For some reason, the Konica BM-201 stuck out from all the compacts I was scrolling through on eBay. There was something beautiful about the design. The simple uncluttered shape, the little square lens that pop out. The matte silver body. Stunning. So I bought one for £100 in summer 2024. I tested it out and everything worked except the flash. The trouble with these cameras seemed to be the shutter button, which eventually becomes harder and harder to press. 

I took the camera on holiday to France, to the southern town of Collioure. I live near to Birmingham airport, and RyanAir fly to Perpignan for a very cheap fair. Perpignan is around 10 miles from Collioure I believe. Not far. I took a few rolls of Pro Image 100 and Kodak Ektar. The results are so good. The lens on the BM 201 is a class act. It gives beautiful contrast and sharpness. I haven’t noticed much deterioration around the corners which can happen with compact lenses. Focus (although noisy) is very accurate. The family of cameras in the Konica Big Mini range have a big brother - the BM 301, which legend has it was used by the great Robert Frank. Good enough for him, good enough for me. The 301 has a faster lens but essentially, it’s got the same character. 

The camera eventually died. And so did the replacement I bought. Two dead ducks, dying for some repair but no one I asked could to do it. If you find a BM-201 which actually fires when you press the button, cherish it!

Incidentally, if you visit Perpignan in September you might encounter the fantastic Visa pour L’Image, a festival of photojournalism which spreads across the town, creating galleries in some notable historic buildings. https://www.visapourlimage.com/en

After booking a train to London for a paid job, and the job getting cancelled, I decided to not waste the journey and venture down with my Leica M4-P, loaded with Agfa APX 100. I shot the film with a 1 stop push, no filters. The push was done in Rodinal 1+100, stand developed for 100 mins. 

I like Agfa APX, it’s cheap, but the results please me. I’ve heard it’s the same formula as Kentmere 100, one of the cheapest films on the market. Tonality is great, sharpness is ok, and grain structure is fairly minimal, and not distracting.