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If there’s one thing that is always uncertain these days is the availability and quality of photochemistry. At the same time, some companies have had no issues with maintaining their normal level of quality. As manufacturers of the materials and chemistries shift away from the originals, things get a little grey. Thankfully some are willing to take a chance and help keep things going, and one such company is Adox. While most of their chemical offerings are based on formulas from other firms, Rodinal, FX-39, and Atomal spring to mind. Adox XT-3 is a new offering, backwards engineers from Kodak Xtol a well-loved Ascorbic AcidRead More →

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When it comes to metering for precision, there is nothing better than a spot meter, but most spot meters these days are expensive, both new and on the used market. The first and only spot meter I’ve used is the Pentax Spotmeter V. This analogue 1° spot meter has become the accessory that always gets thrown in my bag when I’m out with my Crown Graphic Hasselblad or Mamiya for precision tripod-based work. The meter served me through almost my entire War of 1812 project, Canadian Confederation and most recently, the Railway project. A simple easy to use device that allowed me to execute aRead More →

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In: Foma:52
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There’s a good chance that if I’m heading along Highway 7/8, a sign for New Hamburg is something that I will generally ignore. If I’m in that part of Ontario, I’m on my way to points further west, good chance, Stratford. But I’m also a sucker for a new town, so I made the point to head into New Hamburg during a day out shooting for reviews last year. Like other communities in Southern Ontario, the town has been expanded outwards in urban sprawl with several new subdivisions. Still, it has also maintained a cosy historic downtown, which is where we’re exploring today. There isRead More →

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Here we are at the end of another year! While 2021 was significantly better than 2020, we still have a long way to go, but things certainly were looking brighter (not so much now)! And while I certainly did not get all I wanted to in for 2021 mainly because of continued restrictions throughout the first part of the year, I am happy with the amount of work I did, and I’m rather pleased with what I did do this year. Project Work For 2021 I brought back one of the first formats of photography projects I ever did, the fifty-two roll project. Where IRead More →

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When I first started into the Minolta Maxxum system, my first two lenses were zooms, the iconic duo of f/4 classics, the 35-70mm and 70-210mm. A trip to Burlington Camera yielded a couple of prime lenses that would be perfect additions to my kit; they were the classic 50mm f/1.7 and the lens I’m reviewing today the 28mm f/2.8. The Maxxum 28/2.8 is a great lens and a perfect fit. Doesn’t take too much space. It is close to the same size as the 50 and even the 35-70 and is my favourite prime lens for my Maxxum 9 system without a 35mm prime. AndRead More →

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In our first episode, we discussed those cameras that can take any work we throw their way, and so to close off this season; we’re bringing that topic back! What makes things interesting is that some of our choices have changed, and some familiar cameras are still on the table but in different people’s hands! And there are no surprises in this list; we have cameras like Hasselblads, Mamiya, Olympus, Nikon, Canon, and Minolta are all in our choices. And when it comes to workhorses, these are cameras that will work in any condition and deliver solid image quality. You also need a camera thatRead More →

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Across Ontario, there are many surviving enclaves of the 19th century. In the middle of that century, much of the Province saw a massive upswing in population growth. But none can compare to one of the oldest urban centres in Ontario, that of Niagara-On-The-Lake. And Heather and I took a short getaway here last week after discovering the lovely Pillar & Post Inn the previous year. The small peninsula that sits at the mouth of the Niagara River first saw human settlement back in 100 CE by an off-shoot of a people known as the Mound Builders. Little is known of these people in Canada;Read More →

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In: Film Review Blogs
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I remember not being overly excited about Rollei Paul & Reinhold when it was first announced in September of 2020. I mean, yes, it is great to see a special edition film released to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of a premier and historic camera maker (Franke & Heidecke later Rollei). There was little data on the film at the time, and there are still many gaps. Given that the actual film stock is unknown, it’s either a limited edition run (made in Italy, not Belgium) or a found stock that has been rebranded. Either way, Rollei has been tight-lipped about the film’s source. Given thatRead More →

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When it comes to Film Photography, most of the technology behind the medium has not changed that much since its inception. But some things are still struggling and need to rest in peace, or often in pieces. The gang sits around and hashes out formats and technologies that need to be put to bed, with items like Selenium Meters, 126 formats, APS, among the things. And they also talk about new advances in film photography and technology behind them like ReveniLabs Meters. Recycling old cameras and lenses from systems that aren’t too popular to formulate new cameras again. ReveniLabs and, more specifically, the Press Pan,Read More →

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It’s funny that for this year’s 52-roll project, the city of Toronto that has in the past featured prominently has taken more of a minor role this time around. With all the restrictions placed on us this year, I have found myself purposefully avoiding the city. But when my friend John Meadows asked me to be a part of his project, I jumped on a visit to Toronto. After spending time at The Only, I decided to take the hour and a half walk from Greektown on the Danforth to downtown Toronto to stock up on supplies at Downtown Camera. Having already told the grandRead More →