October 22, 2017Most people have a love/hate relationship with half frame cameras. They love that you can get 72 frames out of a 36 exposure 35mm film roll, but they also hate that it takes 72 frames to finish off a roll. Also factor in that the frames are quite small, which again leads for some people to like them for small…
September 15, 2017A camera to allow your photography to take flight? To release your creativity free as a bird? Probably enough bird puns for now. So, was the Pigeonflex a camera to set the cat amongst the Pigeons? Ok that was one more. Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras are an interesting type of camera. They have a history in street photography, especially…
September 5, 2017The Agfa Isolette range of cameras have a cult following. That includes me as I own both Isolette and Jsolette labelled cameras. The ability to shoot medium format, especially 6×6, with a camera that is small and at a stretch pocketable, is very enticing. Throw in the fact that they look lovely, and you can understand the popularity. I personally…
August 22, 2017Scale focus cameras can be fun. There is no precise focusing, you pre-set focus points in advance, allowing a quick “draw” approach, and the viewfinder is very uncluttered. They are also generally cheap, so a very easy way to get into film photography. There is occasion though, where some precise focusing would be helpful, which is where accessories like the…
July 9, 2017When does a box camera not look like a box camera? When it is the Ensign Ful-Vue from 1946. Until then most were basically a box with a lens on the front. There were a few variants, including box cameras that had better viewing lenses and looked more like Twin Lens Reflex cameras, but still generally had a box…
May 27, 2017It’s 1926, you want to record details about your photo and don’t want to carry a notebook, enter the Kodak No. 1 Pocket Autographic. It might not be automatically recorded, but considering this was 91 years ago, that is quite progressive. Kodak folding cameras had been introduced just over 30 years earlier in 1895 and had slowly been progressing during…
May 7, 2017The camera made for the young soviet generation, the Lomo Smena 8M, has made its place in history. Smena (CMEHA) is Russian for “Young Generation” which is the market this camera was aimed at. Production over 35 years ensured millions of soviet families recorded their memories with it. It is somewhat of an enigma though, where it is very easy…
April 21, 2017I enjoy photography a lot, and I love it when I can do something that helps people. Combining the two together would be ideal, and this is where the 24HourProject gives me the vehicle to achieve this. The 24HourProject is an event which has now been in play for about 5 years, to document different cities across the world, for…
March 22, 2017The Nikon F is a unique camera in that it not only became an iconic camera, it started a legacy. It began a line of SLR cameras that are still being sold today and where each of the F professional cameras has been an iconic camera in its own right. The Nikon F, a camera that only needs one letter…
March 2, 2017Medium format in a small package, the Fuji GS645S Professional gives that to you in spades. Apart from some of the folding cameras, this is one of the smaller cameras I have come across which shoots 120 roll film. I really enjoy cameras where they have been designed in a thoughtful way to achieve a specific outcome and again this…
February 9, 2017Secondary lines for cameras in the past have created iconic cameras. The Kodak Retinette series had the pedigree to achieve this, following up from the hugely popular and very well regarded Retina range. The Retinettes were aimed more at the general camera users rather than the enthusiasts, but having been built with some very good and quality parts they are…
January 3, 2017Half-frame cameras are an acquired taste. For those that have that bend, the Olympus Pen series caters very well, from the more professional type SLRs through to the basic point and shoot cameras. The Olympus Pen EE-2 falls squarely into the latter category. Between the portrait framing and massive grain when the picture is blown up, you need to be…