by Johnny Martyr On my way to work, I called the local camera shop to verify they had the camera I found on their website the night before. I was so excited when the employee reported that he had the Zeiss Super Ikonta in his hand that I replied “I’ll be there in about ten minutes to buy it!” It’s amazing that I didn’t notice the Zeiss when I’d visited the shop just a week ago looking for a 70-200 Nikkor for my wife. When I was looking that lens over, the clerk emphasized the benefits of buying camera gear in person at a store instead of over the internet. He said they often get repair inquiri ..read more

by Johnny Martyr Film photographer in 2000: “Why would I buy a new Nikon FM10 for $150, a new Nikon FM2 for $700 or a new Nikon FM3a for $800 from a camera store when I can buy a used Nikon FM from eBay for $50?” Film photographer in 2010: “Why would I buy a new Nikon FM10 for $300 from a camera store when I can buy a used Nikon FM for $75, a used Nikon FM2 for $200, or a used Nikon FM3a from eBay for $500?” Film photographer in 2020: “All the local camera stores are closed and nobody makes 35mm SLRs anymore. I have no choice but to buy a used Nikon FM10 for $50, a used Nikon FM for $100, a us ..read more

by Johnny Martyr Here’s a DM from a reader in France: “Hi Johnny, how are you? My name is Victor and I live in Paris. I was intrigued by your article about camera shops in Paris. I am trying to start in the photography world, more as a hobby than anything else, and I wanted to get a first camera from one of these shops. My idea was to get an analog and a digital camera. Do you have any tips to me on what type of analogic camera I could initiate with? I really wanted a Leica. I appreciate your help. Best, Victor“ Pair of M6 TTL 0.85x cameras with 90mm 2.8 Elmarit and 50mm f2 Summicron My respon ..read more

by Johnny Martyr I got the notification from my Ring doorbell when a non-descript cardboard box was dropped off at my front porch. Who, in the 1930s would have imagined that this little handcrafted camera would be couriered to the United States by robots and its arrival announced by a motion-sensing camera that transmits images to a computer in the recipients pocket? I sliced through a couple layers of brown packing tape and cut the German address label that straddled the box lids. I thought about the years that I’ve spent reading about this mysterious, short-lived but high-end camera company ..read more

by Johnny Martyr Meta outage – Facebook and Instagram are down! Go outside! Take some photos! Here’s a recent an appropriate shot I took of what is perhaps the last public payphone still standing in Frederick, Maryland. I shot it with my 1930 Leica and Leitz 5cm Elmar. I used a DOOMO Meter S to verify exposure and will soon be publishing a very comprehensive accessory shoe light meter article on Petapixel that you should check out. Spooling the Kodak Tri-X that I took this photo on too was a very cool new accessory for Barnack Leicas – a quick load spool made in Germany that allows you to load ..read more

by Johnny Martyr I recently got a question in response to posting some Kodak TMAX P3200 photos. The gist of it was that a photographer is learning how to achieve higher ISOs by pushing 400 speed films (which he referred to as “traditional films”) instead of using 3200 speed films (as if these are not “traditional”) because they have heard that 3200 speed films do not store well.  I am a big proponent of NOT refrigerating film AND shooting film in the dark. So this concern absolutely BLEW MY MIND! I took it as evidence of influencers’ insane, impressions-driven content contributing more to the ..read more

by Johnny Martyr Yesterday in the Leica III Users group on Facebook, someone asked: “I just got my camera back and am wanting to put my 135mm Elmar to use. Does anybody know of a good video or guide on how to use the lens? Am I just overthinking it? The Summitar 50mm is pretty intuitive, but I’m (maybe unnecessarily) intimidated by the Elmar). Any other considerations with it? Was just watching a video and the guy was talking about the lens being cali rated to the camera, no clue what that even means. I’m primarily wanting to use this lens for landscape photography.” My response: I wouldn’t s ..read more

Artist Statement I am an East Coast documentary photographer who shoots exclusively on black and white 35mm film with mechanical cameras using existing light with minimal digital editing.  My work is informed by mid-century photojournalism and is a response to perfectionism fatigue and homogeneity in commercial photography.  I use film imaging techniques to convey timelessness and universality.  And non-automated cameras and lenses so as to make my physical reaction to scenes a part of their rendering, reinforcing the authenticity and complete story of naturally occurring moments. Website and ..read more

by Johnny Martyr An easy blog topic that you’ll see this time of year will be retrospective lists. Retrospectives are a great way to drive more traffic to previous posts without much effort and keeping your post frequency in tact. For some reason, lists are a great way to excite search engines too. Combine these simple ingredients and you can’t fail. Well, shamelessly, I am no better than any other bloggers and I’m currently experiencing a bit of writers block anyway. Self-deprecation and cynicism aside, I really want to thank everyone for reading my site, following my social media and everyth ..read more

by Johnny Martyr I’ll cut to the chase. I don’t need you to buy me a cup of coffee or to support my growing family; those are my responsibilities. What I do ask for is help with supporting my work. And I feel okay asking for this because my work is all about keeping film photography alive. Supporting one another’s film photography is how we do that. There are a number of ways to do this. And please keep in mind, with all said below, I’m not just talking about how you can support me. Whoever you follow, like, click on an affiliate link for, buy a camera from, etc, if they are a film photographe ..read more