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Oddly enough this is not the first Praktica SLR that I’ve had in my collection, one of my earliest SLRs that I never actually got around to using was a Praktica Super TL that ended up going into one of the early giveaways for the Film Photography Podcast in their first season along with a LOMO Lubitel 2. So when the LTL showed up at my doorstep, I decided to give the cameras another go. The LTL is, given its age, a bit of an anachronism. By the 1970s, most camera makers west of the iron curtain and Japan used open aperture TTL metering. Yet,Read More →

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When you’re tied up in shooting film for reviews and a fifty-two roll project, things tend to fall through the cracks. It also doesn’t help that there’s been zero publicity from the folks behind Expired Film Day. Sadly, the reality last year was that expired film day fell as the thing started to fall apart globally. I did remember to shoot a roll of Tri-X last year for Expired film day. But it very nearly passed me by this year. Thankfully the good folks at Burlington Camera were on the job and posted something on their Instagram on the Saturday before the actual day. ThisRead More →

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When it comes to fine-grain developing, the developer that most people reach for today is Kodak Xtol. But Xtol is one of the newest developers to come out of Kodak, before Xtol if you wanted to tame that grain, you reached for Microdol-X. While I’m unsure as to when Microdol-X was first released by Kodak, I’ve found images online of the powder coming in cans rather than pouches. The logo style is that of 1935, so I’m guessing it was released at some point in the mid-1930s at the earliest. I stumbled across Microdol-X while visiting Pittsburg back in 2015, while my main goal wasRead More →

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The year is 2009; it honestly feels like forever ago now. So why am I writing about 2009 now? In 2009, I had a chance to attend for a second time the Canada Youth event at Brock University. Canada Youth was the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s response to the Youth Triennium Event hosted by the Presbyterian Church’s various branches in the USA, primarily Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA). I did get to one Triennium event, but by the time the next event came along, PCUSA had curtailed the number of spots available for Canadians. The PCC had already started their own event Canada Youth back inRead More →

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When it comes to 50mm lenses I’m a sucker for a fast fifty, and while I initially got the 50/1.8 (don’t worry, I will get that lens on the review table but not until next year). I couldn’t turn down the excellent price tag on the chrome nosed 50/1.4 when I was at Burlington Camera one day. While in some circles the early version (which I’m reviewing today) gets a bit of a bad rap due to the coating on the lens. But honestly, the coating just looks cool when hit with light and viewed at the right angle. Most will go for the newerRead More →

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When it comes to films that are not designed for normal pictorial use, I’m not one to shy away from them. That being especially after I went through three of the FilmWashi offerings, one of them being an Optical Audio Recording film. Even before I had loaded up Washi S into a camera, I had been approached by the Film Photography Project to beta test a new film they had acquired and were planned to release after collecting some developing times for the film. The name was FPP Super Sonic, and like Washi S, is an optical audio recording film. The idea of recording audioRead More →

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If there’s one thing that is a plus to having virtual meetups is that you can have them more often! After the success of last month’s meetup, we scheduled the next event last week Saturday. With restrictions lifting a bit in my area and having the need to visit Burlington Camera, I headed out early armed with a couple of cameras and film to take on downtown Burlington. My original plan had been to head out early, make it into the downtown for 8 am, which gave me a couple of hours to shoot and then head over to Burlington Camera for a resupply. Sadly,Read More →

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I never heard of the Duex before as I scrolled past the cameras being offered up for free on the Toronto Film Shooters Facebook Group, and this camera certainly caught my eye. One of the first things to catch me attention is the design of the camera, it screams art deco and saw the production during the height of the style’s popularity. The camera itself is asking to be used amongst the amazing architecture of The Loop in Chicago, Illinois or Manhatten in New York City. But since we’re in the time of plague still, it’ll have to be more local. The Duex is oneRead More →

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While these days the old standbys are still excellent choices to develop your film and offer up a great deal of variety there’s something to be said about having a universal one-size-fits-all developer. I first discovered this last year with Adox FX-39 II. But I quickly fell a rabbit hole of similar developers. And I’m not talking about Diafine, but rather Rollei Supergrain. Supergrain is an updated version of Amaloco AM 74. Supergrain offers up a series of dilutions and times that will develop most films at the same associated times. Perfect if you’re shooting a whole bunch of different films but have limited timeRead More →

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One of the least appreciated focal lengths in the world of photography is the humble 35mm lens. And I make a point to have one for almost all camera systems that I own. So I made a point that as soon as I got into the OM-System that a 35mm lens was on the shopping list. Like Nikon, the f/2 version carries a hefty price tag but like all systems, there is always an alternative. After a positive experience with the Nikkor 35mm f/2.8, I made a point to hunt down the Olympus equivalent. And it quickly became the lens of choice when I takeRead More →