RETO Ultra Wide & Slim Camera: Sample Photos and Shooting Tips

The RETO Ultra Wide & Slim is a tiny plastic point-and-shoot for 35mm film with an ultra-wide 22mm lens. RETO, the maker, lists a fixed f/11 aperture, a single 1/125s shutter speed, a two-element acrylic lens that is focus-free from 1 m to infinity, manual wind and rewind, and a weight of just 68.8 g. There is no flash, no light meter and no battery: you frame, press the button and wind on.

That simplicity is the fun of it. A 22mm lens on a full 35mm frame takes in a lot more than your eye expects, so palm trees tower, plazas stretch out and small rooms look big. Below are ArtByPino photos taken with this camera on five different films (Arista 400, Kodak T-MAX 400, Street Candy Psychedelic 400, Kodak Portra 160 and Fujifilm Acros 100 II) in McAllen and Edinburg, Texas, and in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Guanajuato, Mexico. The list below links to the full film-sample gallery for each film.

For a camera that costs less than $30, it takes amazing pictures. Lightweight, simple to use. Look at the pictures below and share your thoughts.

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RETO Ultra Wide & Slim sample photos

Films in this post (each links to that film's full sample gallery):

Rolleiflex twin-lens camera and a tulip in a glass bottle on a café table, with a sputnik chandelier and a “Would you sit with us?” neon sign, Magnolia Coffee Bar (former), Art Village on Main, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Rolleiflex twin-lens camera and a tulip in a glass bottle on a café table, with a sputnik chandelier and a “Would you sit with us?” neon sign, Magnolia Coffee Bar (former), Art Village on Main, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Lettered cube sculpture balanced on one corner in a brick-paved courtyard in front of an arched building, at the Art Village on Main, McAllen — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Lettered cube sculpture balanced on one corner in a brick-paved courtyard in front of an arched building, at the Art Village on Main, McAllen — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Couple sitting on the edge of a courtyard fountain, with palms and arched windows behind them, Casa de Palmas Hotel, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Couple sitting on the edge of a courtyard fountain, with palms and arched windows behind them, Casa de Palmas Hotel, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Arched arcade walkway with dark wooden ceiling beams, a bench and sunlit patches on the tile floor, Casa de Palmas Hotel, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Arched arcade walkway with dark wooden ceiling beams, a bench and sunlit patches on the tile floor, Casa de Palmas Hotel, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Two-story “The Tortilleria Factory” building with a balcony and power lines along a side street, downtown McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Two-story “The Tortilleria Factory” building with a balcony and power lines along a side street, downtown McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spanish mission-style buildings behind tall palm trees across a street, with a parked car, Casa de Palmas Hotel (1918), McAllen — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spanish mission-style buildings behind tall palm trees across a street, with a parked car, Casa de Palmas Hotel (1918), McAllen — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Old water pump and the engine that drove it, on concrete plinths under palm trees, McAllen Pumphouse and Firemen’s Park, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Old water pump and the engine that drove it, on concrete plinths under palm trees, McAllen Pumphouse and Firemen’s Park, McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Looking up at a cluster of tall fan palms against a pale sky, with leafy branches overhead, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Looking up at a cluster of tall fan palms against a pale sky, with leafy branches overhead, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spiky trunk of a silk floss tree with roots spreading through the grass against a wall, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spiky trunk of a silk floss tree with roots spreading through the grass against a wall, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Arista 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Two-story white colonial corner building with ornate balconies and shop signs, Puerto Vallarta — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Two-story white colonial corner building with ornate balconies and shop signs, Puerto Vallarta — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
White ironwork bandstand in a plaza with a crown-topped church tower behind, Plaza de Armas bandstand and Parroquia de Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
White ironwork bandstand in a plaza with a crown-topped church tower behind, Plaza de Armas bandstand and Parroquia de Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Twin spired towers, a fountain and steps on a large plaza, Guadalajara Cathedral, Guadalajara — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Twin spired towers, a fountain and steps on a large plaza, Guadalajara Cathedral, Guadalajara — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Circular colonnade of fluted columns beyond a wet paved walkway and trees, Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, Guadalajara — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Circular colonnade of fluted columns beyond a wet paved walkway and trees, Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, Guadalajara — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Bell towers and a clock behind wet outdoor café tables under a stormy sky, Basílica de Guanajuato from Plaza de la Paz, Guanajuato — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Bell towers and a clock behind wet outdoor café tables under a stormy sky, Basílica de Guanajuato from Plaza de la Paz, Guanajuato — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Stone arch over a street tunnel entrance with cast-iron bollards and a cobbled sidewalk, entrance to Guanajuato’s underground streets, Guanajuato — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Stone arch over a street tunnel entrance with cast-iron bollards and a cobbled sidewalk, entrance to Guanajuato’s underground streets, Guanajuato — Kodak T-MAX 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Temple Emanuel synagogue exterior with rust-colored sculptures — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Temple Emanuel synagogue exterior with rust-colored sculptures — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
White Mission Revival church with a bell tower — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
White Mission Revival church with a bell tower — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Blue and red spinner seats in a wood-chip playground — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Blue and red spinner seats in a wood-chip playground — Street Candy Psychedelic 400 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Looking up at tall palm trees against a blue sky with clouds, a roof peak and a statue silhouette below, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Kodak Portra 160 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Looking up at tall palm trees against a blue sky with clouds, a roof peak and a statue silhouette below, at an apartment complex in McAllen, Texas — Kodak Portra 160 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
View from upstairs over a flowering crape myrtle to the fenced pool, with a tall palm trunk at right, at Atrium Place Apartments, McAllen, Texas — Kodak Portra 160 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
View from upstairs over a flowering crape myrtle to the fenced pool, with a tall palm trunk at right, at Atrium Place Apartments, McAllen, Texas — Kodak Portra 160 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Shaded concrete colonnade with dappled light and glass doors at the far end, UTRGV College of Education Complex, Edinburg — Fujifilm Acros 100 II 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Shaded concrete colonnade with dappled light and glass doors at the far end, UTRGV College of Education Complex, Edinburg — Fujifilm Acros 100 II 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spanish Revival facade with curved parapets and a Southern Pacific Lines sign in the window, Southern Pacific Depot (1927), Edinburg, Texas — Fujifilm Acros 100 II 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim
Spanish Revival facade with curved parapets and a Southern Pacific Lines sign in the window, Southern Pacific Depot (1927), Edinburg, Texas — Fujifilm Acros 100 II 35mm, RETO Ultra Wide & Slim

Tips for shooting the RETO Ultra Wide & Slim

  1. Pick film for the light, not the other way round. The exposure is always f/11 at 1/125s, so the film speed is your only control. RETO and its dealers suggest ISO 100–200 in bright sun and ISO 400 or faster for ordinary sunny or cloudy days. Our ISO 100–160 rolls (Acros 100 II, Portra 160) were shot in strong Texas sun; the ISO 400 rolls handled shade, overcast plazas and even a bright café interior.
  2. Use negative film. Color and black-and-white negative film forgive a stop or two of over- or under-exposure. Slide film has very little room for error with a fixed exposure.
  3. Shoot outdoors or by big windows. There is no flash and no slow shutter speed, so dim rooms and evenings will come out thin and dark.
  4. Stay at least 1 m (about 3 ft) away. The lens is focus-free from 1 m to infinity. Closer than that, subjects go soft.
  5. Put something in the foreground. At 22mm, distant subjects shrink fast. A fountain, a bench or a tree trunk up close gives the picture depth.
  6. Hold it level for buildings, tilt it for drama. Kept level, walls stay fairly straight. Tilt up and verticals lean in, which looks great on tall palms and church towers.
  7. Keep fingers and straps clear. The lens sees almost everything in front of the camera, and the viewfinder is only approximate.
  8. Expect the toy-camera look. Soft corners and darker edges (vignetting) are normal for a plastic ultra-wide lens and part of its charm.
  9. Rewind before opening the back. Winding and rewinding are manual. Rewind the film fully into the cassette before you open the camera.

Specifications from RETO’s official product page (retoproject.com). Film-speed advice from RETO’s product text as published by authorized dealer Berger Bros.

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