I’m not a rangefinder person, or shall I say I’m not a 35mm rangefinder person. But I will make an exception for a well-designed and made medium format kit. Meet the New Mamiya 6. While it was built during the age of premium medium format cameras and premium 35mm compacts, the New 6 is a camera that takes a lot from the historic camera that launched Mamiya as a company back in the 1940s. But takes things into the modern age with a light meter, electronics, interchangeable lenses and modern materials. This is a medium-format camera that I could see myself using if it didn’tRead More →

The city of Toronto offers many photographic opportunities, and doing a general Toronto post would be incredibly difficult. So instead, I will try to break it down into bite-sized pieces of history. So having to go into the city for an appointment at Sick Kids and being close to my birthday, we all headed out for a lovely walk over to one of the best examples of Victorian-era industries that survived in the city, the Distillery District. The history of the creation of alcohol dates back to the earliest parts of human history, but distilling spirit alcohol is something a little newer. First recorded inRead More →

Suppose this particular entry seems a little longer and more detailed. In that case, it is because, as a member of Knox Milton, I have far more accessible access to my congregation, plus the history has been well documented and easily accessed. This is the congregation that I grew up in and continue to serve with today! The construction of churches within the village of Milton did not start until the 1840s, when several large plots of land were subdivided and sold off into parcels. The first church to be planted within Milton’s downtown was St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in 1848, which was connected toRead More →

If there is one Door Open event in Ontario that has been consistent in my attendance is Hamilton’s. The Hamilton Doors Open event occurred over my birthday (40th) weekend. While I attended the event last year, it was a much shorter trip around the city. This year would be no different, with only three locations visited, armed with my D750 and 14-24mm lens and my trusty Mamiya m645 loaded with the 35mm lens and CineStill BwXX. My father-in-law and I went to three churches. Two familiar but not having visited in several years and one new location. St. Luke’s is a new addition to theRead More →

When it comes to photography, there’s always something extra you can get, and often these accessories are also the key to getting you things from here to there, getting the shot how you visualise it, nailing that exposure, keeping camera shake down, and all that other jazz. So the whole gang is here today to discuss everything from filters to camera bags, backpacks, straps, light meters and cable releases. Today’s show discusses Think Tank, Peak Design, Domke, Lowepro, MEC, Sekonic, Tiffen, Reveni Labs, Lasolite, and many more. Want a subscription to SilverGrain Classics and are a fan of Classic Camera Revival? Visit their shop onlineRead More →

Despite being Ontario’s fastest-growing town, Milton was once a rural backwater, a milling town with a notable agricultural background. This made it the ideal spot for many of the Methodist tradition to find themselves. St. Paul’s reminds me of that connection to the past and a church I have my connection to, attending the Milton Community Nursery School before elementary school. The first Methodist circuit riders came into Milton in 1827, Rev Anson Greene holding services at the farm of Elizabeth Harrison. The Harrisons were among the earliest settlers of Milton, arriving even before Jasper Martin. The Milton congregation remained at the Harrison farm andRead More →

While developing a colour-negative film is not as exciting as slide film, it is still satisfying. And while some might be hesitant these days to risk processing colour film in a home environment due to the increasing price and lower availability of colour-negative stocks, it is a way to help reduce the cost. And if you are a bit wary of the process, don’t worry. I was also when I first started, and while I did mess up the first set of four sheets of Ektar (yes, 4×5 Ektar), I soon figured out where I made my mistakes. Colour Negative processing uses those processes ifRead More →

While not as keenly felt when it was discontinued at its colour brother and faster cousin, FP-100b is the black & white instant film offering from Fuji that took a minimal role in my exploration of pack film. Rated at ASA-100 and with plenty of contrast to offer, FP-100b is a film that I honestly have no accurate remembrance of, having only shot three packs of the stuff in my entire time shooting the format. Although it carries the same cult following as the rest of Fuji’s FP lineup, I soon realised I missed the boat with this one. More keen on shooting colour instantRead More →

Sitting high above the downtown of Milton sits a squat, grey stone structure that would look better as a small country church in England than here in Ontario. You may also think that this was the oldest church in town, and while it is among the early congregations downtown, it is not the oldest. Saddlebag preachers were not only a Methodist means of holding services; the Anglican Church also employed missionary or itinerant ministers who travelled through rural areas to have services outside the major urban areas. These ministers began to hold services in Milton in 1844. As the town grew, attending these home-based servicesRead More →

When it comes to lenses, I enjoy working with wide-angle offerings, and they can genuinely tell you how dedicated a company is to manufacturing and designing quality optics. And even with my limited experience with Canon EOS lenses, the 28mm f/2.8 surprised me. It’s a tremendous carry-around lens that, despite being a first-generation model, still stands up today as delivering quality results in an affordable lens. And this was the second EOS lens I picked up, as I knew I wanted something fast and wide that wasn’t a zoom lens. Lens Specifications Make: Canon Model: EF 28mm 1:2.8 Focal Length: 28mm Focal Range: ∞ –Read More →