Hanimex's mid-80s focus-free compact — 38mm plastic lens, switchable flash, black-and-red body
The Hanimex 35 FX is a focus-free 35mm compact from the mid-1980s, made in Taiwan and sold under the Hanimex distribution brand. Its striking black-and-red livery makes it easy to identify, and like most Hanimex compacts it was a simple, cheaply made snapshot camera aimed at casual buyers rather than enthusiasts.
It carries a 38mm fixed-focus plastic lens behind a sliding lens cover, with a mechanical shutter that fires without batteries. The switchable built-in flash is the only electrical system, powered by two AA cells that last several rolls. Film advance is by thumb wheel with a rewind crank and release button, and the flash control is a plain on/off switch beside the lens.
Output is characteristically soft with chromatic fringing towards the edges and occasional vignetting, a look that suits lomography-style colour and black-and-white work. The solid body stands up to knocks, and with nothing to set beyond winding and firing it is a good camera to pass around; the bright flash covers a wide area indoors.
Known quirks include uneven frame spacing on some examples, with occasional overlapping negatives, so a test roll is worthwhile. Only the flash needs the AAs; check its capacitor charges, the lens cover slider and advance wheel move freely, and the body has no cracks around the strap lugs or hinge.