Nikon TW2 - Dual Lens Charm from the 1980’s
Character.
The worlds thinnest dual lens point and shoot! Well, in 1987, now it feels like chunky in the hand, and has all the charms that you’d expect from it’s 1980’s heritage. Soft focus mode, two focal lengths, and a satisfyingly mechanical action. It might be on the large side, but boy does it have character.
Nikon TW2 Tech Specs:
Lens: 35mm f/3.5 4 elements in 3 groups / 70mm f/6.8 8 elements in 6 groups
Film speed settings: 64-1600 ISO DX Auto
Film Format: 35mm
Focusing: Stepless infrared active autofocus
Battery: 1 x CR-P2
Size: 136 x 72 x 47mm
Weight: 310g w/o battery
Year: 1987
Country: Japan
Two Choices.
The Nikon TW2 (Tele-Touch) offers two focal lengths, 35mm and 70mm. There is no in-between settings, you have two choices, 35mm and 70mm. Thankfully, those lengths where chosen well, those are two pretty robust focal lengths.
That being said, that limitation, comes with some advantages. I find myself shooting more creatively when I have a prime lens on an SLR, or I’ve just packed two primes in my bag. The lack of stepless zooming, forces you to move your feet, which, for me at the very least, leads to better results.
I love how many parts move when you switch focal lengths.
Simplicity.
The TW2 is not a complex camera. You can change your focal length, you can choose your flash settings (auto, off, or on), you can set a self-timer, and you can engage the soft filter.
If everything is ready to shoot, you’ll have a solid green light next to the viewfinder, and if the flash is selected, and ready, you’ll get a solid orange light as well.
One quality of life feature is that upon rewinding your film, it leaves the leader exposed. That’s far from a unique feature, but you sure miss it when it’s not there.
One quality of life feature is that upon rewinding your film, it leaves the leader exposed. That’s far from a unique feature, but you sure miss it when it’s not there.
80’s Soft Focus.
Shoulder pads, big hair, and soft focus. Twist the lens, and a soft focus filter engages, and you can take shots with all the 1980’s charm you could ever want. You get wonderful ghostly highlights, and a dream like hazy image. The example shots show an image, with and without the filter. I would say that colour photography is probably a better option for using the soft filter, but you get the idea.
A rail bridge, without the soft focus filter.
And with the soft focus filter, dreamy and angelic.
Mystery.
I like to read the manuals of my cameras, even with the simple ones like this. That wasn’t the easiest of tasks with the TW2. Butkis.org is the go-to for manuals, and they have a manual for a tele touch, but not this one. It’s mostly the same but not identical. I can find a German language version for the TW2D (the same camera, just with a date printing function), but the interface at Scribd leaves a lot to be desired.
Final Thoughts.
This camera has style, and character. The focal lengths are great, and I think I prefer only having two choices. Where it shines, is when you engage the soft-focus filter. That is one hell of an aesthetic, and it gives you another dimension to play with. This camera stole my heart, and it might just steal yours too.
If you’d like to own this particular camera, head on over to the camera store.
