Ricoh FF-9SD Limited – Travails of a Transparent Camera in Central Asia

My grandfather had many cameras, he kept them in an old 1980s dry box, and it was only when he was spluttering with edema from his congestive heart failure did we even talk about cameras. But amongst the various clunky gear I sorted through a while later was a strange camera I found out was a Ricoh FF-9SD Limited, kept well and pristine, with a sort of meticulousness I’ve come to expect from him.

The Ricoh FF-9SD Limited was essentially a Ricoh FF-9S but with a transparent body of hardened plastic. Copper strips of wire crossed it like veins and gears could be seen turning when the lens cover slid over with a heavy click. It was a charming 90s camera which could foreseeably invite the question ‘does it have light leaks?’ from fellow film enthusiasts, and ‘what IS that?’ from street photography subjects you linger too long on, which is probably the best outcome my anxiety ridden mind could conjure.

Function is simple enough: slide open the lens cover, point and shoot. There’s a self-timer, an infrared autofocus, auto exposure and automatic film advance with the expected ‘burr burr’ sound. It takes a 6V CRP2 battery which can be commonly found in rare specialist battery stores.

Lens: 35mm f/3.5, 4 elements in 4 groups
Focus: Active Spot AF, 6 focusing steps, 0.8 m – inf.
Shutter: 1/4 – 1/400 sec
Film speed range: ISO 100 – 1600
Other features: Continuous Shooting mode, Interval mode, Multiple Exposure
Power Source: 6V lithium battery (CR-P2)
Dimensions: 121mm X 67mm X 44mm

In practice, I found the Ricoh FF-9SD Limited pleasant to use and intriguing to look at. Photos appear generally sharper than I thought it might and the autofocus is decent. I surprisingly did not find the electronic film advance jarring loud (stares at the Canon MC). Most of all I loved the small size and being quick to fire. You just slide it out, then slide the lens cover and you are off. It is a great for me, as I usually carry a mirrorless. Nitpicking, there is a flash which pivots up on the left of the camera. If it is too dark, you can hold it down to force the shutter without firing the flash. There is some vignetting of the lens, but I do enjoy that. Maybe I’m spoiled, but I’d like a f2.8 max aperture, though indoor shots with iso 400 were still alright.

Some Frames in Central Asia

I took this camera with me on a few holidays. I usually pack it in a jacket pocket or my sling bag as I get a little worried of scratches on the transparent body (it has picked up a few) and usually wrap it in some pouch when it is in my bag. Recently I loaded up on some ultramax 400 and went to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

In the distance of such vast countries, sights were many hours of car rides between each, but what gorgeous scenery there was.

Burana tower was a beautiful spot with petroglyphs peppered around the 11th century monument. It was a cloudy day, and… what’s that? Why is the rock in focus? Nope the camera didn’t misfocus, it was just my lousy skills. I focused on the rock in the foreground and recompose thinking that sky might be bright enough to get away with a small aperture, but alas no. Though this did teach me that you could half press the shutter to lock the focus.

I do love how the feathery grass blends together into a mash of painterly green though.

Here, the Ricoh FF-9SD Limited was speedily out of my jacket to capture this pleasant shed in the countryside. The mud stained gloves hung up after a presumably hard day of work, just casually stuffed into wooden boards, likely to be soon used again. The owner of the gloves was nowhere in sight, tea inside the house perhaps?

In good lighting, the Central Mosque of Bishkek demonstrates the decent sharpness of the lens well. Details of the minarets catch the morning light. It is a newer mosque, funded by Turkey, a reminder of how larger countries jostle for power in this region. The camera was possibly quiet enough to take photos within the mosque, but I did not dare.

It was sunset, with a very pleasant winding road in the foreground that drifted off into the distance with the meandering electrical poles. Unfortunately, I could not find a backlight compensation to help properly expose the foreground. And no, I doubt the flash would help here. But good heavens just look at that sky, the blush of rose bleeding into golden and then cool dark blues. I’ve attached a similar composition on a HDR digital photo and the sky is just not as atmospheric.

An empty traffic junction ringed by the Tian Shan mountains in the background might well capture the remoteness of the towns here. There is some vignetting here, but I find it charming, perhaps it even draws more attention to the presence of the mountains on the left of the frame.

By the town of Saty in Kazakhstan I caught these sheep grazing in the fenceless pastures. It was early in the morning, with the sun at a low angle, perfect for a photo. The latitude of the film captured the details in the shadows well and I think it made for a lovely image.

Final Thoughts

I’ve enjoyed the Ricoh FF-9SD Limited, it is unusual and functions well for a point and shoot. Its sentimental value grows on me each time I use it. Part of me wishes I could preserve its beautiful exterior, being a limited edition and seemingly preserved by my grandfather, but I can’t help but to shoot with it from time to time. I do stare at its copper wires and weird circuit boards and wonder how any of this works. It reminds me of the ‘Clear Crazy’ of the 90s, playful and charming. Not hidden behind a polished slab of aluminium, but exposed with all its bits on show. The same is true of its pictures, flawed but characterful. Not clinically sharp, but sharp enough; it has vignetting, but you could grow to love that: just don’t point it at a backlit subject and expect a miracle.

Oh, but perhaps it is a miracle. Yes, glad to report, the transparent camera does not have light leaks.

I very much appreciate your time reading this, I look forward to contributing more to the site and learning from the community. You can find me at my webpage.

Share this post: