Hanimex Panorama 35

The Hanimex Panorama 35 is a simple camera for the 35mm format. It has a plastic body and was made in China. Similar models were offered under different designations and brands. A functionally identical model is the Hanimex Snapshot Panorama 35, which only differs in the imprints on the housing.

Haking from Hong Kong is often named as the producer. Nevertheless, another company with production facilities in the People’s Republic of China could also have taken over production. A potential manufacturer would be the New Taiwan Photographic Corp (Ouyama), which operated a factory in Shenzhen and also produced cameras.

Features of the camera

The features of this 35mm camera are manageable, as it only has basic functions. It is equipped with a fixed focal length of probably 28 mm. Both the aperture and the shutter speed are fixed.

It lacks an exposure meter. An autofocus is also not integrated. The focus is fixed from 1 metre to infinity. For sharp pictures, a minimum distance of 1 metre to the subject should be maintained.

No batteries are required to operate the camera. All mechanisms work manually. Extras such as a flash, a tripod connection or a self-timer are missing. However, there is a holder for a hand strap.

The panorama feature

In the advertising for the camera, the panorama feature was the main focus. However, it is not a true panoramic camera.

An ordinary 35 mm camera exposes a format of 24 mm x 36 mm. The Hanimex Panorama 35, however, exposes 13 mm x 36 mm. This format creates the appearance of a panorama, especially when printed at this ratio.

This format is created by a mask in the camera that hides an area of the image. In principle, the plastic mask can be removed so that 24 mm x 36 mm is exposed again. However, the simple viewfinder still shows the panorama format.

Many compact cameras of this era had such a panorama setting. Some could be switched between normal and panorama shots.

For panorama shots, you could also crop the photo afterwards using software.

Films for the Hanimex Panorama 35

Of course, the camera can still be used. 35mm film is used in the Hanimex Panorama 35. There is still a production of 35mm film that can easily be developed at most photo service providers.

Potential films for the Hanimex Panorama 35 are the Kodak Gold 200* for colour shots and the Ilford HP5* for black and white shots. There are of course many other compatible films for this model. Both films offer reliable results and contain 36 shots. Other films are available from Fujifilm, Adox, Rollei, Foma and Lomography, among others.