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Carena 

The Carena brand is registered in the early 1950s by Coop, a Swiss distribution group resulting from the merger of several companies.
It concerns photographic equipment. It is renewed several times by Coop, then by Interdiscount, a subsidiary of Coop specializing in the sale of electronic and photographic equipment.

Interdiscount
was created in 1970 and relies on a dense network of branches. In 1973, there were 42 branches throughout Switzerland. Abroad, Interdiscount relies on existing networks. In Germany, in the early 1980s, Interdiscount acquired shares in the struggling company Photo Porst.

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Like all manufacturers, from the smallest to the largest, Carena succumbed to the trend of Big Finder (BF), highlighting how such a viewfinder is suitable for glasses wearers, children, and seniors. However, the trend will only last a few years. This viewfinder often became the only point of interest for otherwise quite anemic devices.

It appears in the Vivitar catalog under the name Vivitar BV100.

Carena BF-35 AF



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At a certain point in the 1990s, camera manufacturers began equipping their cameras with huge viewfinders. Was it to facilitate use for eyeglass wearers or to promise bright photos? I have my own little idea about this.
Canon was very diligent in producing cameras of this type, such as the Prima BF (Big Finder) series or Prima AF (?). Nikon almost escaped the contagion but was still affected with some models, like the EF400SV (SV Super Viewfinder). Fujifilm gave in with the Big Viewfinder Auto 35 and others. Pentax played it discreetly without giving a particular name. And Minolta? Unfortunately, they succumbed as well.
All of this results in cameras that resemble poorly assembled soufflés.

The award for ugliness goes to a series of cameras without a real brand, likely from a Chinese manufacturer using licensed recognized names. They all have the same body, a flash, often a motor, and a single shutter speed (1/125). The lens is a 35mm with three elements. They were present on the market roughly between 1995 and 2000.

    Motor Lens1 Flash Red Eye reduction

Vivitar EZ Big View   No 5.6/35 mm
FF
Manual  
Vivitar EZ Motor Big View Yes 5.6/35 mm
FF
Auto  
Vivitar Big View BV 35 AF Yes AF Auto Yes
Hanimex VC 3200 Big Viewfinder   No FF Manual  
Hanimex VC 3300 Big Viewfinder Yes FF Auto Yes
Hanimex VC 3500 Big Viewfinder Yes AF ?  
Hanimex FF 6200 Big Viewfinder   No FF ? ?
Hanimex FFM 6300 Yes FF Auto Yes
Hanimex AF 6500 Yes AF Auto  
Konica Pop Z-Motor AF Yes AF Auto  
Vivitar A35 Splash Proof Yes FF Auto Yes
1 FF= FixFocus AF = AutoFocus





Cameras from Ebay France (Carena) (Uploaded each 3 hours)