Bokeh
Bokeh — That delicious, creamy, out-of-focus rendering sought after by discerning photographers. All lenses produce bokeh — some better than others. My use of the word “better” here is in no way meant to convey a judgement of lens quality. Indeed, a lens of dubious...
Ten Paths To Better Photography — Path I: Master The Fundamentals
Whether you are new to photography or a working professional you can always find ways to up your game. In this series of articles I present ten paths you can follow to guide your journey of self-improvement. These paths include: Master The Fundamentals, Master The...
The Latest Haul: Nikon SP – Contax T Black Finish – Rollei 35
Don't Feel Like Reading? Watch The Video!Occasionally, I’m moved by the Spirit to add to my collection of cameras and lenses. Usually this happens when I’m browsing yard sales, flea markets, estate sales, or eBay. I keep a running wish list of strategic purchase...
Pentax 645Z with SMC Pentax 67 Lenses
In this unapologetically opinionated and admittedly unscientific post, I attempt to answer the question: Can you get good results with old-school Pentax 67 lenses on a Pentax 645Z digital camera? I believe the answer is a resounding “Yes!”, especially in the age where...
My Top Five Favorite Film Cameras of All Time
Criteria I’ve collected quite a few film cameras over the years, and I found it difficult to select my top five favorites. Having winnowed the field fairly quickly down to 8 semi-finalists, I applied the following criteria to pick the winners. I personally own one or...
Leica M3 Post CLA Shakedown
How Time Flies Finally, after over a year since having received a thorough Clean, Lubricate, and Adjust (CLA) service by Mr. Youxin Yeat YYeCamera [ http://www.yyecamera.com ] based in Canton, Massachusetts, I was able to take the mighty Leica M3 out for its post CLA...
Mamiya C330 Professional: Walkabout
I had the chance finally to take my Mamiya C330 Professional out for a spin and run two rolls of Ilford Delta 400 120 through it. This had been on my to-do list since the beginning of 2019 when I made this post: New Year's Resolution: Shoot More Film in 2019....
Leica M10-D: Comparison to an Old Friend
Bottom-Line-Up-Front The Leica M10-D is a remarkable camera. Its minimalist controls provide an uncluttered, refreshingly simple user experience that compliments your creative process. It is my first foray into Leica’s digital M ecosystem and I’m happy I waited until...
Leica M3 Needs CLA
Over the course of a year (Jan 2017 - June 2018) I ran a roll of Tri-X through this camera, and when I finally got around to developing the film, I discovered it had a serious problem which I'd never noticed before. At shutter speeds 125th of a second and faster the...
New Year’s Resolution: Shoot More Film In 2019 (2 January 2020 Update!)
Happy New Year! It's no secret I'm a big fan of film, but I'm ashamed to admit I slacked off in 2017 & 2018 and shot only a handful of rolls and developed not one. I'm now faced with a stockpile of aging film and chemicals nearing expiration and I need to...
What Famous Photographers Used Yashica Mat Cameras? (UPDATE: 30 March 2022)
On 5 September 2018, I received an inquiry via my website contact page from Mark Stone-Brant: Dear Rick I was wondering which famous pro photographers actually used the Yashica TLR, It does not matter which models they used for their work. It is difficult to...
Getting Close: Macro Photography with Classic Nikon Equipment
Sometimes you just wanna get close. Macro lenses offer close-focusing capabilities and you don’t need the latest and greatest lens to have fun with macro photography. My favorite macro lens is the Zoom-Nikkor 35-105. In this post I’d like to show you how you can get...
For The Love Of Film
OK, I admit it. I like to shoot film. I like everything about film: I like the way film smells when I open the canister, I like the way the chemicals smell during processing, I like the process of loading film into a camera, and I like the challenge of making every...
Improve Your Practice Through Journaling
This being my first Technique post, I thought the best place to start would be to share with you what I believe to be the most important tool one can utilize to improve upon most any aspect of their life, especially one that involves some sort of process or...
Pentax 67
First impressions encourage one to hand hold this mammoth but doing so is not for the weak or faint-of-heart. If you have a medical condition, I suggest you consult your physician before carrying this camera around with you on a shooting spree. Although it...
Nikon FM Black
The Nikon FM is a 100% mechanical camera. Yes, it does contain a built-in exposure meter, but when using this camera I find it faster to estimate the exposure using the exposure rule. If I require more accurate exposures then I’ll use either my trusty Gossen Digisix...
Nikon FM Chrome
The venerable Nikon FM is a mechanical camera whose batteries serve only to power the built-in exposure meter. I usually remove the batteries and go completely mechanical. If I do need an exposure meter I use the Gossen Digisix, pictured below, otherwise I estimate...
Oh Those Iowa Skies!
Returning from a ride deep into the midwest with my friend Ricardo Serpa back in July of 2014 I stopped along an Iowa highway and took in the verdant, open country and deep blue skies with white, puffy clouds. Images really can’t capture the complete feeling of...
Leica MP: Mechanical Perfection
The Leica MP represents distilled purity in the form of a photographic instrument. It sports no frills, no gimmicks, no illusions. The images it renders become a mirror into the very soul of the photographer. You cannot seek refuge in automatic exposure nor automatic...
Contax T: The Quintessential Compact 35mm Rangefinder
Compact, discrete, reliable, precise, quiet, control. These are but a few of the words I have come to associate with the coveted Contax T. From its Porsche design to its Carl Zeiss lens, this camera is pure joy to both look at and to use.By far, the Contax T is my...
Nikon F3HP
Ever faithful, virtually indestructible, I affectionately refer to this camera as “The Tank”. I purchased my first F3HP in the early 1980s and it served as my constant companion during deployments aboard the USS Norfolk (SSN-714), the USS America (CV-66), and the USS...
Leica O: History In The Palm Of Your Hand
The Leica O is a modern reissue of Leica’s second prototype camera. It is a precisely machined instrument and you’d expect nothing less from Leica. It’s a nice little hunk of nostalgic metal and optics that take you back to a bygone era.This is absolutely one camera...
Toyo 45AII 4 x 5 Field Camera
The Toyo 45AII is a 4 x 5 inch format field camera made by Toyo. http://www.toyoview.com It’s a nice, heavy duty, precision engineered camera. The first impression that strikes me when I pick up this camera is how robust it feels. When folded up it reminds me of a...
Voigtlander Bessa-L
The Bessa L is an odd fish. It feels cheap and plastic and comes without a view finder. Yet none of these minor issues limit the amount of fun this camera provides. On the plus side it sports a built-in exposure meter, a metal, vertical leaf shutter, and uses...
Rolleiflex 3.5F
It all happened in slow motion. The aged leather strap broke unexpectedly in two places. I watched helplessly as the camera fell from my hip to the concrete. “Oh shit!” I heard myself saying, as it bounced, and then bounced again, stopping finally to rest on its...
On Dogs and Cameras
I am saddened to report the passing of our beloved lab Austin (a.k.a. Schmoogle) today. He was boon companion, friend to cats, ardent chaser of foxes, and lover to everyone we welcomed into our home. He was a powerful dog who had to be walked in a harness, but like...
Nikon F3T
If ever a camera has achieved iconic status it is the Nikon F3T. Coveted by collectors, used heavily by photojournalists in the 1980s and 90s, the Nikon F3T was easily voted “Camera most likely to be working after having been beat to hell.”The first thing you’ll...
Leica M3 Walkabout — The Connection Is The Camera
There’s something about a classic camera that attracts like-minded people together like moths to a flame. This holds especially true for classic Leica cameras in pristine condition. The Leica M3 pictured above is one such camera. It is a single stroke model made in...
Contax T: The Perfect Street Photography Camera
I gave this camera to my wife, Coralie, as a present for Christmas one year back in the mid 1980s, which prompted her to issue the following ultimatum that still holds to this day: “Do not, I repeat, do not buy me a gift that you really want for yourself!” I honestly...
Yashica Mat 124G
Want to strike up a conversation with someone but don’t quite know what to say? Say nothing! Just dust off the trusty Yashica Mat 124G and hit the streets. In short order you’ll have perfect strangers approaching you asking what you’ve got. Occasionally, you’ll meet...
Two Images — Decades Apart — Same Great Camera and Lens
As I was building out this site, a labour of love, by the way, that’s still in progress, I came across two images taken decades apart with the same camera and lens combination, a combination I find hard to beat even today if one is more interested in capturing the...