Cortina 500

The Cortina 500 is a camera from Cortina. It is a viewfinder camera. The camera was built by the company Haking in Hong Kong. It was also sold under the name “Halina 500“.

The camera comes with a fixed lens. The lens is called “Anastigmat 1:2.8 F=40mm”. The focal length is 40mm. The largest aperture is f/2.8. You have to focus the lens manually. The distance settings are shown with pictograms.

The 35mm camera has a built-in light meter. It is designed for an ISO range from 25 to 400. The correct exposure is set automatically by the camera.

An external flash can be used on the PC flash port or Hot Shoe for pictures. The Cortina 500 is equipped with a thread for a tripod. There is also a connection for a cable release.

Power is supplied by a PX625 mercury cell. The production of this type of batteries was stopped in the EU. A possible replacement type can be a V625U cell (eBay / Amazon*). An even better alternative is probably the WeinCell replacement battery for PX625 (eBay / Amazon*), but it has a shorter lifetime.

Films for the Cortina 500

The Cortina 500 was built for the 35mm format. This type of film is still being produced and can be processed by most photo laboratories without any problems. Possible films for the Cortina 500 are the Fujifilm Superia 400* for color pictures and the Ilford XP2 Super* for black and white photos.

The color film is processed in the C-41 process. This development process is available at almost every photo lab.

The negatives of Cortina 500 have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. The film in the camera must be winded manually by the photographer.