STANDARD HALF FRAME CAMERAS
This is basically the same as the Ricoh Auto Half E. The features that made it popular were its small size, automatic exposure and built-in spring-motor drive. It had a trusty four element, three group 25mm (f2.8) fixed-focus lens that would appear on Ricoh (and other) half-frames for years to come. The shutter had two speeds of 1/30 (for flash) and 1/125. The selenium meter around the lens controlled the exposure at 1/125. The spring drive could advance 25 - 30 exposures before winding was needed (It did not offer motorized rewind, like the Canon Dial cameras) Tripod socket and PC contact on the side. A cold flash shoe was available as an accessory and screwed into the tripod socket. Ricoh also made several flash units that screwed into the tripod socket and made contact with the PC contact (which is next to the tripod socket) -- a nice setup that they used on several of their cameras, not just half-frames. Strange, rectangular filters that snapped on over the lens, meter and viewfinder were available as accessories. The main difference is that the camera has leatherette and the nameplates are turned 90 degrees.
This is basically the same as the Ricoh Auto Half SL, which is a deluxe version of the Ricoh Auto Half. It used the same body as the earlier models, but added some nice featurs. It had a focusing, 35mm (f1.7) lens (7 elements in 4 groups) with speeds of 1/30 - 1/250. Close focusing to 0.8 meters. The lens has a focusing scale on the lens marked with distance and idiot symbols. 30.5mm filter thread. Ricoh made UV, Y2 (yellow), Skylight (1A), and an ND4 filters. A CDS meter replaced the selenium meter of the other models. Exposure was similar to the other models, and designed to be automatic. The ISO film speed was dialed in (25 - 400), and the CDS meter set both the shutter speed AND the aperture. Since the camera now needed a battery, the camera had an OFF switch. The viewfinder had a special mark to aid in correct exposure settings, just like the SE. It is a dot right in the middle of the viewfinder which is normally yellowish -- meaning "adaquate light". If it appears reddish, it means inadequate light -- use flash. Crude, but effective. For flash use, the f-stop could be set with a scale on the top of the camera, like the previous models. This sets the shutter speed to 1/30. It still had the spring drive which was good for 25 - 30 exposures. Built-in self-timer, PC contact, tripod socket, cable release socket, and shutter release lock. The main difference is that the camera has leatherette and the nameplates are turned 90 degrees.
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