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There’s something to be said about OEM lenses with full compatibility, native mount support, and a high level of quality control. That all comes with a cost attached. Then there are third-party manufacturers: companies that often offer the same level of compatibility, quality control, and multiple lens mount options, but many don’t carry a price tag as high as the original manufacturers’. So today, we have John and Bill, joined by Mario and Brian, to discuss all things third party, from classic Tokina, Tamron, and Sigma. Modern options from TTArtisans and 7Artisan lenses, and of course, Light Lens Labs, who are painstakingly creating modern, affordableRead More →

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I had not been exploring in Buffalo proper since 2007, and honestly, if they had including some of these locations at that event I probably would have had a better time. So taking advantage of the invitation to join in a short Labour Day exploration in 2012 to check out a couple of locations on the other side of the border, I jumped on the chance. Both locations we checked out were right next to each other in a former industrial corridor on Northland Avenue. Of the two, the most interesting is this spot, the former Curtiss-Wright metal forming works, but its history is muchRead More →

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Do I really need to do another D-76 clone review? The answer is yes, yes I do. So during the end of production of Kodak chemicals by Sino Promise the fine folks at Adox Photo went out and purchased the rights to some of the names of Kodak chemicals, including D-76 (although you can still get Kodak D-76 now produced in the USA) as part of their efforts to ensure that the supply of these chemicals continue. And so in 2023 Adox D-76 hit the market, the one thing that sets Adox’s version apart is that it has a longer shelf life thanks to aRead More →

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I love winter. Well, a specific type of winter, the winter we had this past winter. And while we’re all here now, looking forward to spring, I wanted to look back at the winter that was, because I had a lot of fun this year. So what made this winter better than, say, the past two that we had? Well, first off, we got snow early, back in November 2025, which was awesome. And sure, we did lose all of it over the rest of the month and into December. But we did get some back in December, only to lose it again. But weRead More →

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So, back in December 2025, Alex handed out some expired film to James and Bill, and today we’re back revisiting the topic of expired film. And while Bill & James haven’t had the chance to shoot their rolls, Alex did shoot his odd duck of a roll. Everything from colour shifts to fog and bad chemical packs, it’s all about shooting and using expired film. From developing without any data to best practices, techniques and chemistry needed. Looking for a good spot to get your gear and material fix check out Burlington Camera (Burlington, ON), Downtown Camera (Toronto, ON), Belle Arte Camera (Hamilton, ON), Pond’sRead More →

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A fixed-lens rangefinder is good, but the gold standard for photography was an SLR. I had used SLRs before, including the beat-up K1000 in my high school darkroom and a fellow student’s parent’s SLR. And now that I had been bitten by the photography bug, I was on the hunt for one. The effort did have a false start; I got a Zenit B at a garage sale and failed miserably with that camera. I ended up trading it for another K1000 because the other guy wanted the Helios-44-2 lens attached. But then I happened across the Minolta SR-T 102. Since I already had aRead More →

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While it has taken me a while to come to like Ilford HP5+ the one thing that this film stock can take is punishment. And I’ve done a fair bit of pushing on HP5+ in the past with some excellent success. Last year it was pushing it to ASA-1600 and developing in Fujifilm SPD with some of the best results I’ve seen. I have also seen some excellent results back on the slower end of things. So I have high hopes for this roll. Film Specs Manufacturer: Ilford Photo Name: Ilford HP5+ Type: Panchromatic B&W, Cubic Grained Film Base: Acetate Film Speed: ASA-400, Tested Latitude:Read More →

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I can’t recall when I first saw the historic city of Galt, Ontario. It was probably on a trip to see the outlet shops at the old Southworks location (now the Gaslight district), but I did do a bit of Urban Exploration in that same area several years later. Today, Galt is a part of the modern city of Cambridge, one of four historic settlements that merged in the 1970s. Galt was among the largest, and the historic core remains one of the best to visit if you’re a fan of historic architecture. When I first thought about taking a closer look at Galt, itRead More →

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And Now for Something Completely Different… Today, Alex is joined by David Smith, a Biology professor and researcher at Western University in London, Ontario. While we mostly talk about cameras on the show, David has something unique: microscopes. As many history nerds know, many camera companies we know and love today began producing optics, including microscopes. Dr Smith came by this affinity for collecting honestly, as his mom is an antique dealer. David talks about his microscopes, how he started the collection, and how it led to film photography and a fantastic collection of Leica rangefinders, lenses, and medium-format cameras. You can find Dr SmithRead More →

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If there was a symbol of Hamilton’s rise, fall, and rebirth, that symbol downtown would be the Lister Block. It also was one of the jewels of the Hamilton Urban Exploration scene and could make for a fun night of exploration, which, depending on access, would see an easy group including the Lyric Theatre, Tivoli, Royal Connaught and then Lister Block. After getting out, I grabbed slices from National Pizza. But those days are long gone, Lister and Connaught being restored, Lyric long gone, and Tivoli is sealed demolished. Among all the places I explored, Lister Block is one that I was around when itRead More →