The Pentacon looks just like a standard 35mm SLR, although it is a little taller, a little wider and a little deeper. It is also heavier although does not feel particularly unwieldy in use.
Tag: SLR Camera
Posted inHasselblad film camera reviews
Camera review: A love letter to my Hasselblad 500CM
After graduating from college in 2020 my parents gave me a Hasselblad 500CM as a graduation present. I had been wishing for a Hasselblad since learning about them. As a quick introduction, Hasselblad is legendary within analogue photography circles, from photos on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission (I can recommend the 2019 documentary […]
Posted inArticles, Featured, Film camera reviews, Kiev film camera reviews, Reviews
Camera review: The utilitarian Kiev 60
The Kiev 60. It was the camera that got me into medium format film photography, and for better or worse, the one that I love, and the one that frustrates me the most. A Soviet tank of a camera — the T-34 if you will — it’s not one that you want to lug up […]
Posted inArticles, CONTAX film camera reviews, Featured, Film camera reviews, Pentax film camera reviews, Reviews
Medium format film camera showdown: Contax 645 vs Pentax 645NII
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 […]
Posted inArticles, Film camera reviews, Mamiya film camera reviews, Pentax film camera reviews, Reviews
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, […]
Posted inArticles, Film camera reviews, Mamiya film camera reviews, Reviews
The Analogue Studio Polaroid conversion kit for the Mamiya RB67
I get easily excited about the little things. Whether it’s a new film stock, a film stock revived from the dead (come on Agfa Vista 400!), a new camera, a newly discovered old camera, or literally anything with the word Mamiya in it, my creativity starts rolling and I get my butt off the couch […]
Posted inArticles, Film camera reviews, Nikon film camera reviews, Reviews
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 […]
Posted inFilm camera reviews
Norita 66 system review: Pleasure and pain from my need for speed
Hello. My name is Aivaras and I am a bokeh junkie. I got into film photography mostly because of my ability to play with limited depth of field and I still can’t let it go. However, there are minor signs of remission; I already managed to understand that in the 35mm film world at least, […]
Posted inArticles, Featured, Film camera reviews, Leica film camera reviews, Reviews
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 […]
Posted inLeica film camera reviews
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 […]
Posted inArticles, Featured, Film camera reviews, Pentax film camera reviews, Reviews
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 […]
Posted inArticles, CONTAX film camera reviews, Film camera reviews, Kodak Film Stock Reviews, Reviews
Expired Film from 1987! Kodacolor VR 400 and the Contaflex Super (New)
Discovered in the depths of the cellar this film from 1987. My oh my expired, brittle and a pain in the major to develop and scan. Nonetheless, its finally done! Video and Images of my adventure across an alpine pass and up to the Ramsau am Dachstein plateau from some images taken with the Contaflex […]
Posted inBronica film camera reviews, Film camera reviews, Reviews
Zenza Bronica ETRS: Not exactly the poor man’s Hasselblad
The Bronica has been described as the poor man’s Hasselblad. That is just wrong, as I hope to demonstrate through this article. When I began my journey back to film photography, I looked at Rolleiflex cameras first, but finally settled on the Hasselblad 500C/M — of which I have two now. I recently decided to […]
Posted inCONTAX film camera reviews
Push me, pull you: The Contax RTS III and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 35-70mm f/3.4
Following my CONTAX S2 review last year, I got thinking why I liked using my S2 so much more than my RTS II. After all, the RTS II had some great features with its centre weighted meter and aperture priority mode, it was a more relaxed camera than the all-manual S2. And yet, I did […]
Posted inFeatured, Film camera reviews, Reviews
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…
Posted inPentax film camera reviews
GAS and the “wrong” camera: Skateboarders with the Pentax 6×7 in Singapore
I suffer from GAS: Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Even as I write this I have a painfully expensive Mamiya 6 on its way from Japan because I just had to have a medium format camera that’s light and easy to carry. You know, because my 35mm cameras are great, but what if I find myself in […]
Posted inMamiya film camera reviews
A complete guide to the Mamiya RZ67, part five: conclusion and personal stories
This five-part review has taken the best part of three years to complete. At over 40,000 words, I admit that it is quite long (!) but I wanted it to be as detailed and as precise as possible. To the best of my knowledge, no book has ever been written about the Mamiya RZ67 Professional, […]
Posted inKiev film camera reviews
The mighty Salyut-S; Or how I learned to love a Hasselbladski
While there were a number of different models made – see below – the Soviet copy of Hasselblad’s 1600F modular camera is commonly known as a Kiev, which was both a model name and a reference to it’s place of manufacture, The Arsenal, or more correctly, the Arsenal State Enterprise of Special Instrumentation in Kiev […]
Posted inMamiya film camera reviews
A complete guide to the Mamiya RZ67, part four: maintenance and miscellaneous accessories
Over the past three weeks, I have introduced you to the Mamiya RZ67 Professional camera, its series of film holders and the extensive lens system. In this, part four of the series, I will introduce you to the main system accessories and some basic maintenance/troubleshooting concepts. The neck strap After purchasing my RZ, the first […]
Posted inNikon film camera reviews
Camera review: 14 years with the “invisible” Nikon FM3a
In January 2006, after 5 or so years of film photography with a combination of cheaper cameras (e.g., a Minolta SRT-101, a Fed-3 and an old Mamiya 35mm), I bought a like-new Nikon FM3A for $429 USD on eBay. Since then it has shot hundreds (if not thousands) of rolls of film, and has accompanied […]
