Minox : The quintessential Spy Camera

Minox film cameras

Since its inception in 1932 the Minox subminiature camera has been the essential spy camera. Its compact design, sturdy construction and mechanical shutter have transformed the Minox from a photographic curiosity to a legendary spy camera. History Designed in 1932 by Walter Zapp the Minox was first produced in their Latvian factory VEF (Valsts elektrotehnisk? … Read more

The Futura-S : not just another rangefinder

Futura S with lens hood

The history of the Futura camera line starts during the second World War with Optische Anstalt, an optics factory that produced equipment for the German Military. Unfortunately the factory was destroyed during the war, so after the war ended the founder Fritz Kuhnert built a new factory and by 1947 was producing the Efka 24. … Read more

Canon AE-1 35mm film camera

Canon AE-1 35mm film camera

There are a lot of cameras out there, too many at this point, but there are few cameras that have the same notoriety as the Canon AE-1. History Released in 1976, the Canon AE-1 was the first camera produced that was controlled entirely by electronics. Canon also made use of new mass production techniques and … Read more

Calumet Studio Camera : CC-400

Calumet CC-400 studio camera

Large format cameras come in all shapes and sizes and diverge wildly in regards to what features the camera has and what kinds of and how many movements it can do. The style of photography you’re doing or learning directly influences the type of camera you want. Picking a camera There are really only three … Read more

Comparing features of Nikon 35mm film cameras: FE, FM & F3.

Nikon film cameras

Nikon has been making high quality 35mm film cameras for more than a century. As a result, they’ve made dozens of models over the last 103 years. If you’re looking to add a film camera to your stable, and want a manual camera with a built-in meter then this post is ready-made just for you. … Read more

Mamiya C220 Twin Lens Reflex Medium Format

Mamiya C220 medium format film camera

When I hear someone talking about a TLR, my mind instantly goes to Rollei. They ruled the market on high quality TLR cameras (and some others). The next best thing to a Rollei is a Mamiya from the C line of cameras. The Mamiya C220 is the third camera in the Mamiya C line. It’s … Read more

Linhof Technar : Point & Shoot Large Format

Linhof Technar large format camera

I have a lot of cameras. I’ve used even more than what I currently own, so when I say that camera X is my favorite, there’s more than a fair amount of experience that puts it in that position. The Linhof Technar holds that spot. I have a bias though, I love Linhof. Their cameras … Read more

Hole in the Wall Falls

Hole in the Wall Falls

The Columbia River Gorge is an amazing swath of land and water that dominates the landscape connecting Oregon and Washington. Nearly 80 miles long from the stem to stern you can be at sea level one minute and then be at 4,000 feet the next. Comprised of layer after layer of basalt that flowed from … Read more

The ultimate power ride : Specialized Turbo Levo Comp

Specialized Turbo Levo Comp

I’ve been riding & racing bikes since I was 15 years old. My love affair with two wheels started when my best friend’s brother came home with a custom 10 speed that weighed less than half of what my Sears Huffy weighed in at. I couldn’t believe the way the bike rode. Every time I … Read more

Navigating the murky waters of restoring an iPhone with a lost passcode

I guess this is intentionally kind of hard to figure out, it kinda makes sense but even a visit to the Apple store didn’t illuminate enough light on how to do this. So, a little history. I set a restriction passcode on a phone we had in the house for my kids to use, and … Read more

LiPo charging bags are your friend; use them.

I’ve been playing with Quads and RC Cars for a long time, too many years to really count actually. It wasn’t until the last 2 or 3 years that my collection of LiPo batteries has grown beyond the count of the NiMH batteries I used for RC Cars. I have half a dozen NiMH batteries … Read more

Old camera day: Revere Model 40 8mm Movie Camera

Revere 40m film movie camera. You wind they key and the camera will continually change

I’ve just about given up on going to Estate sales because it seems like I always see the remnants of good camera gear, but never the gear itself. The number of times that I have ended up buying a half dozen 4×5 or 8×10 film holders outnumbers the times I have actually run across the … Read more

Developing black and white film

ilford HP5

As I noted in a recent post, I’ve been shooting a lot of film, and while I really enjoy going to Blue Moon to gawk at all the goodies, it’s been gnawing at me that I have all of the equipment to develop film myself and haven’t managed to get off my arse and do … Read more

Well hello there film; I’ve missed you.

rail

On a whim last month I decided I would buy another film camera. I was wandering around Blue Moon Camera and they had a couple Nikon FE bodies, and one came with a 28mm f/2.8, so I bought it. There really isn’t anything remarkable about me buying another camera really, I mean I already have … Read more

Reviewing the Dart-XT : Doug Marcaida Signature knife

Dart XT Karambit

Having been a fan of the TV Show Forged in Fire for a year or so now, I’ve been amazed and amused by the antics of blade-smiths having to forge a functional knife in under 6 or 7 hours. It’s always amusing who talks it up and who goes home early, but when I dug … Read more

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