I love medium format cameras but sometimes I feel a bit lazy: I just want to shoot a camera that is quick and convenient to use. That is when I reach for my trusty Pentax 645NII. It is a medium format film camera, but at the smallest end of what’s officially medium format. The Pentax […]
Author Archives: Ray Rapkerg
I photograph people, including fashion photography, quirky portraits and art nudes. I feel photography is mainly about the images and the people in them, but secretly I am a bit of a gear-head as well! I like using a variety of medium format film cameras (current faves: Rolleiflex 6008AF, Pentax 67II) and, sometimes, 35mm cameras.
5 Frames… Of derelict Communist hotels on Rollei RPX 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Rolleiflex 2.8GX)
Recently I went on vacation with the family to Croatia. It was not a photographic trip, so I took just one film camera, a Rolleiflex 2.8GX. I grabbed three rolls of 120 film from the fridge, one of which turned out to be Rollei RPX 400, a film I had never tried before. In Croatia, […]
Compact camera mega test finale: 12+ high, mid and low-end 35mm point and shoot cameras head-to-head
One day, some time ago, I hatched a plan to do the biggest comparative test of compact film cameras that had (possibly) ever been done in the history of the human race. Surely it must have been done before? Well, not quite. Not as broad as the one you’re reading this very minute. This test […]
Compact camera mega test: Yashica Zoomate 115, the poor man’s MJU Zoom
Welcome to the twelfth and final quick camera review for my upcoming 12-camera 35mm camera mega test. In this series, I’ll be comparing image quality, durability, speed and overall performance for cameras ranging from the very high end of the 35mm compact camera world to the very low – or close to it. I’ll be […]
Compact camera mega test: Samsung Vega 700, does Schneider-Kreuznach equal “better”?
Welcome to the eleventh in my series of quick compact 35mm camera reviews. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing a total of 12 of these articles as part of a 35mm compact camera mega test spanning cameras made from 1990 to 2003 – arguably the golden age of these pocketable beasts. You can find […]
Compact camera mega test: Ricoh GR1s, the “stealth ninja”
Welcome to the tenth in my series of quick compact 35mm camera reviews. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing a total of 12 of these articles as part of an upcoming 35mm compact camera mega test spanning cameras made from 1990 to 2003 – arguably the golden age of these pocketable beasts. You can […]
Compact camera mega test: Olympus MJU Zooms, all of them
Welcome to the ninth in my series of quick compact 35mm camera reviews. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing a total of 12 of these articles as part of an upcoming 35mm compact camera mega test spanning cameras made from 1990 to 2003 – arguably the golden age of these pocketable beasts. You can […]
Compact camera mega test: Olympus MJU II / Olympus Stylus Epic, a meh MJU?
Welcome to the eighth in my series of quick compact 35mm camera reviews. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing a total of 12 of these articles as part of an upcoming 35mm compact camera mega test spanning cameras made from 1990 to 2003 – arguably the golden age of these pocketable beasts. You can […]
Compact camera mega test: The Nikon 35Ti, the world’s most sophisticated compact camera?
Welcome to the seventh in my series of quick compact 35mm camera reviews. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing a total of 12 of these articles as part of an upcoming 35mm compact camera mega test spanning cameras made from 1990 to 2003 – arguably the golden age of these pocketable beasts. You can […]
Compact camera mega test: The annoyingly slow Leica C1
The Leica C1 was not on my list of ‘must-haves,’ but one came up cheap, so I thought I would try it. It is quite good in some ways, quite bad in others. It’s a Leica, which is obviously a big plus point for many people.
Compact camera mega test: The Konica Big Mini’s transparent ambitions
Imagine the scene: one night in Tokyo, some Konica employees are drinking in a hostess bar. One of them looks through the bottom of his glass and has a brainwave. ‘Hey!’, he exclaims, ‘Let’s make a camera with a clear lens cover!’
Compact camera mega test: The Fujifilm DL Super Mini (aka Fujifilm Tiara), the upmarket MJU?
Fujifilm made some nice mid-range compacts, but inexplicably, they are priced like premium compacts. I couldn’t bring myself to pay the prices being demanded for a Natura Classica or a Klasse.
Compact camera mega test: The Contax Tvs III, hot property?
The Contax T2 is hot property, the compact de jour, if you will. The Contax Tvs III is basically a T2 with a zoom lens. It’s also much cheaper, so the Tvs III should also be hot property, right?
Compact camera mega test: The Contax T3, a super-rich hipster’s dream
The Contax T3 is so cute and desirable! The problem is that the T3 is crazy-expensive. If you are not wealthy, look away now.
Compact camera mega test: The Contax T2, the world’s most fashionable point and shoot??
The Contax T2 is the world’s most fashionable camera, apparently. Kendall Jenner uses the T2. Chris Hemsworth uses the T2. Various other celebrities I don’t know use the T2.
Film showdown: ADOX Silvermax 100 vs original Agfa APX 100
Is ADOX Silvermax 100 film the same as the old and revered Agfa APX 100 film? One day I decided to find out.