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The KMZ ЗЕНИТ 3m (Zenit 3m) is a camera that is often bought for only a couple of reasons. The first is the desirable Helios 44 lens; the second is a collector’s item. In the overall history of Soviet cameras, the Zenit 3m marked the first popular SLR to come out of the Красногорский механический завод or Krasnogorskiy Mechanicheskiy Zavod (KMZ). Sadly, like many older Soviet cameras, they aren’t known for their longevity and often suffer shutter failure. But my good friend John Meadows uncovered his Zenit 3m, and it still works, so he loaded it out to me along with his Helios lens withRead More →

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Throughout these reviews, I have shied away from third-party lens makers. But I have a long history with third-party lenses and often with good results. My favourite lenses are from my first SLR system, the Minolta SR-T 102, a Kiron 70-150mm f/4 lens and a Vivitar 75-210mm f/3.5. Although that Vivitar is different from today, the Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 in many ways. The biggest is the size and function; the Series 1 is a beast and a lens that surprised me that they even released the lens in an OM-Mount. Lens Specifications Make: Kiron Model: Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm 1:3.5 Macro Focusing Auto ZoomRead More →

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The whole world seems to exist these days in a liminal space. Liminal space is a time between what was and what’s next. Moments of transition, waiting but not knowing the future. All transformations take place within liminal space, but we don’t know what’s next, what the future holds for us who are there. We must be patient, allowing ourselves to be transformed in this time. Allow things to move forward, let go of what was; the past is history lost forever. And while what’s next may look like the old world, it cannot and should not be what was; transformation cannot allow that. ThisRead More →

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If there is one film stock that defines my earliest experiments in photography, it is Fujifilm Superia 400. However, I shot it as a rebranded film from President’s Choice because it was cheap as chips and often came with film processing at the PhotoLab in the Loblaw’s store (Real Canadian Superstore), where I bought it from. The film ran through all my earliest cameras, including the Hi-Matic and SR-T and captured many of those early PYPS weekends where I cut my teeth on photography. Today I shoot little in the way of Colour Negative film. Still, if there’s one thing that is starting many otherRead More →

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When it comes to a 50mm lens, they are often overshadowed by faster fifties, the f/1.4 and f/1.2 and even crazier f/0.95. But sometimes, all you need is something at f/1.8, and the Olympus F.Zuiko, 50mm f/1.8, is a spectacular choice for your OM-System. While the lens has gone through several changes since its inception, this chrome nose version fits in nicely next to my 50mm f/1.4 chrome nose and is a tack sharp option for the more budget-minded Olympus user. Lens Specifications Make: Olympus Model: OM-System Auto-S F.Zuiko 1:1,8 f=50mm Focal Length: 50mm Focal Range: ∞ – 0.45m Aperture: f/1.8 – f/16, 6 BladesRead More →

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I admit that I haven’t used many of them for Canon cameras because I’m primarily a Nikon shooter. But there’s something special about a unique camera within the overall history of a camera manufacturer, and when it comes to Canon, that camera is the EF. Not to be confused because these days, when you match Canon and EF, you’re talking about their line of Autofocus lenses for the EOS system in the EF-Mount. But before the name was applied to lenses, it was a model of Canon cameras. Often passed over in general history, the EF is unique for two reasons: it was the firstRead More →

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If there’s one thing that is always uncertain these days is the availability and quality of photochemistry. At the same time, some companies have had no issues with maintaining their normal level of quality. As manufacturers of the materials and chemistries shift away from the originals, things get a little grey. Thankfully some are willing to take a chance and help keep things going, and one such company is Adox. While most of their chemical offerings are based on formulas from other firms, Rodinal, FX-39, and Atomal spring to mind. Adox XT-3 is a new offering, backwards engineers from Kodak Xtol a well-loved Ascorbic AcidRead More →

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When it comes to metering for precision, there is nothing better than a spot meter, but most spot meters these days are expensive, both new and on the used market. The first and only spot meter I’ve used is the Pentax Spotmeter V. This analogue 1° spot meter has become the accessory that always gets thrown in my bag when I’m out with my Crown Graphic Hasselblad or Mamiya for precision tripod-based work. The meter served me through almost my entire War of 1812 project, Canadian Confederation and most recently, the Railway project. A simple easy to use device that allowed me to execute aRead More →

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And now for something completely different. I know I’m better known for my reviews of film-based cameras, but I have reviewed a digital camera here before, back when I got the camera that this one replaced. In fact, the Nikon D750 marks two, not three things. First, it marks a return to an SLR as my digital camera; second, it marks the return to the Nikon Digital system. And finally, a digital camera that I like using a lot. It’s not to say the a6000 was an unenjoyable camera to operate; the only complaint was that the system continued to be limited. Yes, I couldRead More →

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This week is a bit of a throwback, not to this project, but my first photography project! In my last year in High School, I took a Media English course that included a photography element. We learned how to process and print black & white film during the period, and the final project from that section had a photo project. I chose to work with documenting the churches in Milton. So this week, we’re visiting churches in both Oakville and Milton, not only the ones in the community centres but also a couple of rural churches. Human spirituality has been around for as long asRead More →