LuckyPan SHD 400  what is it, really?A little over a month ago, I received two rolls from Reflx Lab of “new” LuckyPan SHD 400 to try out.  Having memories of shooting that film almost 20 years ago, I was eager to give the new film a try.  The Lucky Film brand goes back to 1958, as China Lucky Film Corp.  Based in Baoding, China, Lucky produces a variety of industrial and ..read more

I’m always eager to try new films, especially black and white emulsions.  This latest film isn’t exactly new, but it was only previously available in 120 and 4x5.  I have shot several rolls of the FPP X-Ray film in the past year, and found that I liked the results from this orthochromatic film.  So, I was understandably eager to try some in 35mm.The FPP 35mm X-Ray film comes in 36 ..read more

The N75/F75 SLR with a 35mm f/2 AF-D NikkorCheap and good are rarely found together, but in the case of the Nikon N75 (F75 outside North America), they coexist.  Introduced in 2003, the N75 was Nikon’s last consumer-level AF 35mm SLR, and it replaced the N65.  It sold for around $300 with a kit lens when first introduced, and it apparently was also sold as a body without a lens for less ..read more

Kodak's first Retina Reflex (Type 025) October 1958 ad in Popular PhotographyOver the years, I’ve tried out a number of 1950s - 60s SLRs with leaf shutters, such as the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex, the Topcon Uni, Kowa SET series, and of course, the Kodak Retina Reflex. Leaf shutters in SLRs are limited by two main attributes - the typical maximum 1/500 sec shutter speed, and the small throat ..read more

 Solar eclipses, whether total or partial, are one of those celestial events that leaves us in awe. I saw my first solar eclipse in March, 1970 in northern NY, followed by my second in May 1994 in Ann Arbor, MI, and in August 2017, also in Ann Arbor.  I probably have a photo somewhere of the 1994 eclipse, but not of the actual eclipse, but of the projected images through tree leaves.& ..read more

Olympus E-PL1 with 75mm Kern-Switar lens, 2012About a dozen years ago, I owned an Olympus E-PL1, which was a wonderful travel camera, and with the m4/3 mount, allowed me to attach a variety of lenses with the proper adapter.  I took a lot of excellent images with that camera, and I sold it and all of its lenses when I bought a Nikon 1 V1 and a Nikon 1 J1 body with lenses, thinking that hey ..read more

 I have been in a bit of a creative slump lately, whether it's writing or making photos. Today, I have felt the best in about a week, after getting over some lower-back issues that had me in a lot of pain and limiting my mobility.  Thanks to some stretches, ibuprofen, and heat pad, I now feel pretty good.  It's a rainy day, and the daffodils are looking quite good.  Spring is ..read more

 In 2021, I purchased this camera from an antique mall in Tucson, but in that incarnation, it was part of a mechanism to record store robberies - as discussed in this post.  This time, the Ricoh 35 ZF (ZF= zone focus) returned to Tucson as part of my gear for a week of photography and travel in the Tucson area.  Since the meter no longer works, I attached a small hot-shoe meter ..read more

 Sabino Canyon Recreation AreaAdrienne and I flew out to Tucson, Arizona for a week in the Sonoran desert and to also visit with our daughter who lives there.  It was perfect timing for us, as the temperatures at home went down into the single digits while we were away.  Our original flight plan had to be adjusted due to some delay in Asheville, which resulted in flying from AVL to ..read more

I was recently contacted by Reflx Lab to see if I’d like to try out their 200T 35mm film, and of course, I said yes.  There are so many new rebranded films turning up now, that it’s getting hard to keep track of them.  In 2022, I reviewed their 400D ECN-2 film which was Eastman Vision 3 250D with the remjet layer already removed, so that it could be processed in any lab ..read more