When it comes to Fuji I have had some experience with their equipment, from the Texas Leica to the beast of the GX680iii. However, I have never tried one of their 35mm options. And they have a few, the cult Klasse being among them. So when I went to look for something unique to review for number 101 and the first camera review of the new year, the ST605 came across my desk. At face value the Fujica is just another mechanical SLR from the 70s, I mean the look the styling. But in reality, the ST605 is a sleeper, an inexpensive SLR that takesRead More →

It’s taken me nearly three years, but I have now reviewed one hundred film cameras! Even though the review rules have slipped a couple times (namely review a sheet film camera and a pair of polaroids), so it’s only fair that I distil these one hundred cameras down into a few top five lists! Just note that there’s no particular order for these top five lists and certainly are my own personal opinions! Also of note, I’ve done my best to not double-dip, that means if a camera appears in one list, that means it won’t appear in any other list. Top Five 35mm SingleRead More →

It is only fitting to round out the first 100 reviews with the final single digit film camera from Nikon, the mighty F6. The F6 is the last film camera to be produced by Nikon. And while the Nikon FM10 is still produced, it is in fact, made by Cosina rather than Nikon itself. It is also worth a note that this particular F6 is the final one to be sold by Nikon Canada. While the F6 was produced in the age when most professional photographers were shooting digital regularly, the F6 turned into a camera more aimed at the advanced amateur who wanted thatRead More →

If there is a unique camera brand that is iconic, polarising and a mark of quality, then Leica is that brand. That’s the problem that you can easily recognise Leica as a mark of quality and still dislike their cameras for one reason or another. Leica is a quality camera, flawless optics, precision cameras, and a camera designed for pure photography. And the M6, while not their latest 35mm rangefinder option is like all the M-Series cameras both before and after is a camera that retains all the marks of a Leica. Now, I’m not waxing poetic about the cameras, this is only the fourthRead More →

If you’ve seen this camera before in my reviews, you’d be partly correct; the Leica R3 is the cousin of the XE-7; both are internally the same camera with some external differences (also the obvious being the lens mount). The XE marked a new era for Minolta as it introduced the idea of a semi-automatic camera and a confident professional air to their cameras, not to mention a unique style of names, the X rather than sticking with the old SR nomenclature. While many companies went with smaller form factors in the 1970s, Minolta stuck with their bulky designs, at least for a while. ButRead More →

If the early days of autofocus cameras brought us VCRs, by the 1990s, the design of cameras had become far more streamlined. The 3xi belongs to the third generation of Minolta autofocus cameras but don’t get too excited; this is the cheapest, lowest range camera in the series. And believe me, it shows. Designed to run for the most part in the full auto-exposure mode with little interference from the photographer itself. These xi series cameras could use powered zoom lenses to set the focal length automatically. But to be honest, while it may look and behave like an SLR, at its heart, it isRead More →

Like the Nikon FA, the Olympus OM-4 when it was released was a game changer for Olympus. The OM-4 saw a radical shift in how the camera metered. Where Nikon used a ‘matrix’ meter, the OM-4 used a multi-spot system to determine the shutter speed. And yet it maintained a classic OM look and feel, with almost everything unchanged in the layout from the earlier OM-1 and OM-2 cameras. Certainly a worthwhile addition to any photographer who is a fan of the classic OM cameras. Thanks to Bill Smith for loaning this beauty out for review. Disclaimer: This is an old review, and is scheduledRead More →

The unique, the desirable, and hard to come by Nikon FM3a was the final FM model SLR produced by Nikon and exclusively for the Japanese market. But this is an FM camera that isn’t 100% and FM camera, you may have noticed the A in the model, and there’s a good reason for it, the camera is more a best of both worlds. All you love about the FM series and all you like about the FE series in one beautiful camera that will have you wanting one of your own to replace your FMs and FEs. Big thanks to James Lee for loaning outRead More →

The general idea of toy cameras is something relatively new within photography circles, since the rise of Lomography even the Cameras we consider toys were probably built to offer a low-cost camera to the masses. And that’s where I put the Agfa Isoly Junior. The basic model of the Isoly line of cameras, it is designed to be something to give to your child, or junior, a simple camera that doesn’t need much thought in using in regards to focus or exposure. Mainly it’s a dressed up box camera, but don’t let that bother you, because those expensive ‘toy’ cameras are just that. Special thanksRead More →

In my last review of a Polaroid Camera, I spoke on the age of the camera is a deciding factor on getting the camera. And while the PolaroidOne is one of the best options, there are others that still give that somewhat stable performance even if they are older. The late 1990s saw a shift in camera styling for Polaroid, going from the squared off box to a sleek and rounded form factor, like the OneStep AutoFocus. Internally it’s the same camera as the older Type-600 cameras, a slightly better lens, newer electronics, and a clean modern look. Thanks to Tom Stekner for the camera!Read More →