You don’t need deep pockets to enjoy the Balda CE35.

The Balda CE 35 is a 38mm F2.8 pocket camera with full auto exposure, great metering, and zone focus marks visible in the large bright viewfinder. The accompanied flash meters too and has both ISO settings and two options for subject distance. 

I discovered the Balda CE 35 while searching for a replacement for the hard-to-find/often lost strap for my Voigtlander Vito C (the pocket camera from the 1980s – not the 1960s version). I really like pocketable full-frame cameras like the Minox 35 and Contax T. What I dislike about the Minox 35 series is the viewfinder is not that big or bright – and if you didn’t pay attention to what the focus is set to – you’ll miss the shot. But, it is one of the best pocket (or otherwise) cameras I’ve owned. After gifting it to a friend, I needed a replacement. I ended up with a beautiful (but beat up) Contax T – and while it has everything – even a rangefinder, it’s not that small – more like something you can fit in a jacket pocket. Also, it has a fragile plastic frame inside the titanium body which – if broken like on mine, can cause problems later. It’s also insanely expensive with older electronics. 

So a local shop has this Vito C with flash – but no strap. I buy it and immediately love the bright viewfinder and excellent German design. It even has the same arrow to indicate if you need to cock the shutter/wind the film as the Voigtlander Bessa 6×9! But, without a strap and a smooth body (I live in SE Asia where it’s very humid and plastic things are slippery), I always felt a bit nervous that I might drop it. So began the online quest for the strap (which ingeniously can be added/removed by pressing a pen tip or needle into a small hole on the front). Eventually, I found the Balda version of the Vito C, and solved 2 problems at once.  The Balda version had 2 great features and included the strap. It has a textured – more grippy body, sort of a faux leather textured embedded in the plastic body, and backlit exposure compensation! The one I found on an auction site also included the rare strap! But would it work? Would the lens be as good as the Vito C, Minox, or even the Contax T? Well, yes, yes, and no. The Contax T has one of my favorite lenses on any camera ever – and I regret selling mine. I digress. 

So the Balda arrives and it’s mint. Yay for me. I paid less for it than the Minox 35 GT, and about the same as the Vito C which I eventually sold. And about ⅓ of what I paid for the Contax T!

Would an automatic-only exposure camera hit the spot? Yeah. It’s different as one needs to plan for the occasion with lower ISO film if you want the lens to open up a bit (100 or 200) but I mostly shoot quick street snapshots and so framing the composition and getting those candid moments are most important to me. And as a zone-focus camera with an f2.8 lens, I would rather the camera shoot in the range of f5.6-f11 and shutter speeds of 125-500. Ok, so here’s a fun fact – the camera has a crazy range of ISO settings including 800 and 1000! I do like Cenestill 800…

Occasionally I will try a shot in lower light with the 400-speed film set at a distance of a minimum of 3 feet/.9 meters.  It works as well as expected and has an ok bokeh. But that’s not really what I would recommend this for – it’s not a portrait camera. It is a fast-to-use, lightweight, durable plastic camera that feels sturdier than the Minox – and is thankfully single-stroke with an easy-to-load back door – thus beating the Minox and Contax T for ease of film loading. 

Another great feature is the winding lever can be left about 15 degrees from the body, ready to be pulled to grab the next snapshot. The flash attachment is very easy to use and has a fantastic orange light in a frosted window to indicate that the flash is ready to blast away. While I rarely use it, it’s good to have for indoor/nighttime occasions. I love just carrying it in my inside pocket and taking snapshots of random street scenes. The standard lens is just slightly wide at 38mm and seems to have great resolution. You be the judge. 

Here are some sample photos:

Let me know your thoughts about the Balda CE 35. The camera has many versions under Voigtlander, Balda, Revue, etc. If you decide to grab one I would highly recommend looking for the CS35 which includes a self-timer. 

Cheers and thanks for reading.