One of my favorite types of photography is taking images from unique perspectives, revealing worlds unseen — or more accurately, unnoticed; images that reveal something you wouldn’t normally see, or don’t normally choose to look for. It could be shots taken low to the ground, or from the top of a ladder, but often it’s very simply shots taken up close.
Continue reading…Wesley King
Combating the Increasing Cost of Film: Why and How to Bulk Load
As I write this article in November 2021, film photography blogs, podcasts and social media are abuzz about rumors (or promises) by Kodak to raise prices on film again in January 2022 — the latest of a seemingly endless series of increases. It’s not just Kodak; Ilford has raised prices, as have secondary brands like CineStill, Lomography, Adox, Foma and others. And as is customary for companies recently, they’re all blaming COVID-19 and supply chain difficulties and their own rising costs as the reason. Whether you believe that story or sense opportunism, it doesn’t matter: film photography is getting more and more expensive, nearly every day. So, what do we do about it?
Continue reading…Review: Yashica-D Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Medium Format Camera
I’ve said very little about it here as I write this review in October 2021, but for over a year now, I’ve been slowly, methodically gravitating toward repairing and restoring cameras, and developing a workbench and collection of tools to do so. First it was the Zeiss Jena Biotar lens on my Exakta. Then I managed to get a couple of Zeiss Ikon Contina II cameras running (a model which still needs its own review here). Then a Graflex Graphic 35. Bit by bit, my confidence and knowledge levels rose in the face of (or perhaps because of) a few notable failures. And while I still know my limits (e.g., complex cameras don’t belong on my repair bench), I nevertheless relish tackling basket case cameras in horrible cosmetic condition just to see what (if anything) I might be able to do to get them working and looking acceptable again. Such was the case recently with a very tired, non-working, aesthetically bankrupt Yashica-D — one of the many twin lens reflex (TLR) models to come out of the Yashica factories over the course of the company’s existence.
Continue reading…Tips and Advice for Buying Used Film Cameras
Let’s face it: Buying a used film camera is fraught. The majority of them, at this point, are decades old. Many haven’t been physically well taken care of by their owners. Most haven’t seen a camera tech’s workbench once in their entire lives, other than (perhaps) for warranty service when still relatively new. Tons of them are filthy dirty on the outside, and likely just as grubby on the inside. And yet, many people buy cameras expecting (or at least hoping) that they’re ready to load with film and to work perfectly for years to come. While that’s sometimes possible, my experience tells me that’s the exception, not the rule. Instead, I find it best to become an educated buyer, and to calibrate one’s expectations in the process.
Continue reading…Review: Yashica Mat-124G Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Medium Format Camera
I don’t generally require nearly two years to write a review, but in fact, I did start this one in October 2019. The passage of time has given me new perspectives on the venerable Yashica Mat-124G TLR camera, and in those two years, much as changed about the used film camera market — especially when it comes to decent medium format cameras. Given this camera’s stature in the medium format universe, and given its amazing 16 year production run, from 1970 clear until 1986, it constitutes both a popular and a worthy choice — at least when you can find one to buy.
Continue reading…Review: Conley No. 2 Kewpie Medium Format Box Camera
When I got back into film photography a few years back, I was interested in one thing: shooting medium format film, using modern cameras — those no older than the 1980s. Rolleiflex lust dragged me into vintage camera territory, but I resisted embracing anything that could be described as antique. But one charity auction lot later, and here we are, deep into antique camera territory.
Continue reading…Review: Kodak Ektachrome E100 Color Reversal Film (135/120)
Many film photographers were crestfallen when — after declining sales resulting from the rise of digital — Kodak discontinued the last remaining variety of its Ektachrome color reversal film back in 2013, leaving Fujifilm as the only major producer of color reversal films. (I have always preferred the term “reversal film,” but many call it transparency film or slide film.) Some predicted that reversal films would eventually go away, labs that process E-6 (a chemical process identifier for Ektachrome and all other modern reversal films) would stop doing so, the very few remaining labs that specialize in E-6 would close, and that would be that.
Alas, that wasn’t the case, at least not for now. Film slowly began to rebound to a seemingly sustainable level; enough so, apparently, that Kodak made waves when it announced in late 2017 that the Ektachrome production line was to be restarted. Ektachrome E100 finally began reaching store shelves in 135 format in October 2018, followed by 120 and sheet formats, which began to trickle to stores just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Continue reading…Review: Ilford Delta 100 Black and White Negative Film (135, 120)
When I returned to film photography, I have to confess that I came back as a traditional emulsion snob. By traditional, I mean the old stuff: Tri-X, Fomapan, HP5, and so on. What I wanted was authenticity, and I didn’t think that some engineered emulsion, with its controlled formation of silver halide salts (that means you, Delta and T-Max) was something I wanted to have anything to do with. Oh, I tried the modern stuff — and was disappointed by its overly pure, overly perfect contrast, tone and grain. It looked… digital. And the entire reason I was shooting film was to not be digital. All that may be how the story begins, but it’s not how it ends.
Continue reading…Looking Good: Replacing Leather(ette) on Camera Bodies
Much of the world’s total supply of antique, vintage, or simply used film camera gear is at this point decades old. In fact, the newest film camera that I own, my Hasselblad 503CW, would this year (2021) be old enough to drink alcohol in my home state of Colorado (if it were a person), having been born manufactured back in 2000. And my oldest? It’s celebrating its 87th birthday this year. And much like their human counterparts, the years have not always been kind to film cameras. But like us, a little fashion advice (metaphorically speaking), or perhaps a minor little nip or tuck, can have some pleasing aesthetic results. Such is the case with refreshed leather (or leatherette) coverings.
Review: Ihagee Exakta Varex IIa (VX IIa) 135 (35mm) Film Camera
I have a tendency to find and buy cameras I wasn’t even looking for, and one of the latest examples is a classic: an Ihagee Exakta Varex IIa, known in some markets (including the USA) as the VX IIa. But I had dropped into Englewood Camera, my local shop, in late August 2020 for the first time since the pandemic hit in March. As always, I peeked at their used gear case, and there it was, calling my name, for the reasonable price of US$95. Needless to say, it followed me home — and man, am I glad it did.
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