The Konica Mermaid is an underwater camera. The 35mm camera was produced by Konica and is a variant of the Japanese compact camera “Konica Big Mini”. The camera can be used up to a water depth of five meters.
The lens of the Konica Mermaid cannot be changed. 35 mm is the focal length of the lens. The largest aperture of the camera is f/3.5. The lens is focused via autofocus.
The Konica Mermaid has a built-in light meter. The exposure settings are set automatically by the camera. The underwater camera has a built-in flash.
Films for the Konica Mermaid
The Konica Mermaid is loaded with 35mm film. 35mm films are still manufactured today. They can be developed in most laboratories.
Possible films for this model are the Kodak Ultramax 400* and the Kodak T-Max 100*. The color film is designed to be developed in the C-41 process. C-41 film can be developed by most photo labs.
Black and white film goes into a suitable black and white developer. Some labs offer development of B&W film. More control and also cheaper, in the long run, is developing at home. The photochemistry can be conveniently ordered online. Depending on the film, other black and white chemistry is better suited to bring out the best results.
The Konica Mermaid negatives have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. At this size, 36 images fit on a 36 frame film. The film is transported automatically, so it is possible to take photos quickly one after the other under the water surface.
The power supply of the 35 mm camera is a CR123A battery (eBay / Amazon*). The camera is no longer in production. The used price of a copy depends on the condition.
Technical datasheet
Attribute | Specification |
---|---|
Type of Camera | Underwater camera |
Film format | 35mm |
Film transport | Automatic |
Film transport mechanism | Motor |
Picture format | 24 mm x 36 mm |
Focal length | 35 mm |
Biggest aperture | f/3.5 |
Focus | Autofocus |
Light meter | Yes |
Exposure modes | Program automatic |
Manual exposure settings | No |
Date imprinting | Yes |
Flash | Integrated flash |
Tripod mount | Yes |
Cable release thread | No |
Self-timer | No |
Power supply | 1x CR123A battery |
Estimated value / Used price | 129,55 Euro 211,54190,00126,451005,93110,8721279,231509,69139,04 Estimate based on used prices of 4 offers (possibly with different scope of delivery and/or condition). As of 6.5.2024 |
Average used price in the year 2023 | 128,33 Euro (138.55 US-Dollar) |