Bill Watts
Well-Known Member
I have a predilection for the unusual with my photography gear and seeing a photo of this particular 110 camera on 35mmc and noting that it was, at the time, available with accessories that could arguably make it a system camera, I delved a little deeper.
Very little detail is available online regarding this camera, The majority of my information comes from Sylvain Halgand’s excellent website, Collections Appereil (in French) and investigating the unit I purchased. It was marketed from around 1975-6 to 1980ish.
The cameras were made in Japan for Hanimex and possibly other brands.
The camera takes the usual brick like form, nicely finished with a leatherette like look and chrome highlights making it a bit more up market than the usual plastic 110 cameras. It has an f5.6 three element lens and shutter speeds ranging from 10s to 1/400s under fully automatic control of a CDs cell exposure system. It takes 3 x SR / LR44 batteries to operate but if no batteries are inserted the shutter operates at what appears to be a default setting of 1/125s. A hotshoe is provided on the end of the camera and two dedicated electronic flash units were made for the camera, each fitted with a protrusion which sets the shutter speed to 1/125s when the flash is mounted.
No film speed detection is fitted to the camera. As such it is only suitable for use with 64 to 200 ISO film.
The viewfinder has a set of parallax lines and an indicator showing the setting of the detented zone focus lens (Portrait, groups and landscape) Distances are marked on a scale visible on the top of the lens.
Manual winding of the film is carried out with a thumb wheel placed on the front right hand side, which advances the film only. A pin engages with the film perforation and is dragged to the left as the film is wound on until it stops, locating the film for the next exposure and cocking the shutter.
The accessories include:-
1.5x mutar, complete with matching viewfinder
0.7x mutar complete with matching viewfinder
50cm close up lens with parallax correction and measuring chain
10cm close up lens with copy stand
Motor winder
These items were available separately or as a complete boxed set.
The mutars have attached viewfinders which provide compensated views appropriate to the mutar in use.
Two electronic flash units were available, the XP22 having a guide No. of 22 in metres and manual operation and the XP26 having a built in computer to auto expose the images and a guide No. of 26.
I have never seen one of these before, and they do not appear on eBay all that often. There is a considerable similarity to the Sedic xF33 Automatic which seems to have the same features, shares a similar layout, labelling, some of the accessories and additionally the option to use Flip-Flash, a socket is provided on the top face this is not fitted on the Hanimex XP2.
The table below indicates the pricing of the camera when new and estimated equivalent cost today. It definitely wasn't cheap!
Hanimex XP2
XP2 top view
XP2 with wide angle mutar attached
XP2 with 50cm close up lens attached
XP2 with 10cm close up lens and copy stand attached
Alternative view XP2 with 10cm close up lens and copy stand attached
XP2 with motor winder attached
XP2 with mutar, winder and X22 flash attached. Fully booted and spurred!
XP2 system kit in case
This is arguably a system camera set, predating the Pentax Auto 110 by 5 or 6 years albeit not in the same league.
I shall be running film through it shortly to see how it performs.
Very little detail is available online regarding this camera, The majority of my information comes from Sylvain Halgand’s excellent website, Collections Appereil (in French) and investigating the unit I purchased. It was marketed from around 1975-6 to 1980ish.
The cameras were made in Japan for Hanimex and possibly other brands.
The camera takes the usual brick like form, nicely finished with a leatherette like look and chrome highlights making it a bit more up market than the usual plastic 110 cameras. It has an f5.6 three element lens and shutter speeds ranging from 10s to 1/400s under fully automatic control of a CDs cell exposure system. It takes 3 x SR / LR44 batteries to operate but if no batteries are inserted the shutter operates at what appears to be a default setting of 1/125s. A hotshoe is provided on the end of the camera and two dedicated electronic flash units were made for the camera, each fitted with a protrusion which sets the shutter speed to 1/125s when the flash is mounted.
No film speed detection is fitted to the camera. As such it is only suitable for use with 64 to 200 ISO film.
The viewfinder has a set of parallax lines and an indicator showing the setting of the detented zone focus lens (Portrait, groups and landscape) Distances are marked on a scale visible on the top of the lens.
Manual winding of the film is carried out with a thumb wheel placed on the front right hand side, which advances the film only. A pin engages with the film perforation and is dragged to the left as the film is wound on until it stops, locating the film for the next exposure and cocking the shutter.
The accessories include:-
1.5x mutar, complete with matching viewfinder
0.7x mutar complete with matching viewfinder
50cm close up lens with parallax correction and measuring chain
10cm close up lens with copy stand
Motor winder
These items were available separately or as a complete boxed set.
The mutars have attached viewfinders which provide compensated views appropriate to the mutar in use.
Two electronic flash units were available, the XP22 having a guide No. of 22 in metres and manual operation and the XP26 having a built in computer to auto expose the images and a guide No. of 26.
I have never seen one of these before, and they do not appear on eBay all that often. There is a considerable similarity to the Sedic xF33 Automatic which seems to have the same features, shares a similar layout, labelling, some of the accessories and additionally the option to use Flip-Flash, a socket is provided on the top face this is not fitted on the Hanimex XP2.
The table below indicates the pricing of the camera when new and estimated equivalent cost today. It definitely wasn't cheap!
Item | Price, F, 1979 | Price, €, 1979 | Equiv. Price, €, 2025 |
Hanimex XP2 camera, f5.6, 26.5mm (≈ 53mm equivalent) | 195 | 29.75 | 233 |
Wide angle mutar (0.7x magnification, ≈ 35mm equivalent) | 165 | 25.15 | 194 |
Telephoto mutar (1.5x magnification, ≈ 80mm equivalent) | 165 | 25.15 | 194 |
50cm close-up lens with parallax correction and measuring chain | 61 | 9.25 | 70 |
10cm close-up lens with copy stand | 74 | 11.25 | 85 |
XP22 electronic flash | 160 | 24.40 | 186 |
XP26 automatic electronic flash | 299 | 45.60 | 357 |
Motor winder | 198 | 30.20 | 235 |
XP2 complete system in presentation case (XP26 flash incl.) | 1092 | 166.50 | 1295 |
Hanimex XP2 camera soft case | 11.50 | 1.75 | 16 |
Hanimex XP2 system presentation case (empty) | 198 | 30.20 | 235 |
*French Franc was made obsolete in 2002, calculations based on Franc to Euro conversion value at that date.
**Equivalent price 2025, calculated using UK RPI inflation calculator.
***Prices from 1979-80 Phokina catalogue
**Equivalent price 2025, calculated using UK RPI inflation calculator.
***Prices from 1979-80 Phokina catalogue
Hanimex XP2
XP2 top view
XP2 with wide angle mutar attached
XP2 with 50cm close up lens attached
XP2 with 10cm close up lens and copy stand attached
Alternative view XP2 with 10cm close up lens and copy stand attached
XP2 with motor winder attached
XP2 with mutar, winder and X22 flash attached. Fully booted and spurred!
XP2 system kit in case
This is arguably a system camera set, predating the Pentax Auto 110 by 5 or 6 years albeit not in the same league.
I shall be running film through it shortly to see how it performs.
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