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There are certain brand names in cameras and even models of cameras that carry a certain quality that goes along with it, and often the idea that the simple matter of owning one will improve the quality of your photographs by extension. One of those names is Leica. The Leica has been attached to many greats within the world of photography. The Barnack Leicas are among those cameras and have created great images in the hands of famous photographers. So I went into this and found a good camera at a fair price, but I soon found that maybe Leica wasn’t for me, having goneRead More →

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There is something special about an Easter Sunday drive. Also when that drive follows a wonderful Sunday morning Worship with the amazing people at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina. From there I began what would be the long drive home with the first stop being Elkmont in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Tennessee. The area saw it’s first residents come around the 1840s, while these early settlers sought gold the rich lumber soon brought more and more people. Initially settling around Jake’s Creek these early logging communities were usually no more than shanty towns often having the company offices, a hotelRead More →

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This past Tuesday, the Ides of March, is also Expired Film Day. So I figured I would do a post about shooting expired film along with tips/tricks that I’ve come across with shooting old/expired film stocks. While I do a majority of my shooting with fresh film stock there is a certain level of fun and intrigue when shooting with expired film stock. 1. You can Shoot Film that is no longer available fresh. There are plenty of film stocks out there that is new that you can often make behave like well loved film stock in the past but it just never will beRead More →

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Probably the most powerful pocket camera I’ve ever used, the Olympus XA brings the power of the rangefinder, aperture priority and stunning optics into something that can fit in almost every pocket. I’ve used a couple cameras from the XA line in the past, the terribly restrictive XA1 (don’t let the 1 fool you, the 1 came later than the XA and was pretty darn limited), along with the wide angle XA4, but the XA is truly where Olympus made something that was nothing short of magic. Disclaimer: This is an old review, and is scheduled for an update and may look funny during thatRead More →

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Found in a mysterious factory in Rochester, New York, the Debonair, or the FPP Plastic Filmstastic 120 Debonair is one of the strangest cameras I’ve reviewed for this blog series. But also one of the more fun ones to use. This funky toy camera is one of many Holga/Diana clones that started to pop up in the late 20th century. It uses 120 roll film in a 6×4.5 format but portrait orientation, light weight and produces actually really fun results with the nice soft plasic “Super” lens. And to make this review extra special the images shot were done on World Toy Camera Days theRead More →

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“Are you going for the game?” The US Border services agent’s question jostled the brain slightly more awake. The coffee a couple of hours had helped but waking up at 4 am was certainly something I haven’t done in a while. Thankfully that wouldn’t hit me until the way home. I proceeded to explain that I was going to Ann Arbor for a photo walk; at least I didn’t say “What game?” (What shoo?). I then had to explain what a photo walk was. The day started at the local camera shop, Camera Mall who were wonderful hosts for not only opening early but providingRead More →

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The Nikon F5, at first glance you might mistake it for a digital SLR. I certainly have been asked ‘what sensor is in that camera’ and depending on my mood and my general view of the person asking I might reply with something a little more sarcastic, other times a simple response is “oh a 36x24mm or full-frame as it’s called in digital photography.” The F5 was my second grail camera after switching over to a Nikon system from Minolta, in fact, I picked up the battery grip for the F80 to make it look like an F5 because at the time the F5 wasRead More →

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When it comes to SLRs, I spent a lot of time looking for inexpensive cameras in systems that I had never touched before. I had a vague idea of Konica cameras and their SLRs. On a trip to Burlington Camera, I happened across the Autoreflex T4, and Joan told me how these were underrated but that the optics were where the camera shone. Other than that, the camera isn’t much of anything. Basic, simple, and took amazingly sharp images. Camera Specifications Make: Konica Model: Autoreflex T4 Type: Single Lens Reflex Format: 135 (35mm), 36x24mm Lens: Interchangeable, Konica Bayonet Mount II (AR Mount) Shutter: Copal SquareRead More →

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If there is an icon of Nikon’s durability and commitment to quality the Nikon FM2 is that camera. With one of the most extended production periods of any Nikon camera (1982-2001), the FM2 is a no-nonsense, mechanical camera that can take any punishment you throw at it. I picked up the FM2n originally as a gift to a friend, but quickly fell in love with the camera and promptly purchased an older FM for the friend and kept the FM2n for my own. The FM2n became a constant companion. The Dirt Make: Nikon Model: FM2n Type: 35mm, Single Lens Reflex Lens: Interchangeable, Nikon F-Mount Shutter:Read More →

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Sadly, my usual trip over the August Long Weekend to Cleveland this year did not happen because the gentleman running the event has felt a bit discouraged over the lack of interest in it. (I really should make a point to go out and shoot the area this fall). So instead, I headed down to a different area of Ohio, Hocking Hills State Park. I had been seeing a tonne of really great photographs from the park from a good friend and fantastic photographer Mat Marrash of late so I decided to take him up on the offer to show me around the park andRead More →