Pearl River (Zhujiang) S-201 Camera

I am supposed to be going out on Sundays to buy shit I need for my house, like a laundry basket, cheese grater, lamps, etc… That’s just to name a few of the necessities I am lacking at the moment. I had my eye on this really comfortable chair I wanted to put right by the bay window, so I went out to the market to close the deal. But last week in a shop really close to the one with the chair, I saw an antique camera that I really liked. Now the logical thing to do would be to buy the chair first and the camera when I have sorted out the things I need at home. But logic was never a strong suite of mine, so I present to you the Pearl River S-201. It came in this wikid authentic case.

According to this source, the Pearl River S-201 was manufactured around 1973 by a factory in Southern China involved in the defense industry. From the second I laid my eyes on this puppy I wanted it. I am not a photographer nor do I know how to use traditional manual cameras, but it is something I would like to learn more about and what better equipment to start off with than this. It came with a 58mm lens and a bunch of other dials and knobs that I am still trying to figure out. I love the cold steel finish of this piece and it weighs a few kilos at least.

I have already loaded this bad boy with a roll of black and white film and spent most of yesterday clicking away at anything that looked even remotely interesting. I think I might have fucked up while winding the film back though. Some of the mechanisms on this piece might be a bit rusty so I need to send this thing for a good cleaning soon.

I hope I can find a good shop here that can develop real film well. Also they are going to have some sort of dark room to get at the film I got in there now. I can’t wait to see what the pictures from this camera come out like. When I bought it I thought it might just be some knock off that is made to look like the real deal with scuffs as cracks. But upon closer investigation and research this piece does look authentic. And can you believe I got it for less than $100!