Reto Ultra Wide and Slim Film Camera: A Pocket 22mm Point and Shoot

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There is a whole school of film photography built around cheap, wide, plastic cameras that you never have to think about. You point, you press, and you get wide, punchy pictures with a little vignetting and a lot of character. The Reto Ultra Wide and Slim brings that idea back as a new, reusable camera, and it is one of the easiest ways to start shooting film.

What is the Reto Ultra Wide and Slim

The Reto Ultra Wide and Slim is a reusable 35mm film camera with a fixed 22 millimeter lens, a fixed shutter speed and no focusing. Reto describes it as focus free and designed for daylight. It is very slim and very light, made of plastic and available in a range of soft colors including cream, charcoal, murky blue, muddy yellow, pastel pink, teal and olive.

There is no battery, no flash and no screen. You load a roll of ordinary 35mm film, wind on with a thumb wheel, frame through a simple optical viewfinder and press the shutter. That is all.

Why a 22mm lens matters

A 22 millimeter lens on 35mm film is genuinely wide. It takes in more of a scene than the human eye usually notices, so streets feel deep, rooms feel big and close up portraits gain a slightly exaggerated, playful perspective. Because the lens is so wide and the aperture is small, almost everything from about a meter to the horizon looks acceptably sharp, which is why focusing is not needed.

The lens is simple, so expect soft corners and some darkening toward the edges. Many people love that look. It gives pictures a dreamy, retro feel that is hard to fake with a phone.

The best film to use

With a fixed exposure designed for daylight, you want film with plenty of latitude. In bright sun, a color film rated at 200 on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) speed scale, such as Kodak Gold 200, works well. For cloudier days, choose ISO 400, such as Kodak Portra 400 or the black and white classic Kodak Tri-X 400. Color negative and black and white film handle overexposure far better than slide film, so stick with those. Indoors or at dusk, the camera will struggle, so save it for daytime.

Limits to know

• Daylight only. With no flash and a fixed exposure, low light pictures will be dark.
• No close focus. Very close subjects will be soft. Stay about a meter away or more.
• Plastic build. It is light and fun, not a precision instrument, so treat it gently.

If you want a flash and twice as many shots per roll, the Kodak Ektar H35 half frame camera is a good alternative. For a broader view of what is available, see our list of film cameras you can still buy new.

How to get good results

Shoot with the sun behind you or to the side, and fill the frame, because the wide lens makes distant subjects tiny. Get close to people, around a meter or a little more, and let the background stretch out behind them. Hold the camera level to avoid tilted horizons, which the wide lens exaggerates. When the roll is finished, any lab that develops 35mm film can process it.

Why it is cool

The Ultra Wide and Slim is a camera you actually carry. It weighs next to nothing, slides into a back pocket and does not need charging, so it comes along to the beach, festivals and road trips where you would never risk an expensive camera. Every roll becomes a small surprise when it comes back from the lab, and the wide, slightly imperfect look makes ordinary days feel like memories. It is also a lovely gift for anyone curious about film who does not want to learn exposure settings first.

Who makes it

Reto is a Hong Kong based company that designs affordable, reusable film cameras for a new generation of analog photographers. Its range includes half frame and three lens 3D models, and it also makes the Kodak Ektar line of cameras under license. The Ultra Wide and Slim sums up its approach: simple, colorful and made to get people shooting film again.

See more cameras and film in our Leica and film photography hub.