Ricoh's 1987 fixed-focus 35mm compact — 35mm f/4 Rikenon, fixed 1/125s shutter, manual ISO lever, AA power.
The Ricoh YF-20 is a fixed-focus 35mm compact from 1987, manufactured in Taiwan for Ricoh as a no-frills flash snapshooter. It sold alongside close variants including the YF-20N and YF-20X, and has picked up a small following as a cheap, hackable point-and-shoot among film hobbyists.
The lens is a fixed-focus 35mm f/4 Rikenon covering 1m to infinity, with an infinity-lock button for distant scenes. The mechanical shutter fires at a fixed 1/125 second while a CdS meter controls the aperture automatically. Film speed from ISO 100 to 1000 is set by a lever on the front rather than DX coding, the pop-up flash has a guide number of 10 with a 1-4m working range, and film advance and rewind are motorised. It runs on two AA batteries and weighs about 230g.
It suits beginners and experimenters: the manual ISO lever doubles as a crude exposure-compensation control, which is why the camera appeals to shooters who like to over- or under-rate film deliberately. The fixed 1/125 shutter and f/4 lens favour daylight and ISO 400 film; it is not a low-light tool without flash.
When buying, test that the pop-up flash rises, charges and fires, and that the motor wind transports film without slipping. The camera needs working AA-powered electronics to advance film, though cells are easy to find. Check the CdS meter window is clean, since a blocked cell skews auto-aperture exposure, and look over the battery contacts for corrosion.