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

Millbrook Diner, Kodak Aerocolor.Here it is, almost the end of December, and it’s a good time to review some events of 2023, both good and bad, that involve film-based photography.  In the digital world, it’s all about mirrorless wonders from Nikon, Canon, Leica, Fuji, etc., but over here in film land, we rarely get new film cameras, so we get excited by new film stocks, right?  Of ..read more

 Yes, this is a pitch for my latest issue of Monochrome Mania!  First of all, when I started Monochrome Mania in 2020, I had no idea that I would be publishing a 12th issue just a few years later.  Yes, for me, it's my creative outlet, and more importantly, I'm able to reach many more people with a zine than with a gallery showing.  Twenty Years of Holgas actually started ..read more

 Like a lot of people, I’ve been curious about Harman’s release of an experimental color film, and like a lot of people, I really had no advance information about it.  No, I’m not a YouTube influencer, getting a preview at the Harman factory, nor did they send me an advance info packet.  Mike Raso of the FPP sent me a package with two rolls of the Phoenix film, along with the ..read more