I want to start off by thanking Lomography Philippines for lending me the LomoApparat after some dramatic pleading. I don’t know about you, but it’s always exciting when Lomography announces a new product. Even with avid, long time film shooters like us who have been exposed to a wide variety of tools – dirt cheap to […]
Tag: 35mm Format Camera
Enter the Leica M4: Upgrading my Barnack Leica
I had been planning to upgrade from my Leica IIIf for a while; it’s a great camera but it makes taking photos a complicated process. First, cut the film so that it fits the camera, place it on the spool, insert it, wind it, only then select the shutter speed and realise a few shots […]
Camera review: The LEGO VIP Rewards Vintage Camera + build video
It’s not a Leica, but if you’re a film photographer, you’re probably going to Like-uh-it a lot. If you like LEGO, you’ll likely be quite partial to it, too. Yes, it’s the (limited edition?) LEGO VIP Rewards Vintage Camera. This article reviews the camera in full with a start-to-finish video of the build (condensed to […]
Mini-review: The RETO Ultra Wide & Slim – Experiences and a change in attitude to P&S cameras
Traditionally I have avoided the point and shoot class of camera because I wanted to be able to make my own exposure decisions. I either shoot Manual, or in Aperture Priority modes with one finger on the exposure compensation button. Most of my cameras date from the 20th century and most of those are entirely manual. In […]
The Contax RX: My search for the perfect camera
I started out writing a 5 Frames article for this excellent website but my typing ran away a little and I ended up realising it had turned into a mini-review of my latest 35mm acquisition, the Contax RX. I thought that rather than crop the article down, I would publish the long version in its […]
Less than the sum of its parts? The Nikon F3P, a press camera
Back in the day, the “stock” Nikon F3 was so popular amongst Japanese photojournalists that Nikon decided to make a “Press” or “Professional” version to the Japanese market. Apparently, only accredited photojournalists could get their hands on one of these babies, so only limited quantities were produced until… Nikon decided to make extra ones called […]
Nishika & The N8000: A seedy history of telephone scams, lawsuits and fake parts
Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Nishika N8000? If you haven’t you’re going to learn all about the seemingly seedy history of this camera; from fake LCD screens to telemarketing scams ahem, creativity…
Around Europe with the Zorki 4K
I for the longest time fancied owning a completely mechanical rangefinder camera, but I always thought that they were out of my budget. That was until I, by utter chance, stumbled into the world of Fed and Zorki Ukrainian and Russian rangefinders. After doing a bit of research online, I decided on getting a Zorki […]
Maximum readiness, effective robustness: The Durst Sei Sei (Durst 66)
During the never-ending cycle of lockdowns here in the UK, I’ve set myself a little project wandering about on my permitted ‘one-exercise-a-day’ time, documenting my hometown of Stone in the West Midlands. My preferred film is ILFORD HP5 PLUS: absolutely bomb-proof. A friend regularly develops his in his coffee (Caffenol) and he gets printable negatives […]
The Nikonos V: The underwater & on-land adventure camera
The Nikonos V — with its striking orange exterior — is one of the most legendary 35mm film cameras ever made. Created for scuba diving, the Nikonos can go as deep as 50 meters underwater (about 5 bar / 72 pounds per square inch of pressure), which covers more than enough depth for recreational divers. But […]
Swift shooter: The Chinon Auto 3001 has the functions and ergonomics to ensure you don’t miss the decisive moment
The ability to frame in the mind and see a photo before it’s even taken is a key skill, and one that only comes with practice and patience. An equally important factor, though, is the equipment.
The minimalist Leica R6: Budget Leica or an overpriced SLR?
Leica is known for its legendary craftsmanship of cameras, but I don’t need to tell you that. Why do you think we all clamour at the idea of finding one amongst our grandfather’s possessions? It’s like finding the holy grail. While pretty much any camera from the M-Series is most sought after, most people would […]
I bought a Leica M3: Everything I need and nothing more
The Leica M3 is a camera I have lustered over since the beginning of my photography career almost eleven years ago now. Obviously, it looks absolutely beautiful as far as mechanical design and engineering go, and although you hear a lot of people saying the camera you use doesn’t matter, I actually believe it does. […]
Camera review: The Contax G2… So close…
I’ve waited long enough to speak. We’ve broken up, it’s over. The romance was hot and quick. A flash in the pan. It’s time to do a review on the Contax G2. If I could anthropomorphize the G2, it’s an unapologetically awkward, runway-gorgeous genius. The Contax excels conquers in every way that matters, and falls criminally short in a few […]
Another Hasselblad XPan alternative: Introducing the PressPan
Before we begin, I just wanted to mention a couple of things. In the interest of the flow of the article, links to websites, Instagram pages, and YouTube videos will all be found at the end of the review (but I do hope you’ll read the whole thing, and not just skip to the end!). […]
Camera review: The Dora Goodman SCURA pinhole experience
One day I came across a post on Facebook by a fellow “pinholer” showing their recently acquired SCURA 35mm panoramic pinhole camera. I own several pinhole cameras but none are 35mm. I was intrigued by the film size and the fact this camera was designed to create 60x25mm panoramic images. The creator, Goodman Lab, also […]
Leica R6 Review; Like recommending an Aston Martin
The secret behind Leica’s R series is that their optical formulas for their SLR lenses are the same as their famous M mount lenses. A 50mm f/2 Summicron is made by the same people, with the same materials, in the same factories whether it is on an M6 or an R6. The R counterparts go […]
Camera review: The unlovely (but very good) Pentax MZ-S
First an admission, I am an accidental Pentaxian. Like thousands of others, quite by chance I first learned to shoot film on a Pentax K1000. Since then many other Pentaxes have passed through my life: Spotmatic II, KM, MX, LX, 645n, both the 67 and 67ii and the MZ-S of course (twice!). The attraction is […]
Building the CAMERADACTYL Brancopan
“Are you drilling?” asked my bleary-eyed wife, coming out of the bedroom of our small apartment at 1:30am. My desk was cluttered with tools, plastic shavings, and a half-completed CAMERADACTYL Brancopan 3D-printed camera. Of course I was drilling: the Brancopan has 27 fasteners with 1,094 thread revolutions, and there was no way that I was […]
The Leica M3: 5 reasons why it’s the greatest camera ever
The Leica M3 doesn’t do anything that another camera can’t. In fact, by today’s standards, it is severely lacking in features that are normally considered standard. No light meter. No hot shoe. No autofocus. No automatic exposure. Limited frame line selection (50/90/135). 1/50 max flash sync speed… On paper then, one might ask why anyone […]