Keystone Everflash AF2

The Updated Autofocus

Looking into the camera a bit more there seems to be another version of the Everflash AF line. In 1987, Keystone redesigned the camera’s outer shell branding it as the Regency 2AF. It appears to be the same camera though, with all controls and components appearing in the same place. I ran across a mention of the AF2 in a writeup of the 1985 Photokina. The article stated that the only thing remarkable about the AF2 was that it was made in America. Humorous, but that goes to show that even when Keystone released cameras, the thought was same as today.

The original AF1 version of the Everflash was more of an odd shape and reminiscent of an autofocus afterthought. It really is when you look into it. The AF1 is almost identical to the Everflash 3580, with an autofocus attachment on top. Regardless, the AF2 released a couple of years later was a sleeker looking model, looking very much in the style of the time. It was also known as the AF 2000 in other versions of the camera.

The Everflash AF2 is a fully automatic camera, with a built in flash. An all black plastic design with red and white accents, make the AF2 look the part of 1980s futuristic technology. The main draw however is the lens covering mechanism. This is referred to as a ‘barn door’ style lens cover, featured on other cameras like the Chinon Bellami and Voigtländer Vitessa. It works well as a lens cover and doubles as a partial lens hood for the camera.

To reveal the lens, we need to look to the top of the camera. Looking at the right hand side, there is a red button attached to the shutter button/lens cover release. The red button is an autofocus lock, where you can half press to fix the focus on a specific area, while underneath is the shutter trigger. You are able to lock these buttons as well, locking both functions with a switch underneath. To the right of that is a frame counter with markers at each of the standard film sizes, 12, 24, and 36. Moving to the back of the AF2, you have the viewfinder, offset slightly to the left. Looking inside you have frame lines, as well as a large circle in the center of the frame where the autofocus spot is located. Once again looking at the back, there is a flash ready indicator light to the left of the viewfinder, as well as the film door release below. On the film door, there is a unique mechanism labeled ready and empty. This indicates when the film has been properly loaded and if there is currently film inside the camera.

Moving to the bottom there is a door on the left that slides out to reveal the AA batteries need to run the camera, including the flash. Lastly, if we look at the front of the camera, we see that the Keystone AF2 is equipped with a 38mm f/5.6 Keytar Color Corrected Lens. This is not quite true though. The AF2 uses an aperture mask for the ISO setting, located to the right of the lens. This is a switch marked as 100/200 and 400/1000 ISO. The apertures are undocumented, and my guess would be that the lower speed is around f/8, and the higher speed would be f/16. The marked f/5.6 is only in use for the flash. I’m not sure if the shutter speed changes as well with flash but the fixed speed for normal shooting is 1/125th of a second. To engage the flash all you need to do is pull it to the side slightly and you will hear the charging. That is all for the autofocus Everflash AF2. A simple camera with a few functions you are able to change for exposure.

THE SPECS AND FEATURES

Shutter Speeds - fixed 1/125th

Aperture - f/5.6 for flash and somewhere between f/8 and f/16 for standard shooting

Meter Type - none

Shutter - simple metal leaf shutter

ASA - 100/200 and 400/1000

Lens - 38mm Keytar Color Corrected, autofocus

Flash Option - built in flash, ready light

Batteries - 2 AA batteries

Film Type - 35mm

Other Features - barn door lens cover, film loaded correctly marker

The Experience

While getting caught up in the autofocus point and shoot camera craze, I found myself diving into my own personal backlog of cameras and seeking out some of the more interesting and not well documented varieties. The first thing to catch my eye was autofocus Keystone cameras. Not known for quality in any sense of the word, Keystone cameras are often overlooked by the photography community. Made cheaply, entirely plastic, with substandard lenses are a common occurrence in their 35mm cameras. This lead to my goal of seeing if Keystone cameras really deserved this bad rap.

The first camera to pique my interest was the delightfully odd Keystone Everflash AF2. Purchased for almost nothing, it arrived shortly in perfect working condition and looked to be hardly used. I saw the film speed was a change in aperture and decided to look up the shutter speeds. It was much faster than I expected, a fixed 1/125th of a second. This makes it a camera suited for faster films and flash, both things that I don’t do much of. I decided to try out a roll of expired color 100 ISO film to get my bearings straight. No sensors or low light warnings are on the AF2, so you are stuck to one setting… but with autofocus. It really does seem odd when you think of it.

A brief walk in the park later, I was home and feeling not too sure of the results. Once the film was developed I really saw the drawback of the camera. It requires a lot of light for an image, and most of the shots I took were muddy and unrecognizable. I had my suspicions, but a decent first test. I couldn’t really see too much detail in the images, so I waited for another sunny day, wanting to get a better gauge of how the lens performs. I had some Arista 400 black and white film on hand and kept the AF2 in the 100/200 ISO range, for a stop or two of extra exposure. These seemed to be at a pretty good exposure, and with this, I got a true taste of the lens. I was not expecting tack sharp images, but I was hopeful. The results were reasonably sharp centers with extreme falloff on the edges, almost to the point where you can draw a circle in the frame that is in focus. Impressive in its own right, but it has a slightly charming look to the images.

I tried one last roll of color film, on a very bright morning. The results were not great, with some lens flare and light leaks. Pictures were mostly dark and underwhelming, and this is when I set the camera aside, frustrated at the results I was getting. This third test also leads me to another issue with the AF2, it does not like hand rolled film. When my short roll of 12 exposures got to the end, the motor ground and was consistently trying to advance. I’m not sure how the mechanism works but it faired fine with the first roll of standard 24 exposure film. I was irritated that I was not getting decent color images, and it was nearing when I initially wanted to publish this article. I thought to myself that this was not a true and fair test for the camera and waited for another week to really give it a proper chance.

One more roll of film at an ISO of 800 could really show if the lens could perform stopped down a bit and with a decent exposure. I loaded a roll of new 200 ISO film that I would push two stops, making sure the film would be exposed long enough. I’ve had luck at 400 with Colorplus, so I thought another stop would be workable. I took the AF2 on an overcast morning and decided to shoot in the same park as before, trying to find brighter areas. Mostly shots of the changing leaves and woods. Once again I loaded a 12 or so exposure short roll of film and when I reached the end, the camera did not like it and was winding/rewinding back and forth. I took the batteries out and went home to develop the final test. My results were a bit grainy with slight color shifts… but really not too bad. I’m shocked at how completely usable these images are, much better than the initial color film test. This goes to show that stopping down at the 400/1000 aperture is the ideal way to shoot the AF2. Much less falloff in the corners and sharper images overall.

At the end of the day, I had a humbling experience showing me yet again that any camera is capable of great images if you put the work in. I had a good time shooting the AF2 and I can see myself grabbing it for not too serious outdoor events in the future. This will not replace the other point and shoot cameras you own, but if you want a cheap autofocus camera to have fun with, the Keystone AF2 is a great choice.