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Sticking with 126 film cameras, this post will be looking at another simple yet effective camera. This is Haking’s Halina X101 Fighter 126 film camera.
I did go through the Haking company’s history in the Halina Roy post. So with that, I will jump straight into the camera.
Now
similar to the last post, the Instamatic
33, there isn’t much information on this camera. Could be that the Halina
X101 is rare. According to outta_date (2020), this camera is “Mostly a shelf
piece due to scarcity.” But at the same time the Haking company has (and still
does) made many cameras, so it is possible that this one, like the Instamatics,
got lost in the sea of other cameras released at the same time.
The
lack of info could also be due to the fact that Haking was trying to be a
cheaper alternative to Kodak and thus made their own 126 film cameras. To avoid
drawing attention of Kodak, they made a limited set or just advertised it as
little as possible.
The
name is also interesting. Because the X suggests that like the Instamatic
cameras, there should be two other cameras before this one. But so far I can’t
find any proof of this. Which makes me think that this X101 is the only
variation. There is no 101 or 01. The only thing I can think of for the name
being X101 is due to another 126-film camera, the Halina X100. The X is a
universal indication that the camera uses Magicubes.
 |
| Halina 100X camera advertisement. Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRDqgxT9FnbeiqlNwLIaq-e1NXFBy9bFwL0GWh4x7Tug_zunHbk |
The
only other Halina camera I can find with 101 in its name is the Minimatic 101,
a 110-film camera.
 |
| Halina Minimatic 101. Image Source: https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/BVEAAOSw25pmoq~b/$_57.JPG?set_id=880000500F |
Another
reason for the lack of information and rarity of the camera is the time it came
out. Outta_date (2020) writes that it could be between 1930-1950, but this is
immediately debunked because we know from the Instamatic
104 post, 126 film was released in 1963 and from the Instamatic
Pocket 10 Magicubes came out in 1970. So, we will go with Cano Ameralo’s
estimate, which is somewhere in the early to mid-1970s. But it could be
possible that it was made in the 1980s.
This
was around the time when Kodak was making their last camera’s in the Instamatic
range. As mentioned in the Instamatic
50 and X-15F, the last few cameras were the cameras based off of the design
of the Instamatic x-15 (1970-1976). All these cameras had a X in their name,
just like the Halina cameras. We can also see in the Halina X101’s design is
that it mimics the X-15F’s look.
So,
it is possible that Halina released this camera a bit late. Because as we
learned from the Kodak Disk
8000 post, that in the 1980s (when the Instamatic cameras stopped), that
they stepped away from film cameras to focus on disk film cameras. And it seems
that Halina, had no choice and joined them because the Halina 102 (or Halina
Zippy-F Disk 102) camera was a disk camera, meaning that it is possible that
they abandoned the 126 film cameras, when Kodak did. Leading to a limited number
of units for this camera.
 |
| Halina Zippy F Disc 102. Image Source: https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2110/2247184346_96f3940d25.jpg |
Or
it could be that this camera didn’t sell well or most people just threw theirs
away, leading to it being quite rare and unknown. Or as mentioned earlier it
could just be a part of a wave of cameras and the X101 went unnoticed amongst
the other mass produced 126 film cameras. Similar to the New Taiwan
Photographic Corp. cameras (see the Sounex
Y9000 and Solar
DX-3 posts). But there is also the possibility that all records of this
camera was lost due to “…wars, civil unrest, and strict government control has
led to a lack of, or unwillingness to share information…” (Eckman 2023), as
mentioned in the Halina
Roy post.
Other
than that there isn’t much else about this camera. Other information I could
find is that Halina has made several other 126 film cameras such as the Halina
Simplette series (Camera-wiki), the Halina Dux and the Halina Stylematic
(Cameras Downunder 2008).
 |
| Halina Simplette Electric. Image Source: https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5997165507_e4f1c88c85_m.jpg |
 |
| Halina Dux. Image Source: https://camerasdownunder.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_hp3180.jpg |
 |
| Halina Stylematic. Image Source: https://camerasdownunder.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_hp3638.jpg |
This specific camera came with the original manual.
Let
us examine it more closely. Starting with the front-
The
lens-
Is
fixed and appears to be a meniscus lens. The f/stop is also fixed and since it
takes 126 film and is made to emulate the Kodak Instamatic cameras, we can
assume it also has an f/stop of 11 with a focal length of 43mm.
Then
on the far-right top corner-
Is
the viewfinder.
Then
on the other side it where the sticker with “X101” would appear.
 |
| Halina X101 name. Image Source: https://canoamarelo.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/9cad9510968e089c8906a4713618ae97/_/m/_mg_9420.jpg |
And
on some X101 models the Haking/Halina symbol would appear, but this wasn’t on
all the cameras because according to the manual all cameras’: “... appearances
subject to minor changes…” which could be due to location/manufacturer/ This
would appear on the bottom right corner.
.jpg) |
| Halina X101 with Halina/Haking symbol. Image Source: https://canoamarelo.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/9cad9510968e089c8906a4713618ae97/_/m/_mg_9420.jpg |
On
top-
Is
the shutter button. It has a leaf shutter or focal-plane shutter, just like the
Instamatic 104,
50
and X-15f. We can also assume that the shutter speed could be the same as
the Instamatic X-15F of 1/90 sec and possibly if a Magicube is mounted, it
could switch to 1/40 sec, but the shutter is directly connected to the flash
mount, so I have some doubt about this.
Speaking
of the Magicube, the flash mount for it is next to the shutter release. Because
it uses a Magicube the camera doesn’t need batteries and turns automatically
after every shot. Which is why I think that the shutter speed could just be
1/90 sec. Please see the Instamatic
Pocket 10 for more information on the Magicube.
 |
| Halina X101 with Magicube/X cube indicator. Image Source: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ahwAAOSwBX9mr3Ah/s-l1200.png |
Right
side-
Is
where the strap goes.
Left
side-
Just
like the Instamatic X-15F and 33, the film compartment release button is on the
bottom corner.
Underneath-
But
it should be fairer to say that the film compartment release button is on the
bottom of the camera.
Then
on the back-
Is
the film compartment cover, which is unlocked by pressing in the release
button.
On
this cover is the film counter window and what the best focus range for colour
film (4-10 feet) and Black and white film (4-12 feet) when using a Magicube is.
Then
above the cover is the viewfinder.
And
on the other side of that is the film advance wheel, like the Instamatic 33. As
mentioned, when talking about the other Instamatics, the film advance mechanism
and cocking mechanism are either connected and cocks the shutter when advancing
or not connected and is cocked by the film’s sprocket that pulls on the lever
and cocks it.
What
is interesting about the Halina X101, is that it is a combination of both. By
this I mean that when advancing the film, the wheel readies the cocking lever
and hooks it into a sprocket. The film then finishes the cocking cycle by
moving the lever with it as it fully advance to the next frame and cocks it.
Then
the film compartment-
Nothing
different here than any other Instamatic. According to Cano Amarelo, it is a
4x4 format camera. And as we know it takes 126 film (see the Instamatic
104 post for more information).
There
it is. Not much on the camera except speculation and theories, but it is still
a cool camera. It is reminiscent of the Instamatic X-15F, which I like. The
colour is also attractive and has a similar colour to the Pucky
1.
But
what makes this camera special is that it came with a bag (that is not made by
Halina) that has a name in it. Which just adds value to it, like the X-15F and
the 104. So, even though there is very little history of the camera’s creation,
its use gives it more history than one can imagine. The stories this camera can
tell if only it could talk…
Now
out of the 126 film cameras, I would list the Halina X101, fourth, with the
Instamatic 104 and 50 taking the first two places and the X-15F third and the
33 in fifth place.
What
do you think? Do you know anything interesting about the Halina X101? Do you
agree with the ranking? Leave a comment.
And
as always thank you for making it to the end and I hope you enjoyed this as
much as I did researching it.
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List of sources:
Cameras Downunder.
2008. 126 Film Cameras. http://camerasdownunder.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=36&page=3
Camera-Wiki. Halina
Disc 102. https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Halina_Disc_102
Cano amrelo. Halina
X101 Fighter Camera (1970). https://canoamarelo.com/maquina-fotografica-halina-x101-fighter-1970.html
Eckman, M. 2023.
Haking Halina 35X Super (1963). https://mikeeckman.com/2023/04/haking-halina-35x-super-1963/
Outta-date. 2020. HALINA X101. https://www.depop.com/products/outta_date-introducing-this-little-halina-x101/
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