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 […]
Tag: Rangefinder Camera
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 […]
Same format, different story: Making the switch from a Pentax 67 to a Mamiya 7ii
I had been meaning to get into the medium format 6×7 game for a while and I finally bought the Pentax 67 (the “middle” version before the 67II) at an auction. For a long time, it was my go-to medium format camera. We had a real love-hate relationship. I loved the 105mm lens and hated, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
An in-depth guide to: The Leica M6 TTL
Made for only four years between 1998 and 2002, the Leica M6 TTL was the successor the 1984-98 Leica M6 and brought with it a couple of new party tricks: an ergonomically designed shutter speed dial and TTL flash metering. That huge shutter dial might not seem like a big deal today, in fact, you […]
An in-depth guide to: The Leica M6 (aka M6 Classic / M6 Non-TTL)
The Leica M6 — also commonly known as the Leica M6 Classic or Leica M6 Non-TTL — is a 35mm film rangefinder camera designed and manufactured by Leica in Germany between 1984 and 1998. The camera was the successor to the Leica M4-P, which was produced concurrently for the first two years of the M6’s […]
Camera review: The Olympus XA, Downhill longboarding, Madeira Park and Agfa Vista Plus 200
“Of course they are..” I remember thinking to myself as I read the headline that Agfa Vista films were being discontinued. Why? Because it had just cemented its position as my go-to roll for weekend getaways. An almost perfect companion to the tiny must-pack-with-me Olympus XA that’s always in my pocket for casual trips. Best […]
A look at two uniquely different medium format Fujifilm cameras: The Fuji GA645Zi Professional and Fuji GW690III Professional
From the fully automatic point and shoot Fujifilm GA645Zi to the totally manual Fujifilm GW690III, Fujifilm’s medium format cameras encompass a wide range of types and functions and formats. I purchased both of these cameras based on recommendations from very different sources and as different as they are, I enjoy them both. I first learned […]
Learning to love a rangefinder camera: Five years with the Leica M6 TTL 0.85
In late 2015 I was hit by a taxi making an illegal turn and received three fractured vertebrae for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the mist cleared a second or two after I hit the tarmac, I found myself with my right arm aloft, still holding a new to me […]
Pocket wonder: The Olympus XA with ILFORD PAN 100
My first of roll of film for the new year 2020: a fresh roll of ILFORD PAN 100 all used up in one day with a camera I’ve never used before. This was January’s commitment to the new year’s resolution I’ve signed up for. That resolution is to shoot one roll of film per month. […]
Shooting the Leica M1: From 1960s British holiday camps to the streets of 21st century England
I am a great fan of the Leica M1, having first used this camera in the late 1960s as a camp photographer at Butlin’s in the UK. I can safely say that for me, it has everything necessary for quick shooting and nothing that you don’t need. So before I get stuck in, let me […]
The best (and worst) film cameras of the 1990s
My take on the 10 “best” film cameras released during the 1990s. It’s not a countdown in the traditional sense and “best”…well…
A Day in the Life: London Street Photography with the Leica M6
This article is part diary, part camera review, part lens review, and part film review, all based around my average day-to-day exploits as a film-based street photographer and photojournalist in London.
Expectations and anticipation: Shooting a Leica M3 for the first time
While my freshly shot and developed Tri-X 400 (using Kodak D76) is hanging up to dry, I would like to summarize some of my thoughts about shooting my new Leica M3 for the first time. I bought myself a double-stroke Leica M3 as a birthday present from a local seller who is also a member […]
Comparing the Super Ikonta 532/16 and Ensign 12-20 folding cameras
British camera manufacturer Barnet Ross Ensign boldly advertised in the post-Second World War period that photographic development had now moved from Europe to Great Britain.
The best medium format camera ever made – Mamiya 6 MF review
About a year and a half ago I finally bit the bullet and bought my very first medium format camera, a Mamiya 6 MF.
Two out of three. A look at three bellows cameras from the 1950s: Agfa Record III, Voigtländer Perkeo I, and Agfa Isolette
Most of my photo output is from digital cameras, although I have an abiding love for film. I recently bought some 35mm and medium format cameras online.