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After Edgar’s disappointment in exploring a radar station from the Cold War, it would be several years before I could check one out. It wasn’t for lack of trying; I did try and figure out a way to visit the former CFS Falconbridge location, but that never materialised. However, when planning the first MayPEX trip in 2009, one of the places on our hit list was the former CFS Ramore, an almost intact radar station that served on both the Pinetree and Mid-Canada lines during the Cold War. Located in northern Ontario in the mainly francophone town of Ramore, but unlike Edgar, it was initiallyRead More →

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The first six months of the war had not gone as planned for the United States. Rather than a swift capture of Amherstburg, Niagara, and Kingston, the swift actions of the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock resulted in the capture of Mackinac Island, Fort Detroit and Michigan Territory down to the River Raisin, and a repulse of the invasion across the Niagara River which cost him his life at the Battle of Queenston Heights. The death of General Brock was a significant blow, as his replacement, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, proved to be a far less effective administrator and military leader. It got bad enoughRead More →

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Established in 2013 by MainStreetHost and taken on by Alex Luyckx Photography in 2015, #photochat is a community of photography professionals and enthusiasts who congregate to talk shop and discuss anything and everything photography. After a brief pause through 2023 Photochat is back with a monthly chat model, as of 2025 photochat has migrated to BlueSky Social. To participate in our monthly chat (every Second Thursday at 1:00 pm (ish)), search the #photochat hashtag on BlueSky Social to see the conversation, or find me at @alexluyckxphoto.bsky.social on BlueSky. Include the hashtag in your posts to answer the questions and talk with the other participants. IfRead More →

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It should come as no surprise that the core team at CCR are Nikon fans. Between Alex, James, and Bill, we have a ton of Nikon kit, from cameras to lenses. So, in this episode, we’re running through each of our five favourite Nikkor lenses from our auto and manual focus kits, pre-AI to modern Type-G. Thanks to Joss Hollingworth for putting forward this idea! It was a lot of fun to decide which lenses to include! Lenses in this episode include: Bill: Nikkor 105/2.5, Nikkor 50/2 (K), Nikkor 35/2, Nikkor 28-105/3.5-4.5D, Nikkor 50/1.8 James: Micro-Nikkor 200/4D, Nikkor 50/1.4D, Nikkor 35/2D, DC-Nikkor 105/2D, Nikkor 85/1.4GRead More →

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While my initial plans for March were to attend the monthly regularly scheduled Toronto Film Shooters Walk, when the date didn’t work with my schedule, I went ahead and planned a bonus walk earlier in the month! So, the small group met at Dineen Coffee Co on Yonge Street before heading out. The weather had been looking pretty dreary since Monday, and by Saturday, there was still the threat of rain, but we got rain, shine, or snow. I had made a point to get into the city early to shoot through a couple of other rolls for future reviews (Sensorex and Elan 7 withRead More →

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Kit lenses: I have ones I like and others I’m not too fond of; of the ones I’m not too fond of, it’s the Canon Zoom Lens EF 28-80mm. After using the lens extensively last year for the Frugal Film Project, I realised that it has many things that could be improved in the optical quality and set out to get my hands on Canon’s elevated kit lens, the 28-105mm USM. I also used the lens while reviewing the Canon EOS Elan 7ne and A2. First introduced in 1992 as the standard kit lens for the EOS A2, it features the USM or Ultra SonicRead More →

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The one aspect of my photography that I rarely discuss is how and why I make images the way I do. I love talking about history, gear, and the technical aspects of the craft but not about why I pick the subjects, the composition and why I mainly shoot in black & white (mostly with film). The primary reason is that these are all highly subjective, each individual has their thoughts and options. In this case, all the options are valid and personal. And no, this is not about a hot take or a controversial option; it’s only my thoughts on the creative process. EvenRead More →

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From strange cameras to films and developers! Join Alex, James, and Bill as they sit down for a quick roundtable on some of the stranger things they’ve encountered in their film photography: a Miranda and Rollei 35 to an Exacta, expired films, and oddball developers. It isn’t that any of these things are bad; they just happen to be a bit odd when compared to modern cameras, films, and developers that are pretty similar to similar offerings. In 2024 and more recently in January Hurricanes and Wildfires directly affected tens of thousands of Americans; among them, we’re sure are listeners of this podcast and membersRead More →

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My history with Consumer’s Glass starts somewhere other than Hamilton, but rather my hometown of Milton. One of the earliest abandoned locations I ‘discovered’ after getting a hot tip was the former Milton plant, but that was among the final Consumer’s Glass plants constructed and among the first to be torn down. The Milton works, completed in the late 1970s and became operational in 1980, was a local landmark, the tall silos standing over a small industrial section and easily seen when heading east on the 401 approaching Highway 25. The Hamilton works, however, were far more interesting, not only larger but older, much olderRead More →

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Lieutenant-General George Prevost, Governor-General of British North America, was displeased with his subordinate, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock. General Brock had disobeyed his orders, and instead of sticking to defence, he had gone on an offence and captured both Mackinac Island and Detroit from the Americans. President James Madison was unhappy with the results of the first months of the war, especially the surrender with little to no fight by the defenders. But what got Prevost was that Brock had received high praise for his actions and a knighthood. And with news that the Orders-In-Council were being repealed and the main complaint and the source ofRead More →