Too close for missiles; switching to guns….
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 Konica, or Konica I (also known as the Konica Standard or just Konica) is the first in a series of rangefinders that come at the beginning of a company that would go on to produce quality cameras for generations. As a mechanical 35mm film camera, the Konica I is a fine example of the … Read more
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
Introduced in December of 1980, the Mamiya ZE-2 Quartz is definitely a child of the 80s. There’s lots of plastic and cheap material where the leather covering should be. Mamiya has a storied past and a well deserved reputation for building high quality cameras with amazingly sharp optics. Adding that reputation Mamiya seemed to be … Read more
It seems like everyone at one time or another has been in the 35mm business, even Hasselblad had the X-Pan. There are several Mamiya 35mm film cameras, which is no surprise. The NC, with the 1000 and 1000s is one of the most recent lines. The NC 1000 is well built with a lot of … Read more
There are cameras that you find and wonder “How on Earth did I not know about this?” The Gelto DIII is one of those cameras. It’s a beautiful little camera that packs a big punch Backstory The Gelto camera line is comprised of a series of medium format cameras built both before and after WWII … Read more
The Olympus OM10 was the first consumer end camera of the OM series released in 1979. With many of the same design elements and features of their flagship OM-1, the OM10 is a solid performer with a lower price-point designed to get the attention of entry-level photographers. History Olympus is a Japanese company making cameras … Read more
The Pax M4, a compact 35mm film camera that’s the perfect size to toss in your bag and take everywhere. The M4 is the next iteration of the Pax M3 and there aren’t that many differences. Adding a frosted center panel to the rangefinder makes the M4 bright-line viewfinder bright and clear. There are subtle … Read more
The F3 was Nikon’s third professional film camera and would remain a top-of-line body in the family until it was discontinued in 2000. Even though there were newer cameras with more advanced features like the F4 and F5, Nikon continued to produce the F3. There are several models of the F3, each with their own … Read more
Bronica started designing and producing medium format cameras when it was founded 1958 by Zenzabur Yoshino in Tokyo, Japan. They continued to produce high quality cameras until 2005 when the last model, the RF645 was discontinued and ended their 47 year run. I stumbled onto the Bronica S2 system in 1995 while wandering around a … Read more
Built by the Haking company in Hong Kong, the Halina 35X is a stout little rangefinder 35mm film camera and released in 1959. It’s smooth design and compact size make the Halina 35X an attractive film camera. History and details Founded in 1956, the W. Haking Enterprises Ltd. made film cameras and binoculars, but also … Read more
The Bolsey Model C is a curious little 35mm film camera with its TLR design and cast aluminum body. The design of the camera is unique and eye catching, one of very few 35mm film cameras that boasts a twin lens reflex system, waist level finder and, just to make it even more unique, a … Read more
The Lordomat 35mm rangefinder camera is a 50s era film camera that has a lot going for it. With many lenses available for the camera, and other accessories it would have been a good pick. The Lordomat is easy to operate and fun to use, so the unique design is just icing on the cake. … Read more
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
I’ve been on a kick lately, and it’s been all about film. I can track it back to a few months ago I started going through some of my old negatives looking for some images I shot out in Eastern Oregon at a lonely (but seriously amazing) place called Leslie Gulch. Now, you really need … Read more