November 16, 2018The Kiev 30 is a camera that inspires day dreams of cloak and dagger spy games. It belongs to the subminiature class of cameras, which are specifically designed to be as small as possible. In reality, if they were ever used for international espionage they had to be small to stay discreet. You’re not going to get away with breaking…
October 26, 2018The Kiev 4 is a beautiful, silent and graceful camera. It has a classic rangefinder design which just makes you want to pick it up and start shooting with it. Paired up with the well regarded Jupiter 8M Contax mount lens, it forms a formidable team. Especially with a very accurate focus, achieved through one of the widest available rangefinder…
October 19, 2018The BelOMO Agat 18K is a bit of an oddity. It is a camera that by all intents and purposes sells itself as a toy camera, but has functionality which even some “better” made cameras lack. When you first pick it up is feels very light and is considered one of, if not, the lightest film cameras that use 35mm…
September 21, 2018The Kodak Retina is a camera that holds a certain amount of mystique. It was made by a company that by the 1930s was more focussed on manufacturing film and generally created cameras to support that and the multiple formats they were introducing. Kodak never seemed to aim for or achieve anything above a second tier camera manufacturer, but the…
August 31, 2018To try out 110 film there are only a few higher quality options, with the Minolta 110 Zoom SLR being one of them. This is very distinctive looking camera, possibly designed to resemble an original Cylon Raider! What it does show is that Minolta, in their heyday, was very progressive and not afraid to try new ideas. 110 film is…
August 10, 2018Everyone loves a little bit of luxury. The finer things in life. Not that surprising we then have a camera with gold trimmings like the Nikon Lite.Touch 140 Zoom ED AF. A camera that gives the feeling you are using something with leather seats and a top class gold finish. That is if you ignore the fact the camera body…
June 29, 2018Sonnar at a budget price. Those are the thoughts when purchasing a Jupiter 8 lens. A lens design which has become quite a “must have” for a photographer, but can be out of reach in many cases. This is where the wonderful Jupiter 8 (ЮПИТЕР-8) comes in, with a very useable L39 Leica Thread Mount or Contax bayonet mount, both…
June 1, 2018Beautiful. Clean Lines. Minimalist. These are all words uttered about the Carl Zeiss Werra cameras. Cameras with a top plate that only house a shutter release and an exposure value display, sitting within a smooth metal finish that would have made Steve Jobs proud. Only, the Werra 2 covered in this review was produced decades before Apple computers, yet alone the iPhone…
May 11, 2018Square instant photography too limiting? Want a camera that fits nicely on The Love Boat set? You have a preference for the Polaroid integral instant film? There is one camera that fits this bill, it is the Polaroid Spectra! The Spectra uses the same film formula as the Polaroid 600 cameras but is in a wider format rather than the…
April 27, 2018Very often it is considered a form of flattery to be copied. It means you have achieved something causing envy amongst others and they would like to also have it, but not necessarily have the means to get it. That is the case with Leica cameras. Whilst not everyone covets them, there is many people that do. This spurred on a…
April 6, 2018Summer means sunshine, longer days, heat, sun screen, swimming and fun. During this time, a camera that can be used at the beach, the pool, on land and is not overly expensive or complicated is quite a wish list. The Canon Sure Shot A1 aims to fulfil this, all the time maintaining quality in both the water and on land. …
March 16, 2018In the realm of Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras, many people chase the Rolleiflex, the shining light at the top of the mountain. This is in a landscape of TLRs of which there are more brands and types than I could possibly list. The Rolleicord is its smaller brother. While understandably a lower spec and not many people would argue…