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In: Optical Review Blogs
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I’m still fond of lenses with a 28mm focal length, despite having other lenses (in different systems) that are wider, but sometimes all you need to get the job done is a 28mm. The Canon FD 28/2.8 fits that bill; it is essential and no-nonsense, with nothing overly interesting about the lens or optics. The FD 28/2.8 gets the job done without any fanfare. There are two versions of this lens available in Canon’s FD-Mount: the original collar-lock version (FD) and the button-lock version (FDn), which allows for easier mounting and dismounting of the lens from the camera body. After picking up the AE-1, whichRead More →

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In: How To
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One of the more interesting parts of B&W film photography is the ablity to adjust how the film behaves. There are many different ways of adjusting how the film looks, you can over or under expose the film, or push/pull the film in development. You also have various different developers to adjust how the film looks and different dilutions. But there is also the ideas of adding coloured filters to your lens to change what light and how much light hits your film. Now it might seem weird to put coloured glass over black & white film, but it can adjust and change how differentRead More →

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Last year, there was an explosion of new film releases from a rebirthed ORWO; while some are variants of their popular black & white motion picture stocks, they also showed off two new colour films. There is still a lot of controversy around ORWO, especially in their future and future film manufacturing capacities. This month, I’m covering one of the two colour film stocks ORWO released last year, NC500. According to the ORWO website, NC500 is based on a classic Agfa colour motion picture film stock. The same film stock used to film the 1985 film, Out of Africa. But this is a new filmRead More →

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In: Frugal Film Project
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Well, here we are at the start of a new year and looking back at last year’s outstanding Frugal Film Project! I had a lot more fun with this project, and it helped nurture my soft spot for consumer 1990s/2000s SLRs. It’s funny; I never saw these as viable cameras before, yet they have a beautiful charm. You don’t have to worry too much because they can be a dime a dozen. Plus, they work with many lenses that most people use with their other autofocus systems. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Minolta (Sony) all have lenses that work on both digital (full-frame) and 35mm bodies.Read More →

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I first learned about the fourth generation of Minolta SLRs from the Film Photography Project and Leslie Lazenby’s promotion of the Maxxum 700si as one of the perfect autofocus SLRs ever produced. And having used one in the past, the 700si is a good camera. I used one for a few rolls before passing it along; I had yet to return to the Minolta A-Mount. Then I got a 7000, which burned and was replaced with a Maxxum 9 because why not go from one end to another? It was with the ‘9 that I got my taste for the A-Mount. But in my reviewRead More →

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In: Sixteen
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And so, dear readers, we have reached the end, or rather the beginning of the story, at least my story with Oakville. So it is only fair that the place that brought me to Oakville in the first place is the last sheet shared, that of Sheridan College. And while my involvement with Sheridan starts with Oakville, Sheridan’s story begins in Brampton. In 1965, the Ontario government, under Premiere Bill Davis, signed into law an act to create a series of colleges across the province. These post-secondary institutions would provide a practical education for students. And in Brampton, Ontario, a condemned and closed High SchoolRead More →

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In: Developer Review Blogs
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If there is the closest thing to a universal developer in the film photography world, that developer is Diafine. If you’re thinking, “Wait, aren’t all developers universal?” You are right; a B&W developer will develop many different film stocks. But it doesn’t often happen that two other film stocks, shot at different speeds, can be developed simultaneously. There are some examples of cross-over, but only a few. Diafine uses three main development times and a couple of unique combinations. These are shared across many different film stocks that allow you to develop multiple rolls shot multiple ways in the same tank. You can also shootRead More →

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In: Sixteen
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The significant reason this project has succeeded is that Oakville and the Trafalgar Township have local historical societies. And while some stories were easier to find and write about than others, it is because of the efforts of these groups that these stores continue. And I’m now honoured to include my takes on these stories to keep them going. The Oakville Historical Society starts with Hazel Matthews and her sister Juliette. Both being direct descendants of William Chisholm and having grown up in Oakville, would take ownership of Earchless from their Mother upon her death. While Juliette took up residence in the big house, HazelRead More →

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Gairloch Gardens is a hidden gem in Oakville’s downtown. While set away from the original core of the community and the historic downtown, I first discovered this quiet space thanks to my good friend Bill Smith. And it proved to have a unique history intertwined with Oakville’s cultural scene. William Gordon MacKendrick, born in Galt, Ontario, in 1864, is best known for his service in the Middle East during the First World War. MacKendrick, as a Lieutenant-Colonel, seconded to the 5th British Army in the Sinai & Pallistein Theatre under the command of Field Marshal Sir Edmund Allenby. Colonel MacKendrick would command the construction ofRead More →

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Regarding films and photography, you encounter polarisation daily—your choice of film, camera, developer, and even how you shoot or your subject matter. But among the more divisive film stocks, one brand stands out: Foma. Now I’m a reborn fan of Foma films. Initially, I was unhappy with the results, but I soon learned to like them once I learned how to develop them. While I’m still on the fence about Fomapan 200, I’m a big fan of Fomapan 100 and Fomapan 400. And back in 2019, on a trip to Chicago, I grabbed a couple of rolls of Foma Retropan 320, hoping to find somethingRead More →