I’m still fond of lenses with a 28mm focal length, despite having other lenses (in different systems) that are wider, but sometimes all you need to get the job done is a 28mm. The Canon FD 28/2.8 fits that bill; it is essential and no-nonsense, with nothing overly interesting about the lens or optics. The FD 28/2.8 gets the job done without any fanfare. There are two versions of this lens available in Canon’s FD-Mount: the original collar-lock version (FD) and the button-lock version (FDn), which allows for easier mounting and dismounting of the lens from the camera body. After picking up the AE-1, whichRead More →

One of the more interesting parts of B&W film photography is the ablity to adjust how the film behaves. There are many different ways of adjusting how the film looks, you can over or under expose the film, or push/pull the film in development. You also have various different developers to adjust how the film looks and different dilutions. But there is also the ideas of adding coloured filters to your lens to change what light and how much light hits your film. Now it might seem weird to put coloured glass over black & white film, but it can adjust and change how differentRead More →

Well, here we are at the start of a new year and looking back at last year’s outstanding Frugal Film Project! I had a lot more fun with this project, and it helped nurture my soft spot for consumer 1990s/2000s SLRs. It’s funny; I never saw these as viable cameras before, yet they have a beautiful charm. You don’t have to worry too much because they can be a dime a dozen. Plus, they work with many lenses that most people use with their other autofocus systems. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Minolta (Sony) all have lenses that work on both digital (full-frame) and 35mm bodies.Read More →

I first learned about the fourth generation of Minolta SLRs from the Film Photography Project and Leslie Lazenby’s promotion of the Maxxum 700si as one of the perfect autofocus SLRs ever produced. And having used one in the past, the 700si is a good camera. I used one for a few rolls before passing it along; I had yet to return to the Minolta A-Mount. Then I got a 7000, which burned and was replaced with a Maxxum 9 because why not go from one end to another? It was with the ‘9 that I got my taste for the A-Mount. But in my reviewRead More →

Regarding historically significant lenses, exact lens models like the Nikkor 85mm f/2 are abnormal. Usually, these historic lenses are designs like the Tessar, Petzval, and Planar. But in this case, this lens put Nikon on the map. Nippon Kogaku released the first 85mm f/2 as part of their original five-lens setup for the Nikon I. Although they also had versions in the LTM or M39 Mount. While Nikkor enjoyed popularity within Japan, they had yet to produce a camera that could be exported. But the lenses helped Nippon break out of the domestic market. The story goes that a chance meeting of two LIFE photographers,Read More →

Not all my lenses are the best out there, and I have had some stinkers in the past that have come across my desk. Now in some cases, I have not reviewed these, but this time I need to get this one off my chest. Meet the Tamron 100-300mm lens; this is a budget lens in every sense. Tamron has produced some excellent optics, sometimes under their name, but quality optics are all the same. This lens is not one of them; there are a lot of issues with the build quality, optical quality, and even the features of this lens. But if you canRead More →

This is only the second time I’ve reached a significant milestone in my ongoing reviews, the magic number of one hundred. And to be clear, I’ve done one hundred film reviews, not reviewed one hundred separate film stocks. And that’s because I’ve reviewed some rebadged films; sometimes, I knew it was a rebadge and then made a point not to go after that film stock again, notability ORWO films. I reviewed the four motion picture-specific films from ORWO as their Lomography rebadge. But in the case of Fomapan 100, I reviewed that first as KosmoFoto Mono 100 and then again as Fomapan 100. Agfa AviFotoRead More →

If there is one lens that helped put Nikon on the map, it is an 85mm lens. This lens traces back to when Nikon stepped into the camera market but had yet to make a worldwide splash. A Japanese and American photographer helped take the company to worldwide status, and a simple 85mm lens in Leica Thread Mount showed them the way. The 85mm f/1.8D helped continue that legacy and is one I have a unique viewpoint on. While I did use this lens in the past, I wasn’t too fond of it despite producing some fantastic results. The problem I only recently found outRead More →

This month is a weird entry into the project. for this year. I have focused on a single place to photograph, usually a town, location or event—something with a defined history and story, and yes, even a maple syrup festival counts. And no, before you ask, I’m not a closet K-Pop fan, and this has nothing to do with the band by the same name. Instead, B.T.S. is a term used within film/T.V./theatre to indicate behind-the-scenes. The idea came from a challenge that I gave to a person over on Twitter who wanted an idea for photography. I suggested that he photograph the backsides’ ofRead More →

But wait, don’t I already have this lens? I do, after a fashion, of course. Suppose there is a single lens that changed my work as a photographer, especially within my urban exploration work. In that case, it is the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G, a lens that was a bit limited on my D300 but came into its power on the F5 and D750. But let’s admit it; the 14-24/2.8G is a heavy and big lens. I knew in the back of my mind that Nikon had several wide-angle lenses, but it was a chance that a fellow podcaster who picked this lens up for herRead More →