Film Cameras

The Mamiya Press Camera – With Great Weight Comes Great Versatility
2200 1238 Chris Cushing

I like things to be small, light, and simple, and these preferences apply equally to nearly any product. My favorite car since the close of the Second World War is the original Golf GTI, and…

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Everything You Need to Know about Reflex, a Brand New 35mm Film Camera – Plus We Talk With its Founder Laurence Von Thomas
1296 478 James Tocchio

Laurence Von Thomas smiles from a FaceTime window on my computer screen, his excitement masking the weariness he’s surely feeling just days before the launch of his company’s Kickstarter campaign. This campaign aims to fund…

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Polaroid Spectra Pro / Minolta Instant Pro – The Most Creative Polaroid Cameras Around
2000 1125 James Tocchio

In 1990, Minolta and Polaroid both released an improved version of the Spectra camera called the Instant Pro and Spectra Pro, respectively. These cameras were essentially the same as one another (though the licensed-from-Polaroid Minolta…

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The Leicaflex SL2 Could be the Best Leica SLR Ever Made
2200 1238 James Tocchio

The Leicaflex SL2 combines the exceptional quality of Leica cameras with technical capabilities that matched its contemporaries, and adds a dash of rarity.

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Canon F-1 vs FTb – Should You Go Pro?
2400 1350 Chris Cushing

In 1971, a shooter looking for the best Canon camera had two choices: the top level F-1, and its little brother, the FTb QL. I own both, and the two cameras produce images that are…

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Seizing the Means of Production with the Soviet Zenit-E 35mm Film Camera
2000 1125 Jeb Inge

I spent the better part of a recent Saturday traveling and photographing a number of towns in central Virginia. In the town of Orange it was a vintage Coca Cola advertisement painted on the side…

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James Lager’s Leica An Illustrated History is the Book Every Leica Fan Needs to Own
2000 1125 James Tocchio

There are lots of books covering the famous red dot from Germany, and most Leica fans are dedicated enough that their shelves hold more than a few of these, but there’s just one set that…

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Six Months with the M2 and My Struggles with the Myth of Leica
1999 1124 Josh Solomon

Author’s note: The Leica M2 is an interchangeable lens rangefinder introduced in 1957 by German optical powerhouse Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH. It is the successor to the famous Leica M3 used by Henri Cartier-Bresson, among…

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Documenting East Germany with Expired Film from 1990
1800 1319 Jeb Inge

When I first acquired a number of rolls of Kodak film that expired in 1990 I stored them in my freezer. And there they sat. I wasn’t sure what to do with them until last…

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Featured Photophile No. 008 – Enzo Gohlke
1333 2000 James Tocchio

Featured Photophile, our recurring segment showcasing talented amateur photographers, is back. Today we’re spotlighting a young photophile named Lorenz Gohlke, known to his pals as Enzo. Enzo is a classic example of today’s modern photo geek – a young…

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1905 Ticka Watch Camera – An In-Depth Look
2000 1125 James Tocchio

There’s this guy I know; one of those old-timey photo geeks that have seen it all and own most of it. He ran a camera shop for god-knows-how-long, the result being that he’s not too impressed by…

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