February 3, 2018Film Digital Index (DX) Coding can be very convenient for 35mm. No need to worry about setting the film speed (ASA, ISO etc.) on the camera settings to ensure it meters correctly, just insert film and shoot away. This function is especially prevalent on 80s and 90s compact film cameras, some of which are very popular and getting expensive…
November 5, 2017Everyone knows that red cars go faster. Ok, they feel faster. Does this translate to cameras? It sort of does with this one, as the Olympus XA3 does meter for faster film than the camera it replaced, the XA2. The argument does break apart though, as they did come in black, blue and white as well as red, but as…
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…
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…
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…
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…
December 6, 2016The people’s camera, compact, easy to shoot, always ready, fun! Enter the Olympus Trip 35. The camera designed and sold for the masses to take with them on holidays and travel, thus the name Trip. So popular that it sold for 20 years and well into the millions, which can even be seen today on the second hand market. Further…
September 14, 2016Last weekend Sydney hosted two quite different festivals, The Festival of Chocolate and The Festival of the Wind. Both with a tonne of photographic opportunities, but to my mind requiring very different approaches. I attended both of these and thought it would be interesting to show what I chose to use and why. I will be posting the photographs I…
August 31, 2016Every type of camera has an entry point model. For rangefinders there is a number of them, with one of the most popular being the Yashica Electro 35 range. There has been a number of iterations of this camera, all with very slight differences, with the Electro 35 GL being a bit of a lost model, mainly due to a…