Let’s face it: Shooting film is not exactly the cheapest of all possible endeavors. And many of us are looking for ways to shave a few bucks off the cost of our favorite hobby. That’s originally what got me to try Foma Bohemia‘s three primary film stocks — all under the Fomapan name — but it’s not what’s kept me using them.
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Review: Mamiya C220 Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Medium Format Film Camera
I recently acquired (yet) another medium format camera: a Mamiya C220 TLR. It was offered on eBay (a place I normally avoid like the plague), but the fact it was fully complete — including boxes, manuals, all body and lens caps, etc. — and in great condition made it sort of a no-brainer to take the risk. I’m glad I did, because what arrived was every bit as good (or better) than the eBay listing photos. Full-form reviews on this camera are virtually non-existent, so it also seemed like a no-brainer to take a deep dive and explore its allure in detail.
Continue reading…Review: Pentax 645 Medium Format Film Camera
There are already multiple reviews, history lessons, opinions, and so forth regarding the Pentax 645 medium format film camera (my favorite being Todd Reed’s on Emulsive), and as I begin this piece, I’m not sure I’m necessarily going to be bringing deep, new insights to the table. But after shooting with this camera through over a dozen rolls of 120 film, I feel I’ve experienced its capabilities pretty well at this point, know some of its foibles, and have a basis to pull together some cogent thoughts. If you’re considering adding one of these cameras to your collection, read on.
Continue reading…Review: Yashica-A Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Medium Format Film Camera
The camera purchase I made in July 2019 was one I didn’t see coming: A lovely Yashica-A twin lens reflex (TLR) camera. But when I saw it in the display case at Englewood Camera with a US$125 price tag on it, it got my attention. Then when I looked closer, I just couldn’t not take it home with me.
Continue reading…Review: KEH.com; Making Used Gear Easy
It’s been nearly 20 years now that film photography started its downward trajectory, and while the vinyl-record-like resurgence of film is encouraging, and all signs suggest that film has stabilized,* it’s not been helped by a general decline in photography over the past 10 or 12 years or so — essentially the point at which smartphones came onto the scene, and became everyone’s default camera.
You can argue the timing, and you can argue the facts, but one thing is tough to refute: Camera shops have basically died off, helped by the rise of e-commerce, and we’re left with scant choices when it comes to photography gear in general, and film photography gear specifically. So what’s a photographer to do?
Continue reading…Review: Lomography 800 Color Negative Film (120)
With limited choices in film stocks these days, I feel compelled to try as many as possible — and actively support all of them I can, whether color, or black and white. That’s part of what drove me to try Lomography’s various color negative films. Well, that, and the low(-ish) price points. One of their film stocks that proved most interesting to me at first is Lomography Color Negative 800, or as I and many others call it, “Lomo 800.”
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