Say what you will about kit lenses; some are good, some are bad, and some are fine. This lens is among those ‘fine’ lenses, they do the job, but there’s nothing special about the Canon 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 II, but it does a good job and does what it says on the tin. And while I did not go into this with a good view of the lens expecting troubles at open apertures or softness at the 80mm focal length. But the lens had none of these common elements I’ve found on other kit lenses, which is certainly surprising. Lens Specifications Make: Canon Model: Zoom LensRead More →

When it comes to film from FilmWashi, they can get their hands on some pretty unique stocks. And I’ve had some good luck with most of their films; others have struggled a bit. Thankfully I’ve been working through my wish list in their catalogue and have gotten my hands on most of them. But one has been out of stock until recently, and that’s FilmWashi A. Described as a motion picture leader film, the film is spliced onto the front of a motion picture prints to help lead the film through the projector. But it can be used for high-contrast uses, like titles or thatRead More →

During my earliest days in photography, the terms nifty-fifty and thrifty-fifty were tossed around to describe an affordable and fast 50mm lens. As someone who shot Nikon, that was the 50mm f/1.8D, but when you look at the new lens price compared to the Canon copy, the Canon was the less expensive lens. Some fellow photographers swore by this lens, especially in the Urban Exploration community, where low-light photography was the game’s name. I didn’t think too much as I was a Nikon shooter. But after getting one of the original copies from my wife’s Great-Uncle, I soon realised that the lens is a solidRead More →

My experience with pancake lenses is fairly limited, having only used a couple of this classification of lenses, and in both cases, with excellent results. I’m talking about the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and Minolta 45mm f/2. So when I started to build up an EOS lens system, the EF 40/2.8 was at the top of my list of lenses to get. And the best part is that you can get them either new or used to save a few bucks. And don’t let the small size fool you; this lens packs a big punch, proving that size matters not. Size matters not. Look at me.Read More →

I’m not a rangefinder person, or shall I say I’m not a 35mm rangefinder person. But I will make an exception for a well-designed and made medium format kit. Meet the New Mamiya 6. While it was built during the age of premium medium format cameras and premium 35mm compacts, the New 6 is a camera that takes a lot from the historic camera that launched Mamiya as a company back in the 1940s. But takes things into the modern age with a light meter, electronics, interchangeable lenses and modern materials. This is a medium-format camera that I could see myself using if it didn’tRead More →

When it comes to lenses, I enjoy working with wide-angle offerings, and they can genuinely tell you how dedicated a company is to manufacturing and designing quality optics. And even with my limited experience with Canon EOS lenses, the 28mm f/2.8 surprised me. It’s a tremendous carry-around lens that, despite being a first-generation model, still stands up today as delivering quality results in an affordable lens. And this was the second EOS lens I picked up, as I knew I wanted something fast and wide that wasn’t a zoom lens. Lens Specifications Make: Canon Model: EF 28mm 1:2.8 Focal Length: 28mm Focal Range: ∞ –Read More →

I did not think I would enjoy working with these sorts of cameras. Sort of like how I felt about the RETO Ultra Wide & Slim, the LOMO APPARAT is a simple-use camera centred around an ultra-wide angle lens. But the APPARAT has some other tricks that the RUWS does not have; first, there’s a built-in flash, and second, this camera is far bigger than RUWS. Like all Lomography cameras, it’s centred around making photography fun, abandoning the traditional ideas of sharpness and accuracy. Shoot from the hip and see what happens. But you can quickly determine the different quirks. The APPARAT gives the photographer.Read More →

The gift of a Nikon F80 kickstarted my deep dive into photography and a return of film as a medium in my toolkit. With the F80 came a selection of lenses; some were good, and others were cheap. And only one of the lenses (AF Nikkor 35mm f/2D) I got with that F80 remains intact in my kit today. But there was one lens from that kit that I missed the most, the AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D. As I mentioned in last month’s lens review, the D-Type lenses can carry a high price on the used market, but the Non-D lenses can be had forRead More →

This is not the first time I’ve worked with an Elan camera, and it certainly stuck in my head as an amazing camera. These are semi-pro cameras that continue the lineage of the original Canon EOS 650. And of late, I’ve found that the EOS system is an excellent addition to my tool kit. So after being offered up an Elan IIe, I couldn’t say no. And while this is an older model than the 7ne, it still fits nicely as a camera to add to the mix of helping out with reviews of film, lens, and developers. Camera Specifications Make: Canon Model: EOS ElanRead More →

I’m a big fan of prime lenses; they have always been a go-to for working with SLRs. And I have many options for my auto and manual focus Nikon kits. And while I have all my preferred focal lengths in my manual kit, I have been lacking a couple of options in my autofocus kit. Sure I have two fantastic zoom lenses with missing focal lengths, but they are both heavy and awkward to bring along when size matters. The problem is that even today, AF-D lenses can fetch a high price on the used market. So when someone offered up a couple of second-generationRead More →