The Minolta P’s is a simple point-and-shoot dedicated panoramic 35mm camera. Manufactured by Minolta in 1991, the P’s came in multiple colors (red, blue, green, and gold), has a 24mm f/4.5 lens with five coated glass elements in five groups, and built-in autofocus. With shutter speeds from 1/4 to 1/200 second, the P’s accepts DX coded film from ISO 100 to 400. The camera’s auto advance, flash, and auto rewind are powered by a CR123a battery, and a separate CR2025 battery to power the date/time stamp. To create the panoramic image, the Minolta P’s simply masks part of the film in the camera. T ..read more

Before smartphones, we would have laughed at the idea of carrying around a single device that included several unrelated gadgets. I love it when companies in the past combined various items into a single device. That’s precisely what Hendren Enterprises did in 1983 with the Octopus, also known as The Weekender: a single $75 device that contained a 110 camera, AM/FM radio with a telescoping antenna, flashlight, stopwatch, and clock with an alarm. The Weekender requires an array of batteries: the camera flash requires two AAs, the flashlight and radio require three AAs each, and the clock requir ..read more

The Pentax Auto 110 is a unique camera in the history of photography. Introduced in 1978 by Pentax of Japan, it is known for being one of the smallest interchangeable lens SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras ever made. The Pentax Auto 110 uses 110 film cartridges, a cartridge-based film format created by Kodak. The 110 film has a frame size of 13x17mm, making it significantly smaller than 35mm film. As with most SLR cameras, the Pentax Auto 110 featured an interchangeable lens system. Pentax released a range of small lenses for the camera, including an 18mm f/2.8 wide-angle, a 24mm f/2.8 standar ..read more

A few years ago, I rented a Hasselblad 501CM from AcmeCameraRental.com in Salt Lake City, again confirming my love for medium format film and 6×6 square images. Despite admiring Hasselblad’s on eBay, their high prices kept me from purchasing one. Fortunately, I found a great deal—a Hasselblad 500C with a Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 lens and two backs for less than a thousand dollars. My excitement turned to disappointment when the camera jammed after a few days of use. Despite troubleshooting, it needed servicing, leading to a return and refund from the seller. During the initial transit of the ca ..read more

I may not be a professional concert photographer, but I am undeniably a devoted fan of The Psychedelic Furs. On the evening of Saturday, September 30th, The Furs took the stage at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. I decided I would attempt to capture some images with an Olympus LT Zoom 105, loaded with Kodak P3200 Tmax film. Manufactured by Olympus in 1997, the LT Zoom 105 is a straightforward compact camera featuring a 35-105mm, f/4.9 zoom lens. The model I used is the later QD version, equipped with a “panoramic” setting that effectively masks the image within the camera. This came ..read more

Bannack Ghost Town, nestled in the picturesque landscape of Montana, stands as a hauntingly beautiful relic of the American West’s gold rush era. Established in 1862, Bannack witnessed a surge in population as prospectors flocked to the region in search of fortune. The town, now a well-preserved ghost town, boasts weathered wooden structures that whisper tales of the past. Bannack’s Main Street, lined with weathered facades and remnants of a bygone era, transports visitors to a time when the town was a bustling center of gold mining activity. Notable structures, such as the Bannack Hotel and t ..read more

Last year, my wife and I embarked on a memorable two-week journey along Route 66. Our adventure began at the starting point of The Mother Road in downtown Chicago, with our destination of Santa Monica, California. To ensure we captured every moment, I packed a trio of cameras: Canon 6D (digital), Yashica Mat-124 G (1970 – 1986), and the Olympus OM-1N MD (1979). I shot Kodak Portra and Kodak Gold in the Yashica, and then used various black and white films in the Olympus. Even though the trip was over a year ago, I’m still going through all my images. A lot of great photos and a lot of fun memor ..read more

Last year, the Film Photography Project released a new 120 film that is a medical x-ray film, but it’s spooled onto 120 spools with numbered backing paper. I’ve shot some of their 4×5 x-ray film, and it appears much softer than this 120 film. This film offers good contrast with nice grain and is much sharper compared to the soft look of the 4×5 x-ray film. This film is subject to light piping, so when I loaded it into my Yashica Mat-124 G in dim light, I made sure to be cautious. After I finished the roll, I wrapped it in aluminum foil and sent it to theFINDlab with a note, asking them to ope ..read more

During the Fourth of July weekend last summer, my wife and I visited family in Idaho and took our bikes to ride The Ashton to Tetonia bike trail. With my favorite cycling camera, the Olympus Stylus Epic DLX (1997), in my back jersey pocket, we stopped at several spots to enjoy the scenery and capture some photos. The Ashton to Tetonia bike trail is a scenic route in eastern Idaho that spans approximately 30 miles between the towns of Ashton and Tetonia. The trail follows the old rail bed of the Yellowstone Branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, which was in operation from 1908 to 1975. The ..read more

The Nikon FA was produced by Nippon Kogaku from 1983 to 1987. It was designed as a mid-range camera with high-end features for serious amateur photographers. The most sophisticated feature is the matrix metering system, which uses five separate metering sensors to determine the optimal exposure settings for a given scene. The FA was also the first SLR to feature three sophisticated electronic metering modes: Matrix, Center-Weighted, and Spot. Matrix metering: With the new AMP (Automatic Multi-Pattern) meter with a built-in microprocessor, the camera analyzes the brightness, contrast, and colo ..read more