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So we’ve come to our last episode of season one, and since it is December, we have lots of cameras on the table that hold a special value to the gang, and that is the fact they were a gift to us! Often from a parent or grandparent. Cameras featured on Today’s Show… Bronica EC This electronically controlled 6×6 SLR was a gift to Donna from Mike after she got a hankering for a Hasselblad. With the ‘blads being a bit cost prohibitive (unless you strike a deal) but she’s been very very happy with the camera! Make: Bronica Model: EC Type: Single Lens ReflexRead More →

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Ah yes, the famous what’s up and coming for 2016 blog post. 2016 is going to be a year of beginnings and endings. And of course some continuances. On Endings… Finally after several years of work my on going War of 1812 project will be coming to an end, with the final locations marked and the written portions of the book completed and being edited it’s finally time to call the project quits. It’s been a wild ride with lots of going back, reworking, rephotographing, and expanding the project to encompass as much of the war I could cram into my head and my book.Read More →

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When it comes to bare-bones Mechanical SLRs, the Zenit 122K is as bare-bones as they come. This mostly plastic camera comes from the rather odd times right near the end of the Cold War and Soviet rule in Russia. I mean it’s pretty basic even for someone who just wants to learn how to use an all manual camera. But oddly enough the camera still looks cool, in fact at forty yards you might think it a Contax RTS III or similar camera with a squat prism and all black with white lettering, but don’t be fooled this camera is no Contax…not by a longRead More →

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We love our own cameras so for the most part will bring something we’re used to or have some experience with to the table for the past episodes. So for November we’re switching it up, throwing a wrench in the works…we’re doing a mystery camera challenge! That’s right each host has selected a camera from their collection (to make things fair/easy the only criteria was that it had to be a 120 camera, and we all used the same film Rollei RPX xxx) and not told anyone else, then we each pull a name from a hat and use that person’s camera. Cameras featured onRead More →

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Probably the most powerful pocket camera I’ve ever used, the Olympus XA brings the power of the rangefinder, aperture priority and stunning optics into something that can fit in almost every pocket. I’ve used a couple cameras from the XA line in the past, the terribly restrictive XA1 (don’t let the 1 fool you, the 1 came later than the XA and was pretty darn limited), along with the wide angle XA4, but the XA is truly where Olympus made something that was nothing short of magic. Disclaimer: This is an old review, and is scheduled for an update and may look funny during thatRead More →

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In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. I’m not a big fan of poetry, I’mRead More →

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Found in a mysterious factory in Rochester, New York, the Debonair, or the FPP Plastic Filmstastic 120 Debonair is one of the strangest cameras I’ve reviewed for this blog series. But also one of the more fun ones to use. This funky toy camera is one of many Holga/Diana clones that started to pop up in the late 20th century. It uses 120 roll film in a 6×4.5 format but portrait orientation, light weight and produces actually really fun results with the nice soft plasic “Super” lens. And to make this review extra special the images shot were done on World Toy Camera Days theRead More →

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While many continued to use and love the all mechanical Nikon F2 the F3 was a departure of sorts for Nikon moving towards an electronic-based camera and a very stylish one at that. Designed by the noted industrial designer Giorgetto Giugiaro who introduced the red strip that still appears on Nikon SLRs today. This is the camera that got me back into semi-automatic manual focus photography after I received it as a gift from a photojournalist with a vast collection of lenses and the MD-4 motor drive. While heavily used, this camera has seen a lot of action in the past and continues to seeRead More →

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6×6, 2.25×2.25, square format…no matter how you cut it, everyone loves a good square format negative, you can print it three different ways, square, portrait, or landscape, it’s big, it’s beautiful and there’s lots of awesome cameras out there that shoot in that format. Cameras featured on Today’s Show… Rolleiflex 3.5E3: One of the iconic Twin Lens Reflex cameras that feature some amazing optics. And even though it’s not a Zeiss Rolleiflex the results are just as good! Make: Franke & Heidecke Model: Rolleiflex 3.5 E3 Type: Twin Lens Reflex Format: Medium Format, 120, 6×6 Dates of Manufacture: 1961-1965 Rolleiflex 3.5E – Schneider-Kreuznack Xentar 75mmRead More →

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It’s called “The Brick” for good reason, and was for many years the every-man camera in the United States. Aimed at the middle-income market as a solid camera with good optics that could compete with some of the higher end cameras coming out from Kodak. Special Thanks to James McFarlane for this special guest camera! Disclaimer: This is an old review, and is scheduled for an update and may look funny during that update. However, due to a large number of reviews that require this update it may take some time. Please be patient during this process as the reviews may appear incomplete and inRead More →