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The 35mm f/2.8 lens saw initial release in 1959 and consisted of 7 elements in 6 groups, this optical construction would continue into 1974. The AI version of the lens that saw release in 1974 changed the optical construction to 6 elements in 6 groups (a construction shared with the f/2 version). In 1979 a fourth version of the lens saw release that many see as ‘inferior’ with only 5 elements in 5 groups. The lens I’m reviewing today is the fourth version of the 35mm f/2.8, and honestly, I find it just as good as my 35mm f/2D. Not only does it still performRead More →

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If there’s one lens that I don’t use that much is the 135mm focal length. I shoot a tonne with my pair of Nikon 105mm lenses and the 100mm in my Maxxum system is becoming a fast favourite. But I have a pair of 135mm lens one in Nikon the other in Rokkor that just don’t get the same amount of love as the others do. And oddly enough there are plenty of other photographers out there that their lenses feel the same lack of love. Enter Dan Novack when he posted a challenge on the Negative Postive’s Podcast group on Facebook asking if anyoneRead More →

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Well, looks who’s back! It’s the FP4Party! This time around I have no outstanding projects so unlike in the final FP4Party I can actually work hard on this one, unlike the last time I gave a rather lack-lustre performance. I sat down early and planned out my week, collecting five ideas of where to shoot and what I wanted to shoot with. The film, of course, a favourite of mine, Ilford FP4+. I came up with one roll of 35mm, three rolls of 120 and a box of 4×5. Now in the past, I’ve usually stuck to one day of shooting for these parties. ButRead More →

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Keeping it nice and simple for this week, a simple white clapboard church along my way to and from work. The Church of Christ in Omagh, Ontario is one of the oldest churches in the area and has always caught my eye, mainly for its simplicity. If you go into the town of Milton proper along the main street are three rather ornate churches, including my home church, but this one made a great subject to shoot right from the hip, yep, sporting the Crown Graphic as it was designed to be shot…handheld. Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – Kodak Tri-X Pan (320TXP)Read More →

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Many people have heard me complain about lugging around the large format gear, a heavy tripod, lots of film holders, and all the extra gear that comes with shooting large format. But I keep on shooting it. So many ask why…so in response to Mat’s blog on the subject. And while it’s complaining, it’s nothing compared to when Mat and I drove around the Cleveland Flats in 2013, and he had the massive Sinar P2 8×10 camera. So why do I shoot it? Because the results are outstanding, I find that it disciplines me; I can go out with ten sheets of film and comeRead More →

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Returning to the classic combo, Tri-X and HC-110. Due to flooding on my usual route to and from work, I had to take a road that I hadn’t driven in a while, and that’s where I came across this gem. It’s becoming fairly common in rural Milton to find old abandoned farmhouses, the field still used by others now, but the old houses left boarded up. I’m a little ticked at myself for leaving the gatepost in the frame, but sadly it was the only way to get the house through the trees without having to put the camera on a weird angle or findRead More →

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Anyone who is a fan of the Film Photography Podcast is probably aware of a fantastic photographer named Jim Austin or Jimages. Well, week 5 is probably because of Jim and his philosophy of slow photography. See, I took this photo before I lugged out the camera. I came across this scene the day prior, stopped the car, got out, and admired it, but I didn’t take the photo then. I waited a good 24 hours before dragging the camera out. It took me that long to build the final picture in my head. And while that is taking the risk of not seeing theRead More →

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At least my drive to work isn’t all city driving; there are some suburbs, and my favourite section, the rural areas, which can be a pain this winter, especially with the number of storms we’ve been hit with in Southern Ontario. When I first started driving past it almost ten years ago, this barn was intact, part of an abandoned farm (my first experience with urbex). The fields around it are still used, but the barn and the house are not. Sadly the decade has not been kind; storms, rain, snow and ice have knocked it down. Modified Anniversary Speed Graphic – Kodak Ektar f:7.7Read More →