Avsnitt
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Way back in the early days of the Camerosity Podcast, we did a show with Canon historian and author Peter Kitchingman, and recently as the gang looked back at what topics were worth revisiting we decided to come back to Canon rangefinders. But what expert would we get this time? As it turned out, Peter was available and willing to come back so we decided to retread this bountiful topic and deliver a "Part Deux" to Canon rangefinders.
Joining Peter and the regular hosts were Greg Harp, another excellent resource for these cameras who has a great deal of knowledge, plus listeners A.J. Gentile, Ben Ryerson, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Joan, John Roberts, Norris Liu, William Smith, and Will Pinkham.
We start off with some brief history and then get into some of the earliest Canon rangefinders like the original Canon and the slightly later Canon J and JII. Moving onto the historically significant S, SII, and IIBs and eventually covering the II, III, and IV series. We move along to the back loaders like the V, VI, P, and 7 series, covering various lenses, including the 0.95 Dream lens, a very rare original Canon mount wide angle lens, and others. Greg and Peter even share a bit of knowledge about Canon's X-Ray cameras which they made during and after the war.
Although a majority of you probably wanted to hear the most about the interchangeable lens models, we give some love to the fixed lens Canonet models like the trigger wind Canonet, the Canonet QL17 G-III, and even some of the more economically priced models.
Unusual to a Camerosity episode, we largely stayed on topic for this only only slightly veering into one Argus lens (blame Mike for that), but we answer a bunch of questions such as why is having different magnification ratios for the rangefinder useful, why is having separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows better, and what role did Nippon Kogaku play in Canon's history.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
Our next episode will be number 110, and we listened to you all for a topic and you chose 110 "Pocket Instamatic" cameras. This means the Pentax and Minolta 110 SLRs will definitely make an appearance, but in the event we can't fill a whole episode about 110 cameras, we are opening up the discussion to all 16mm subminiature cameras. We will record Episode 110 on Monday, June 8th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Peter Kitchingman is Back / Peter Still has Hundreds of Copies of His Book for SaleA Show Listener Recently Picked up a Canon JII and Asked What it WasThe Origins of Canon's Early Models / Rangefinder Less Canon JNippon Kogaku's Role with the Early Canon Cameras / Serial Numbers are Difficult to TrackCanon J-Mount vs Leica Thread Mount (24 tpi vs 26 tpi) / The Canon SII Was the First LTM CanonCanon Remained Profitable During the War Making X-Ray CamerasMike Thinks the Rotating Prism Was One of Canon's Best FeaturesWhich Canon is Good for a First Time Canon Rangefinder Owner?Quick Ways to Differentiate a Canon II, III, and IV / Canon IV SbThe Never Ending Questions About the EP MarkSome Canon Sleeper Lenses / Canon Often Launched Cameras with Wide-Angle OptionsThe Canon V-Series / Lever Wind Models and the VT Trigger Wind ModelsJapanese Summilix 50mm f/1.4 Canon Lens / Trigger Film AdvancesCR Skinner and the Canon 1950 Model / Origin of the Name "Dream Lens"Canon 7 / Canon f/0.95 Lens and its Use in Hollywood / Stanley Kubrick's f/0.7 Zeiss Planar LensDifferences Between the Canon 7s and 7sZ / Lenses with Hoods Which Block the ViewfinderWhy Do Some Lenses Inexplicably Skyrocket in Value? / InfluencersThe Helios-44 is Influencer Proof / Getting Stuff from UkraineCanon Made Some Decent Fixed Lens Rangefinders Too / Trigger WindsCanonet 19 / Canonet QL17 GIII / Canonet QL25 and 28 ModelsCanon Cameras at the Leitz Auction / Repainted Black CamerasTips on Identifying a Repainted Camera vs an Original Painted CameraWhat Are the Advantages of Having Multiple Magnification Ratios in a Rangefinder?Auxiliary Viewfinders / Canon V and VIs Have Built in Automatic Parallax for ViewfindersExperiences with Canon or Konishiroku Collapsible 50/3.5 LTM LensesKeeping a Record of Camera Provenance and HistoryLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Camerosity Podcast Episode 18 w/ Peter Kitchingman - https://camerosity.podbean.com/e/episode-18-canon-rangefinders-with-peter-kitchingman/
If you would like to order Peter Kitchingman's book, email him at [email protected].
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Camerosity in Spanish Podcast - https://camerosity.es/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Episode 108 is all about a topic we've touched upon in a large number of Camerosity Podcast episodes, but after reviewing our show notes, we realized we had never covered thoroughly in a single show. Since you've probably already read the title of this post, I can't really hide that I'm talking about TLRs, or Twin Lens Reflexes for those of you who are acronym-adverse.
Theo was absent for this one because he only likes cameras that involve 7 of something, but joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike are callers A.J. Gentile, Brian MacDomhnail, Chris Sherlock, Ethan, Joao Gomes, Howard Sandler, Jeremy Scott, Norris Liu, Robert Rotoloni, Sarah Davis, and Will Pinkham.
We quickly get started with some TLR history and then introduce a couple of our first time callers. One such caller for the show was long time listener/first time caller, Sarah Davis who repairs cameras and specializes in TLRs. What Sarah lacks in gray hairs she more than makes up for in experience. Studying under some well respected camera technicians, Sarah has learned from the best and can now tear down most mechanical TLRs and Nikon film cameras, bringing them back up to life. We regularly hear of long time technicians retiring or passing away and it is refreshing to have a new option for your camera repair needs.
As you should expect, we cover a tremendous amount of GAS including some of our favorite models medium format, 35mm, and subminiature TLRs. In the roughly hour and forty minutes runtime, we cover the gamut from some of the most popular Rollei and Yashica TLRs to some really wild and rare models like the Welta Superfekta, the Tessina 35, AGFA Flexilette, and we even take the opportunity to talk about our beloved Chuzhao (which isn't actually a TLR). Mike discusses the closest he'll ever come to shooting a Nikon TLR, why he hates the label "Pseudo TLR", and shares some trivia about interchangeable lens TLRs.
If you were to assume that an entire episode about TLRs would attract everyone who loves shooting TLRs, you'd be mistaken as we hear from a couple callers who aren't fond of the design, especially the horizontally flipped viewfinder, and why it can be difficult to get perfectly straight horizons.
In addition to TLRs, we cover topics that are TLR-adjacent such as some of the different designs of focusing screens, why Rick Oleson's screens are better, and some fascinating pros and cons to leaf shutters, including why most of them can't actually move any faster than 1/500th of a second.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we will be revisiting Canon rangefinders (again). We tried to do this for Episode 108 but had to push it back due to a scheduling conflict, but we're giving it another go! The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 109 on Monday, May 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Quick TLR History / The Original Rolleiflex Used 117 FilmOriginal Rolleiflex compared to Rolleiflex T (photo)First-time caller Ethan has four TLRs, but confesses he doesn’t like shooting themStephen Strangways find he tilts not only film TLRs, but also the digital Chuzhao and Paul Rybolt figures it’s due to shutter button placementPaul likes the Rolleicord and Rolleiflex, but hates identifying them. Xenons, Xenars, Planars, and Tessars, oh my!Sarah Davis fixes Yashica, Rollei, and Mamiya TLRs, as well as some Nikon and Canon SLRsChris Sherlock of Retina Rescue has repaired some Tele Rolleiflexes: “try and take note of what I took apart, and put it back together so it works.”Sarah shares why the Yashica TLRs, after the Pigeonflex and Yashima Flex, are so durableBrian MacDomhnail took Mike’s advice to pick up a Yashica-D to replace his Lomo LubitelMike finds the non-Mat TLRs are simpler and smoother, Sarah recommends the Yashica-Mat LM and EMAnthony Rue had a Rolleiflex 2.8E that he traded for a Leica M4-2, but kept his Yashica Mat 124, but shoots his Meopta Flexaret VI the most,Anthony also loves his Voigtländer Superb, and Mike has a theory as to why it’s so differentZeiss Ikon Ikoflex “coffee can”Focusing screen brightness, Fresnel lenses, Rick Oleson Bright Screens, Martin Seelig’s mirrorsA.J. Gentile has tips on shooting with TLRsHoward Sandler thinks the Minolta Autocord and Ricoh Diacord have great ergonomics, Sarah has some repair insights into them, and Mike explains the Autocord’s backwards film loadingLeaf shutters vs. focal plane shutters, and the tricks used to get leaf shutters beyond 1/500th, as on the 1/800th Kodak Chevron and Tourist, the Graflex Super Speed Graphic’s 1/1000th, and the Minolta V2 and V3Are the Mamiya C-series cameras, TLRs with interchangeable lenses, huge and reliable, or just huge?The Koni-Omegaflex M is even bigger / Rex ReflexThe reason for TLRs, and medium format filmGoing smaller: Agfa Flexilette, Bolsey Model C, Samocaflex 35, the Gakkenflex DIY kitEven smaller yet: Tessina 35, GemFlex, Goerz MinicordIs it a pseudo-TLR, or something else? Argus 75, Voigtländer Brillant, Lubitel, Kodak Duaflex, Bedfordflex, WindsorflexPaul’s Rollei Magic Rant, and why it breaks Mike’s brainJoão Gomes on the underappreciated Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex and Ikoflex IIINorris Liu’s funky Toyocaflex 35, Welta Superfekta and PerfektaPaul’s 1937 Minoltaflex (photo he sent in FB group chat)Jeremy Scott brings up f/2.8 TLRs with his Rollei, and Mike has a FujicaflexAnthony’s Ansco Automatic Reflex 3.5 regret, Mike expands on the history of them, and Norris has a Rocca Super ReflexWill Pinkham opens a can of worms about viewing and taking lensesStephen didn’t think his Mamiya C330f was too huge, just too convoluted, and servicing simpler cameras to keep them workingWrapping it up with some one-off TLR modelsA surprise guest swoops in like a SeagullLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Sarah Davis Photo and Repair - https://www.sdavisphotorepair.com/
Chris Sherlock - Retina Rescue - https://retinarescue.com/
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Camerosity in Spanish Podcast - https://camerosity.es/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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For over a year, one of my most sought after guests to come on the show has been Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue. Way back in December 2019, I had a chance to sit down and have a discussion with Chris and I have wanted to have another opportunity ever since and it finally happened!
Episode 107 is all about Chris Sherlock and his experience repairing and collecting the Kodak Retina system. I promised Chris, I would make it very clear that he is still retired and is not taking in any new work, but Chris is still active on YouTube, publishing complete walkthroughs of CLAs on Retinas and other cameras.
Joining Chris are Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike and a long list of callers, including A.J. Gentile, Aaron Knesal, Ben Ryerson, Doug Willoughby, Eric Schneck, Fernando Villava, Joao Gomes, Greg Harp, Howard Sandler, Michael Boudreaux, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham.
Chris starts things off with how he got started repairing cameras, all the way back in the 1970s working for Kodak in Wellington, New Zealand and then continues onto his first Retina models and why he started his site.
We discuss a wide range of Kodak Retina models, from the folders, solid bodied rangefinders, to the SLRs. Chris, Mike, and others share their favorite models and which ones we recommend for first time shooters and which ones have issues to look out for. Chris explains what kinds of problems the Retina cocking rack may cause and why the later cameras have a long silk cord in them.
It wouldn't be a Camerosity Episode if we didn't get off track, so we can thank Howard for bringing up the Voigtländer Ultramatic, Theo gives an update on the most recent Sydney Camera show, Greg Harp shares his recent 1930s Canon Standard pickup, and Aaron talks about his Yashica 44 TLR he bought from Paul.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are will be revisiting Canon rangefinders. The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 108 on Monday, April 27th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
We Are Recording While Artemis II is Coming out of Radio Blackout / Anthony's Artemis Launch PhotosChris Sherlock is Not Coming Out of Retirement / Chris Still Gets Requests Daily to Repair RetinasHow Chris Got Started Repairing Cameras / Working in Wellington Repairing InstamaticsChris's First Retina was a Retina Ib / Started Selling on Auction Web (Predecessor to eBay)The First Version of Retina Rescue was an ISP Personal PageSpare Parts Are Important to Camera Repair / Chris's Tips for Starting to RepairAnthony Gets his Dad's Retina Reflex III Repaired by ChrisPaul Barden Also Repairs Some Retinas / Chris's YouTube Videos Are Incredibly Helpful TooNot All Retina Cocking Racks Are Weak PointsIs the Retina IIIC the Best Retina? / Differences Between the IIIc and IIICUsing Auxiliary Wide or Telephoto Lenses on the Kodak RetinasThe Retina With the Most Problems with Haze / Cleaning LensesWere the Early Ektar 3.5 Lenses Actually Made by Kodak?What Would be Chris's Favorite Retinas to Shoot? / Kodak Retina IIS and IIISHow Far Did Chris Tear Down the Shutter when Doing a CLA?Doug Can Recognize Chris's Hands in a "Hand Lineup"Kodak Retina Automatics / Other Contemporary Cameras to the RetinaThe Kodak Retina II Type 122 is Unobtanium for ChrisHow Long Did it take Chris to CLA a Kodak Retina?Where were Chris's Customers From? / Selling Cameras is DifficultRetina Reflexes Had a Silk String Inside Them / Voigtländer UltramaticYou Can't Just Repair One Part of a Camera, You Must Do it AllChris Likes Jigsaw Puzzles But Not Zeiss-Ikon ContaflexesMike's Favorite Retinas are the IIa, Ib, and IIISGreg Picked Up a Canon Standard Rangefinder / Joao's Ansco Super SpeedexTheo's Update on the Sydney Camera Show / Seagull TLRsAaron Buys a Yashica 44 from Paul / Shooting 127 FilmLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Chris Sherlock's Retina Rescue - https://retinarescue.com/
Chris Sherlock's YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisSherlock
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Camerosity in Spanish Podcast - https://camerosity.es/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Ever since the very first episode of this show, we've aimed to include as many of our listeners in our shows as possible, but that our hosts are located in three different countries and in four different time zones makes finding a time that works for everyone difficult, especially those of you in Europe and other European-aligned time zones where it is often the middle of the night when we typically record.
In an effort to give more people in these areas of the world the opportunity to join us, on occasion we change our recording time. For Episode 106, we did just that and saw a large number of people show up!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this show were returning and first time callers, Brendon Wilson, Brian MacDomhnail, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Joey Alvillar, John Wade, Josh Calvetti, Krijn Vogelaar from Holland, Kamil from Norway, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Stuart Pratt, Vlad Kern, and Wayne Scheipers.
On this show, we covered a wide array of topics including one of Paul's most hated Nikons, John Wade shares with us a very interesting Ilford monorail camera which supports shooting on 35mm film, Ira shares his love for Eigenbau cameras, and we admire Krijn's beautifully painted Kodak box cameras.
In addition, we cover a large range of cameras from the AGFA Automatic 66, to the Kodak Medalist, Hasselblad SWC, Leidolf Lordomat, Mamiya RB67, the Tom Thumb 'radiocamera', and Mike shares a quick preview of a neat rangefinder camera he picked up called the Wenk Wenka.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are returning to one of the gang's favorite camera families, the Kodak Retina. To help us navigate the nuances of so many Retina models, we are happy to welcome Chris Sherlock, of Retina Rescue. Chris has many years of experience repairing Kodak Retinas and other leaf shutter cameras and is sure to have a great deal of insight into these wonderful cameras! We will record Episode 107 on Monday, April 6th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and Tuesday April 7th at Noon New Zealand Standard Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Happy Birthday to Pat Casey / Kamil and the Olympus mju Zoom / Minolta Dynax 5 / Nikon F80Paul Really Hates the Nikon F70 / Mike’s First DLSR was the Nikon D40xFujifilm Finepix Pro early DSLRs were F80 bodiesJohn Wade has stopped writing books, but still writes for Amateur PhotographerIlford KI Monobar, a 35mm monorail cameraJohn has Stanley German’s (Botanist in 1940s) specially made one off camera with all his slidesIra's Eigenbau and Frankencameras / Machinists Who Make Good Cameras at HomeJohn showed a stereo camera which was converted to a Panoramic CameraPaul likes the pretty Kodak Model F 620 box cameraKodak pushed 620 across the worldAgfa Automatic 66 and the Goerz MinicordKrijn's Hand Painted Kodak BrowniesBrendan has a Mandelar Leica M lens, they are a hot itemThird party lenses are really good valueWayne is shooting a Zeiss-Ikon Contessa 35 and a Kiev 88Vlad has had a few problems with US CustomsMike has gone 3D printing crazyJosh has a new Minolta Rokkor 40mm f/2 CL Leica mountJoey picked up a Hasselblad SWC which could have gone through the Camerosity roundsLeidolf Lordomat / Brian has reduced his camera collection a lot, he is enjoying the Pentax MXWishing the I Dream of Cameras podcast congratulations for 100th episodeSome cameras have strange battery compartmentsFernando has a new Kodak MedalistMany photographers used the collected cameras as workhorsesGood photographers do not rely on the camera alone for the resultsKamil scored a Mamiya RB67 Pro SNew seals are often needed for older cameras / Don’t put cameras in the sunNorris brought in a radio camera called the Tom ThumbMike Picked Up a Wenk Wenka / Stuart has a Rolleicord 5b and some Zeiss IkoflexesLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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For Episode 105, it finally happened! As eluded to on a great number of previous episodes and on our official Facebook page and Discord server, the Camerosity Podcast finally dedicated an entire show to large format cameras! And not just any large format cameras, as a special guest for this show, we welcomed John Minnicks, creator of the Aero-Liberator, a home built custom version of a Graflex SLR using aerial Kodak lenses!
Joining the gang and John for this episode were a huge number of other guests, several of which own or have shot their own Aero-Liberators. In alphabetical order by first name, we were joined by some guy named Erie, João Gomes, Howard Sandler, Lloyd Greene, Mark Cornelison, Mark Widhalm, Mat Marrash (from FPP), Parker Pfister, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, and Will Pinkham.
In addition to hearing John Minnicks origin story, he shares many stories about people who he has sold cameras to and what has been done with them, including taking portraits of Barack Obama at his inauguration and at impeachment hearings in front of Congress.
Mat Marrash from the Film Photography Project joins us and gives us his insight into large format and how well it does from the retail perspective. We were also graced with the presence of Parker Pfister who shares his tales of developing film using his own urine! This is the first ever mention of "pee" in a Camerosity episode!
We eventually do get into a little bit of GAS, including some pickups by Mark Cornelison from the Chicago Camera show including the Camerosity favorites like the Voigtländer Perkeo and the KMZ Zorki 4.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are going "across the pond" to a European time zone friendly time which will allow for more of our European listeners to join us. We'll keep the topic wide open to encourage as many people as possible to join us. If you are in Europe or other "European time zone friendly" areas of the world, we will record Episode 106 on Monday, March 16th at 2pm Central Daylight Time, 3pm Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm Greenwich Mean Time (London), 8pm Central European Time (Berlin), and 6am Tuesday the 17th Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney). For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
What is Large Format?John Minnicks, Creator of the Aero-Liberator 4x5 SLR Cameras with Kodak Aero-Ektar LensesGoing from a standard Graflex Super D to a custom camera with swings and tilts for a unique lensThree Owners of Aero-Liberators Ron Gee, Mark Cornelison, and Parker PfisterCommon Problems with Aero-Ektars / Bringing People TogetherPhotographing Barack Obama with Only 4 Sheets of FilmDavid Burnett and his Aero-Liberator in front of CongressTimtypes / Giving João Gomes some tips on adapting Leitz Hektor projector lenses and Tessar barrel lenses to his GraflexGetting into 4x5 Press Cameras / Crown Graphic and Speed Graphic / Omega and Sinar MonorailsWista, Tachihara, and Linhof Field CamerasLloyd Greene is shooting a Sinar monorail, Howard Sandler recommends the Graphic as a companion to a Crown Graphic, and how he shares his Fujinon lenses between themParker shoots 8x10 paper and develops it with help from peePaul Rybolt misses Cibachrome, Mat Marash from Film Photography Project recommends RA4 reversalX-ray film and trying to prevent scratchesMonobath single-shot processing kit as an introduction to developing and a great way to test a cameraSourcing large format films / How to shoot paper instead of negatives and tame the contrast / Light sources for enlargersErie is a large format nerd and commercial photographerMany different methods for developing and scanningMark’s trials and tribulations with wet plate collodionExposure, Computers, and the Kodak Master PhotoguideWill Pinkham asks about large format lenses / Schneider, Rodenstock, Kodak, Wollensak, Ilex, Fujinon, Nikkor, even Turner Reich can suit what you’re shootingHow do you manage focus when shooting portraits on large format?A bit of GAS: Kodak Retina Reflex III / Nikon NikonosMark Widhalm got a Voigtländer Perkeo, which Anthony and Ron love / Howard got an Adox GolfLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
John Minnicks - https://johnminnicks.com/
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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We are back with Episode 104 of the Camerosity Podcast. Unlike the last few shows where we didn't come prepared with a topic to discuss, this time we took a suggestion from our Discord server listeners and attempted to tackle all the new lenses that keep appearing from Chinese companies, With ever faster maximum apertures and wider lenses selling for insanely cheap prices, are these lenses any good, and why suddenly is the market flooded with them?
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike are callers Andy Howarth, Brendon Wilson, Fernando Villava, Mark "Cletus" Widhalm, Martin Olsen, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham. We start off the show with a quick announcement that Fernando has started a Spanish language version of the Camerosity Podcast called "Camerosity in Spanish". They've already recorded two episodes, and if you speak Spanish, it is worth checking out what him and his guests are talking about!
For this show, we briefly start off our lens episode talking about Retina Reflexes, but thankfully we don't stay distracted long as we move into the wonderful world of modern Chinese lenses. We attempt to cover different brands of lenses and what kinds of options there are out there and which ones we've personally had experience with.
Stephen and Norris have a wealth of technical knowledge and historical perspective for how the Chinese manufacturing industry works, and we get into a bit of why you're seeing so many options these days. While many of the new ultra-fast lenses are extremely affordable, they are built to be disposable and likely won't last nearly as long as the classic lenses many of us collect. Paul shares with us one (non-Chinese) brand that he doesn't like and Stephen tells us what "onion ring bokeh" is.
Eventually we do move off from Chinese lenses to talk about extremely wide angle fisheye lenses and Stephen tells us about a clever use of his Olympus Air A01 and we briefly mention strange cameras like the Nikon KeyMission 360 Double Fisheye lens.
With Bob Rotoloni on, Paul asks about a Nikon M he is interested in buying and we get into a discussion about the Nikon M and different variants of that particular camera. We keep meandering topics before finally ending up Mike's first purchase on the Japanese auction site, buyee.jp.
Come See Mike at the Chicago Camera Show: I will be heading up to the Sheraton Suites Chicago Elk Grove hotel for a camera show on Sunday, February 22nd. At this show will be several callers from this episode, Bob Rotoloni, Norris Liu, Mark Widhalm, and past Camerosity guests like Vlad Kern and possibly others. Mike won't have a table at this one, but I'll be walking around chatting with people so if you're near the area and want to stop by, come see us!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We don't have a topic for our next show, but we at least know it will be Episode 105 and we will record it on Monday, February 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
The Spanish version of Camerosity Hosted by Fernando Villava / Cletus and His Broken Retina Reflex IVRepairing Retina Reflexes / The Risk of Testing an Unserviced Camera / Leaf Shutter SLRs Are Very ComplicatedModern Lenses Have Combinations of Focal Lengths and Speed Unheard of in the Classic EraHow We Got to Today / Cheap Chinese Lenses Started with Low Quality C-Mount LensesThe Legalities of Making Third Party Lenses / Why is Nikon Going After Viltrox?Who Are the Most Respected of the Current Third Party Lens Makers? / Different Priorities for Film vs DigitalSome Third Party Lenses Require You to Calibrate Your Lens to Your Own CameraWhat is the Difference between 7Artisans and TTArtisans? / DJ OpticalVoigtänder Cosina Lenses Are Less Expensive Alternatives to Genuine German LensesSome Chinese Lenses Feel Nicer Than They Really Are / Excessive LubricantsThe Chinese Make a Lot of Their Own Glass / Mike Has No Idea How Glass is MadeLeica No Longer Makes Their Own Glass but they Polish It / Onion Ring BokehAre There Any Companies to Stay Away From / Paul Doesn't Like MS-Optics LensesDifferences Between Western and Chinese Manufacturing PhilosophiesChinese Manufacturers Typically Didn't Offer After Sale Support or WarrantiesChina's Manufacturing Today is Far More Advanced Than Anywhere Else in the WorldNorris Goes to CES and Admires Hair Dryers / 40% of Exhibitors at CES are ChineseFor Vintage Camera Users You Don't Always Want a Technically Perfect LensStephen's Olympus Air A01 and a 220 Degree Circular Fisheye LensNikon KeyMission 360 Double Fisheye Cameras / Go Pro / Ricoh Theta CameraBrandon Jumped into the Nikon Zf Using Chinese Lenses / Nikon Z-Mount AdaptersFernando Adapted Leica R Lenses to Leica M and the Results are GreatLeica SLRs and Alpas are Almost Always Sold Without Lenses on eBayCome See Mike, Bob, Norris, Vlad, and Cletus at the Chicago Camera Show on February 22ndPaul Wants to Buy a Nikon M / The Three Different Types of Nikon M RangefindersMike Made His First Ever Purchase on Buyee of 5 CamerasLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Chicago Camera Show on Sunday February 22 - https://www.facebook.com/events/sheraton-suites-chicago-elk-grove/chicago-camera-show/774123451683491/
Camerosity in Spanish - https://camerosity.es/
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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In what turned out to be one of the more unhinged episodes of the Camerosity Podcast, for Episode 103 the gang didn't get the show announcement out until the day of the recording, but that resulted in a near record number of participants, and without a dedicated topic to discuss, we ran the gamut of topics from Theo's recent acquisition of a local lab's Fuji Frontier Scanner, to a very lively discussion about radioactive lenses and why you should not grind up lens glass and snort it.
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this episode were A.J. Gentile, Dan Cuny, Doug Doyle, Fernando Villava, Greg McCreash, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Mario Piper, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, Vlad Kern, Will Pinkham, plus a few others who didn't say anything.
The show starts off with Theo telling the tale of how a Frontier scanner is coming to him and that turned into a very lively discussion about all scanning options from using professional scanners, flatbed scanners, and then eventually to digitizing with a digital camera.
Returning guest Dan Cuny shares some vintage digital cameras he's been working on reviews for including the 0.3 megapixel Canon PowerShot 350 and the floppy disc Sony Mavica! Continuing on the vintage digital discussion was the revelation that three of the five Camerosity hosts all have the 1990s Minolta RD-175 DSLR!
Vlad Kern from ussrphoto.com comes on and shares his recent pickup of a spy camera from a shot down Russian drone found in Ukraine which he recently acquired. Vlad's crazy spy camera looks straight out of a science fiction movie and the hosts wonder how he managed to get that past European and American customs!
Of course, we get into a bit of GAS including a follow up to Episode 102 where Ron Gee had ordered an Aero-Liberator camera from John Minnicks, Ron came back to talk about receiving the camera and his initial impressions of it. Other cameras discussed are the Tele and Wide Rolleiflexes, a rare Foth TLR, the 16mm KMZ Narciss SLR, a very strange and rare American camera called the Millfred Cand-O-Matic and I give an update on some leather I purchased for a Leica IIIa that needed to be recovered.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next show, Theo will be vacationing in Japan, so he won't be joining us, and there still isn't a topic yet, but Episode 104 will be recorded on Monday, February 2nd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Theo’s big piece of GAS… where will it fit? / Fujifilm Frontier SP-2000Doug Doyle is excited for the Knokke film scannerMario Piper gets advice on dealing with spots and dust on negativesKodak Photo-Flo and Edwal LFN Wetting Agents / Ilford Antistaticum Anti-Static Cloth / PEC-12 Photographic Emulsion Cleaner / ADOX Film CleanerAdd Humidity to your Darkroom to Reduce DustEpson Flatbed Scanners / Nikon Coolscan Scanners / Camera Scanning with Negative Lab Pro / Romanian Lobster PeopleA good reason to not worry about scanning resolutionDan Cuny is reviewing vintage digital cameras like the Canon PowerShot 350, the Sony Mavica, and the Nikon Coolpix 100The hosts have way too many Minolta RD-175 DSLRsScanning Kodak Disc Film and Sawyer's View-Master weddingsVlad Kern Discusses Soviet Film Formats / Russian Drone CamerasFernando’s KMZ Narciss / Homebrew PhotosnipersRon Gee’s Aero-Liberator / Everyone shares their big Radioactive Aero EktarsVlad has an aerial camera that’s just missing the MiG-21 fighter jetJeremy Scott tests his Canon FD concave 35mm f/2 with a Geiger counter / De-Yellowing Radioactive LensesFoth-Flex and Foth Derby / Tele Rolleiflex / Soligor and Sears 55m f/2.8 macro Lenses / MIOJ Nikkor 13.5cm f/4 versionNorris Liu shows off a Millfred Cand-O-Matic made by a Hollywood movie producerMike reskinned a Barnack Leica with Leather from cameraleather.comJeremy brings us back around to the start with his bellows film scanning setupLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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The end of the year has come. As is the case every year, 2025 was filled with some ups and downs. For the Camerosity Podcast, we reached the 100 episode milestone, saw a huge influx of Miranda cameras re-enter the used camera market, and a whole lotta pictures of manatees.
For Episode 102, the gang got together with some holiday themed alcoholic beverages and discussed what last minute bouts of GAS we had, and other bits of nonsense we were up to. Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike were returning callers A.J. Gentile, Leon Blankenhorn, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, William Ponder, and first time callers Joao Gomes and Ron Gee.
In this episode we start right off with recent pickups, Paul is enamored with his Hasselblad digital back which he has almost permanently mounted to his 907x, calling it the best digital camera he's ever shot. A recent pickup of a Hassy 65mm f/2.8 lens further cemented it for him. Pat Casey talks about his love for 3x4 Graflexes and first time caller Ron Gee is excited for his new Aero Liberator camera he ordered from John Minnicks.
We discuss the shift of German cameras being made in countries other than Germany, why West German companies made so many leaf shutters and seemed to be reluctant to adopt focal plane shutters, and Mike (poorly) attempts to explain the confusing history of the Voigtländer Bessaflex, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex and SL706, Voigtländer VSL series and Rollei SL35 series SLRs.
Mike shares his two most recent pickups, the first is the brand new and recently released LOMO MC-A which is an impressive premium point and shoot camera and he feels is the best example we've seen so far of what a brand new premium 35mm camera should be. His other pickup is a rather ordinary Vivitar XC-3 with the unordinary XC-A accessory which kinda sorta adds Aperture Priority Automatic Exposure to a camera which wasn't built with it.
Anthony talks about a $25 Nikonos III he recently picked up and used to take some of the best photos he's ever taken of manatees in the spring by his house. He also shares with us his oddest camera, the Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit.
And right before we were about to sign off, Ron Gee drops not one but two of the largest 6x17 and 6x24 3D printed cameras any of us have seen. With names like Sasquatch and Kracken, these large beasts are not to be taken lightly!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We don't yet have a topic for our first episode of the new year, but whatever it is, Episode 103 will be recorded on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches / Ron and Joao are Both First Time Callers Long Time Paul CustomersZeiss-Ikon Contax S / Everyone Needs a PrakticaDifferent Types of GAS / Hasselblad 907 w/ Digital BackPat Casey's 3x4 Graflex Infatuation / Ron Gee is Getting an Aero Liberator from John MinnicksKodak Aero Ektar Lenses / Gowlandflex TLRIfbaflex M102 / Voigtländer VSL1 / Zeiss-Ikon SL706The Shift of German Cameras Being Made in Countries Other than GermanyWhy Did Zeiss-Ikon and Other West German Camera Makers Make So Many Cameras with Leaf Shutters?The Technical Limitations of Leaf Shutter SLRs Compared to Focal Plane Shutter SLRsKirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera KitAnthony's $25 Nikonos III Find / Anthony Rue: Manatee Belly ScratcherSea & Sea Cameras Lenses and Housings / Canon Aqua Snappy / Stay Away from the Nikonos IVOlympus G.Zuiko 42mm f/1.2 C-Mount LensCheck out the Camerosity Discord Server, It Is Way Better than FacebookOlympus Accura View 90 Point and ShootMike's Thoughts on the LOMO MC-A Premium Point and ShootComparing the LOMO to other New Premium Film Cameras like the Rollei 35 AF and Pentax 17The Camerosity Podcast Still Likes the Chuzhao Three Months InVivitar XC-3 w/ XC-A AE Module / Will Picks Up a Zorki 4What Kind of Camera Would You Like to See Come to Market?Epson RD-1 / Zeiss-Ikon ZM RangefindersWe Need to Do a Lomography Show / LOMO SpinnerWilliam Asks for an Update on the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex TLR ReviewSasquatch 617 3D Printed Camera / Kracken 624 3D Printed CameraLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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When it came time to decide what to follow up our 100th episode, the guys made a comment that we should interview a prominent podcaster and blogger in the vintage camera realm. With a long list of guests already, we thought hard about who we've missed, who is one person who has helped grow GAS as much as any one single person can? Anthony spoke up and said, "Hey, it should be Mike"! While I had my doubts about how interesting a whole episode about me could be, I thought that I do like to tell stories, why why not?!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike this, our 101st episode are returning callers A.J. Gentile, David Palumbo, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Mark Faulkner, Pat Casey, Rob Lattimer, William Ponder, and Will Pinkham.
Over the course of the episode, I field a variety of questions from how I got started, what is my while whale camera, what cameras never clicked for me, what was an example of a camera that I felt overwhelmed trying to shoot. Paul gets me to revisit my 2023 trip to Los Angeles when I went through the collection of Kurt Ingham and what it was like going through such a large collection.
We get into camera accessories, especially how difficult it is to adapt Kilfitt lenses and that the "Rear Window" Kilfitt lens was never made specifically with an Exakta mount, we talk about what is a good first camera is, and we get into how I am resisting the urge to collect carbon filament light bulbs and Nixie Tubes.
Amazingly, we make it through the nearly 2 hour run time without repeating too much of what's been covered before, and while doing so managed to cover a whole lot of GAS!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We will be back shortly with our next episode, which is going to be two days before Christmas. We'll call this one our "holiday eggnog episode" where we recap the year and open up the call in lines for whatever you all want to talk about. Episode 102 will be recorded on Tuesday, December 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Mike’s T-shirt Sorting Techniques / It was Anthony’s Idea to Interrogate MikeHow did Mike get started? One night on eBay… He shares the cameras he used, and the ones that started his collectionThe origins of MikeEckman.comIt all started with a Nikon EL2, then a Kodak No.1 Autographic Special, Model AAn avalanche begins: Argus C3, FED-2, Konica Auto S2The Meeting of the Bloggers / White Whales Just Keep Coming‘What the hell is this?” The Hasselblad XPanMike Damaged a Pentacon Six TL That Was Loaned to HimFlying to LA: Kurt Ingham’s CollectionMike’s Camera room (Cave? Bunker? Subterranean lair?)Cameras that didn’t click for Mike / Konica AiBORG / Leia R8Continuation/knock-off/replica cameras… Kiev vs FED and Zorki, Minolta Auto Press vs Plaubel Makina, Contax vs Nikon RangefindersHidden histories Clarus MS-35, Vokar II, thousands of 6x6 TLRs, and the King RegulaFernando Villava asks Mike about His Favorite Film / Anthony shares his bulk film lucky findWilliam Ponder wants to know if finding accessories leads to discovering camerasThe Kilfitt Konundrum that Mike created for Paul / Mark Faulkner’s Rear Window Lens / Paul’s NASA LensWill Pinkham wants to know what rarities are on Mike’s Wish ListRob Latimer wants to know Mike’s Favorite CamerasVinyl Records, Carbon Filament Bulbs, and Nixie Tubes / Theo wants to know Mike’s other interestsCameras that can start a collection, and a good first rangefinder for the SLR shooterIs Mike a foodie? A coffee connoisseur? A traveler?The importance of keeping photography knowledge aliveCould there be a Camerosity spin-off some day?Links
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Can you believe it? The Camerosity Podcast is back with Episode 100! From what started out as a spontaneous Zoom call on a random May evening during the midst of a global pandemic has turned into one of the most popular and still only open source film and digital photography podcasts! While the hosts have changed since we started, its not really the hosts that make this show what it is, it is the guests and callers we have each episode which keep us on our toes with new and interesting topics.
For our centennial episode, the hosts sent out invites to some of our favorite guests and also kept the call in lines open for anyone to join us. We received responses from Todd Gustavson from the George Eastman Museum, Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Camera and Auctions in Chicago, Marwan El Mozayen from Silvergrain Classics, Robert Rotoloni from the Nikon Historical Society, and returning for the first time in 50 episodes, Johnny Sisson from Central Camera in Chicago. Joining these esteemed guests were callers A.J. Gentile, Alex Luyckx, Eric Risse, Greg McCreash, Nick Marshall, Pat Casey, Patrick Rapps, Wayne Scheipers, Will Pinkham, and William Ponder. It was a star studded cast if I ever saw one!
We get things started out with Marwan giving us an update on the all new Widelux-X panoramic camera prototype and where there at in its ultimate release. While we don't expect to see the new model this year, its release is coming soon! Todd chimes in with updates from the George Eastman Museum and what's new in their collection. He shares what he knows about Eastman Kodak's recent announcement of them distributing their own film again and the new Kodak 100 and 200 films and a project to document the most important historical cameras in history. Dan Tamarkin discusses getting married and the upcoming Tamarkin Camera Auction and gives us a preview of a couple cool Leicas which will appear in the show.
Robert gives an update on the state of the NHS Journey and Alex shares what he's working on for his site and an upcoming review of EFKE KB50 film. Johnny Sisson is back at Central Camera and he shares some updates about what's going on there and what's new in his life. While we don't expect to see Johnny resuming his hosting responsibilities, he should be more present in the camera collector community.
In addition to the guests already mentioned, other callers chime in with their favorite developers for black and white film, Will Pinkham opens Pandora's Box by asking for recommendations for a good rangefinder to use, and Mike shares his thoughts on the Nikon S3 re-release from 2000 and William Ponder shares his love for the Welta Weltini.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
As we hit this milestone 100th episode, we are taking a short break before our next recording. As of this post, we don't yet have a date or a topic for Episode 101, but rest assured, once we know, it will be communicated via the normal channels!
In This Episode
Dan Tamarkin Got Married! / Dan's New Wife is a Leica DLux ShooterMarwan from Silvergrain Classics Discusses the Widelux-X Prototype's DebutWhy is it Called the Widelux-X? / A Little BackgroundThe Prorotype's Black and Brass Body / Comparing the Widelux Lens to that of the Hasselblad XPanTodd Gustavson Joins Us and Talks Recent Kodak Film AnnouncementsWhats New at the Eastman Museum? / Most Influential Cameras of All TimeAlex is Working on an Article about EFKE 50 Black and White FilmJohn(ny) Sisson Returns / An Update About the Management of Central Camera in ChicagoAfter 41 Years the Nikon Historical Society Newsletter is Now Digital / No More Printed CopiesMike Shoots a Brand New Nikon S3 2000 RangefinderJohnny Sets up Bargain Bins at Central Camera / People Dropping Off Collections of CamerasThe Eastman Museum Has the Rowe Collection Including a Huge Custom Squirrel Cage FlashJim McKeown's Camera Guide / No One Writes Camera History Books Anymore / Shutterbug MagazineThe Tamarkin Auction is Coming Up in November / Dr. Paul Wolf's LeicaPaul and Dan's Thoughts on Light Lens Labs Lenses / LLL Peel Apart Instant FilmSlow Black and White Films / More People Should Shoot Ilford Pan F 50Eric's Corfield 66 SLR / Chinese Great Wall SLRWill Asks for Recommendations on a Rangefinder / Nikon S2Petri Green-O-Matic / Canon VT Deluxe / Canon P / Olympus 35 RCEric's Strange Wind Up Generator FlashgunDo Any Professional Photographers Shoot Alpas?Welta Weltini / Welta Perfekta / Welta SuperfektaEmail Todd if You Want a Tour of the Eastman MuseumLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Official Widelux-X Website - https://wideluxx.com/
Tamarkin Camera Auctions - https://www.tamarkinauctions.com/
George Eastman Museum - https://www.eastman.org/
Central Camera - https://centralcameraco.bigcartel.com/visit
Alex Luyckx Blog - http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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For the past several episodes, the Camerosity Podcast has covered a wide range of topics from tiny digital TLRs, to Exaktas, to death and while these were all riveting conversations, we realized it had been a while since the hosts could just talk about what we've been up to. Camera shows, tropical vacations, and recent GAS abound, we decided to not advertise the recording of Episode 99. Although this show was mostly about the hosts, that didn't stop two additional guests, first time caller Douglas Willoughby and returning caller William Ponder from jumping in!
We get things started with Paul's introduction to Doug who repaired his Nikon F4 and explains what went wrong. William follows with a discussion regarding Miranda cameras and the tale of a Miranda Automex III that he bought from Mike. We continue on with more Miranda discussion then pivot to Zeiss-Ikon Contax SLRs and other cameras from the Texas collection such as the KW Praktiflex and later Praktica cameras. Mike professes his love for the Contax SLRs shutter and the strange noises it makes.
Later we pivot to traveling with cameras, and Anthony, Theo, and Paul all give their tips and shared experiences traveling with cameras and how to get your film hand checked at the airport. We talk about camera batteries, Stephen's journey of modifying his LEGO camera to look like a Leica which then of course turns into a discussion about actual Leicas including Anthony's crazy tale of how he acquired a Leica M2.
Finally, we chat about recent GAS pickups, Theo brings up the Mamiya 7 AGAIN and then Stephen shows off a very strange camera called the Olympus Air A01 which is the same size as a teleconverter, but is an entirely self contained micro 4/3s interchangeable lens mirrorless digital camera.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
Can you believe it? The next episode will be number 100! Since May 2021, the Camerosity Podcast has proclaimed to be the world's first and only, open source film and digital podcast. Our show has kept that theme through most of those 100 episodes and the amount of feedback and engagement you all have shared with the hosts is humbling.
For this, our centennial episode, we are opening the doors for anyone to call in, but we've extended invites to some of our favorite previous guests. I'd won't give out any names here, but I would be willing to bet if you were to guess, you'd get at least a couple right! We will record Episode 100 on Monday, October 20th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time. Be sure you mark your calendars and hit up the Zoom link when it is posted and join us!
In This Episode
Paul Bought some Brand New Nikon F4s That Didn't Work and Doug Fixed Them / Common F4 IssuesWilliam Ponder Got a Miranda Automex III From Mike After Episode 97Black Paint Mirandas / Theo Likes the Miranda Automex IIISoligor Lenses / Many Were Made by Kowa / Anscomark MAIC Was Miranda's Importer in the United StatesPaul's Haul from the Texas CollectionEarly Contax SLRs / Black BiotarsThe Contax SLR Shutter is not Like Other SLRsThe Sounds of the Contax ShutterPentacon SLRs / The Zeiss-Ikon East and West German LawsuitTheo's Choices for Japan / Mamiya 7 and Nikon AF600Horseman Convertible 852 / Horseman Field Cameras / Horseman Stereo 3D CameraAnthony's Trip to Mexico / XRay Machine Toasts Anthony's FilmXRay Shield Bags / TSA TipsTraveling Camera First Aid Kits / Other Travel TipsChallenges with Batteries on Film and Digital CamerasStephen Turned a LEGO Creator Camera Into a LeicaAnthony's Quest to Own a Leica M2Reskinning and Repainting CamerasDoug Discusses the Weaknesses of the Pentax LX and Kowa SixBlack Paint KW Praktiflex / Mamiya 7 with Pano KitMinolta Maxxum 5000 and 650siKMZ Zenit 16 / Red Olympus XA2 and other XA CamerasStephen Shows off the Tiny and Strange Olympus Air A01Links
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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It has been a couple of weeks but the gang finally got back together to devote an entire episode to one of our favorite, and longest lived camera brands, the Ihagee Exakta. If you are familiar with the Exakta name, you probably know them as a maker of high end, but very quirky 35mm SLRs, however there were far more Exaktas produced in the 20th century using three different forms of film and nine different lens mounts. In Episode 98, the Camerosity Podcast hosts do their best to try and corral all those models and history into a single episode.
Joining Anthony, Stephen, Paul, and Mike are returning and first time callers Daniel from Chicago, Eric Lorenz, Fernando Villava, Howard Sandler, Ira Cohen, Michael Boudreau, Mike Toppo, Pat Casey, and Phil Clark.
We were unable to find an expert who could speak intelligently on the history and wide range of Exakta models made, so Mike did his best to cover the history, starting with how the company formed, and we go (mostly) in chronological order from the first 127 Vest Pocket Exaktas, the Night Exaktas, the early Kine Exaktas, into the Varex models, the redesigned VX1000 and Elbaflex models, and into the weeds with uncommon cameras like the Exakta Real, Exakta Twin TL, and some other Japanese and Chinese made models.
In addition to the Ihagee Exakta, we also dedicate a bit of time to the Exakta's little brother, the Exa, covering that models strengths and weaknesses. We attempt to explain how the shutter on early Exas work, and Mike tells a story of a hard to find "System Exa" that's not even made by Ihagee at all.
Many questions were asked with varying levels of good answers, including how many lens mounts can be found on an Exakta camera, how many different companies produced Exakta cameras, what is the best introduction to the Exakta lineup, and whether or not Exaktas are good for shooting or just for collecting. We even spend some time on the infamous Exaka with 400mm Kilfitt lens found in the Hollywood classic movie, Rear Window.
And just to round it all off, we spend the end of the episode on the Topcon SLRs which use the Exakta mount, including whether all lenses are fully compatible between the two company's models.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
The last several episodes of the show have been wonderfully exciting and informational. We've had a huge number of guests, many of whom are first time callers who joined a long list of people who have contributed to this show. And while all the hosts enjoy chatting with all of you, we haven't had an episode to ourselves in a while, so for Episode 99, we are not taking any callers. We want to spend this time to get caught up on what we've been doing, share with you some of the private discussions we have behind closed doors, but mostly, we're looking for an episode that's easier to edit.
Don't worry though, for the next, next episode, we hit triple digits, episode number 100. It gives me chills just typing that here. We will be looking for something special for our centennial episode and once we know what that is, and what date we are recording it, we will be sure to let you all know! Until then, Episode 99 will be recorded sometime in early October.
In This Episode
Exaktas Are an Accidental Collection / Mike Had Wanted to Do an Exakta Show with Hugo RuysDid Ihagee Ever Make Their Own Lenses? / Canon Once Made a Lens Using the Exakta MountDid Other Companies Make Cameras that Use the Exakta Mount?Topcon R / Mamiya Prismat / Tokiwa Seiki Firstflex 35Differences Between a Night Exakta and a Regular Vest Pocket ExaktaWhat is a "Kine Exakta"? / Identifying All the Different Exaktas / Mike Mirrors wrotniak.netCaptain Jack's Exakta Website / Exakta Books and other SitesWhat is the Difference between Varex, VX, and non Varex?Paul's Tip for Cleaning an Exakta Ground GlassThe Exakta VX1000 Signaled a Big Change in Exakta Design / Mike Thinks the VX1000 Is the Perfect First ExaktaA Kickstarter to Revive the Elbaflex / The Real ElbaflexUsing the Exakta's Film Cutter / Cassette to Cassette Film Transport / Exakta and Exa Take Up SpoolsDifferences Between Exaktas and ExasThe Ihagee Exa that Wasn't Made By Ihagee / System Exa / How Does the Shutter Work on the Exa?How Likely Are you to Find Working Exaktas and Exas? / Cloth Shutter CurtainsWhat was the Lens and Camera Used in the Movie Rear Window? / Kilfitt Lenses / Adapting Exakta LensesOlympus Made a 4cm f/3.5 Zuiko Lens in Exakta Mount / Exa and Exaktas Advance Film Opposite of Each OtherIt's Spelled Ihagee, not Jhagee or ThageeThe Horizontal and Vertical Exakta 66 Medium Format SLRsThe Exakta Real Was an Attempt to Re-Launch the Exakta With More Modern FeaturesExakta Twin TL and Twin TL 42 / How Many Lens Mounts Can Be Found on Exakta Cameras?Are Exaktas Good for Shooting or Just for Collectors? / The Exakta Self-Timer and Slow Speed EscapementDo Topcon SLRs Have the Same Mount as the Exakta? / Lens CompatibilityLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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An epidemic has swept Camerosity HQ along with a large swath of the camera collector groups. It seems a cheap Chinese toy camera has made its way into the homes of all of us and resulted in us sharing images from it online. Have we gone mad? Do you dream of tiny TLRs at night?
In Episode 97 we tackle the controversial Chuzhao mini-TLR digital camera. This $35 camera available worldwide through Amazon and Alibaba is selling like crazy now and each of the hosts ask our listeners what their thoughts are on it.
In addition to Chuzhao talk, we spend a good portion of the show on a completely unrelated topic, which is what to do with your cameras when you die. Mike and Paul both share their stories of picking up large estates of vintage cameras and what we ended up doing with them. If you think the prospect of being asked to tackle a 4500 piece collection sounds awesome, you should definitely listen to this episode as we have some thoughts on what its like.
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Ed Gabe, Greg McCreash, Ira Cohen, Larry Effler, Pat Casey, Phil Clark, Will Pinkham, and first time callers Doug Doyle, Rob Latimer, and William Ponder.
In addition to Chuzhao and Camera Estate talk, Ira shares some selections from his tiny TLR collection including a couple rare Hit film models, Paul shares his thoughts on what you should do in preparation for what happens to your collection after you die, Mike briefly talks about an uncommon 1950s 35mm SLR called the Tokiwa Seiki Pentaflex, and Rob shares his thoughts on the Zeiss-Ikon Super Nettar.
Meet Paul and Mike: If you are in the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, September 6th, come to the Ohio Camera Swap at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/West Chester and say hi to us. Both Paul and I will have a lot of Miranda cameras to sell! Who knows, maybe even some other Camerosity Podcast regulars will show up as well. While you’re there, maybe you can buy something from us!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode we are devoting a whole show to the Ihagee Exakta and Exa cameras. As one of the earliest 35mm SLRs and also one of the most successful, millions of Exakta cameras were made over several decades of the 20th century, so there are a great deal of them to talk about. As usual, we'll cover some history about the brand, go over their use, and cover some of the more interesting or collectible models. If we have time, we will even cover the "other" Exaktas like the Exakta Real and the Pentacon produced RTL1000. Will we stay on track or end up finally discussing large format? You'll only know if you turn into Episode 98 which will be recorded on Monday, September 8th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Everyone Lost their Minds and Bought a Chuzhao / Many Chuzhao Resellers are Scams / Beware Where You Buy!The Chuzhao is Only Worth it if You get it for the Equivalent of USD$40 or Less / Hacking the ChuzhaoBlown Out Highlights / The Chuzhao Is Great for Children or for Having Fun / Battery LifeSmall Cameras Like the Chuzhao Break Down Barriers when Photographing PeopleIra Cohen Has Many Other Really Small TLRs / Babyflex, Museflex, and Gemflex / Japanese Hit Film CamerasConstructor and Blackbird Camera / Other Toy Cameras / Lego 3-in-1 Camera5 Years Ago, Paul Picked Up a 4500 Piece CollectionWhy Do Some Collectors Have Multiples of the Same CameraMike Goes to Texas to Get a Large Miranda CollectionThe Many Variations of the Vest Pocket Kodak Camera / World War I Soldier's CameraIra Has Negative Niches in His CollectionInheriting a Large Collection is Fun But OverwhelmingAdvice On What Should Happen With Your Collection After You Die / Tell Someone / Keep Records / Don't LieHow Do You Sell High Value Cameras from a Collection?Mike Recommends Shipping Large Collections with U-Haul U-BoxesPacking Cameras / Estimating the Value of a CollectionMore Tips for Preparing Your Collection For After Your DemiseTokiwa Seiki Pentaflex / Zeiss-Ikon Super-Nettel / Donating CamerasYashicaflex TLRs / Do You Get More Satisfaction Getting an Image from a More Difficult Camera?Coated vs Uncoated Lenses / The Non-Rangefinder Version of the Kodak 35 / Canon VI-TLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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If there ever was an episode that epitomizes the concept of the "first and only open source film and digital photography podcast" it is this episode! We started off with the idea of devoting a large part of it to AGFA, makers of Rodinal, Karat film, and a large number of really cool cameras from the mid 20th century. From the moment we got started, we immediately got off topic and wouldn't come back to AGA until an hour into the recording. Never fret, but in the shortened time we covered Germany's version of Kodak, we covered a lot of ground.
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Fernando Villava from Germany, Mike Litwin, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, and first time callers David Palumbo and Zack Lothamer.
From the moment the show got started, we feel down the Kodak Instamatic (type 126) wormhole, discussing a large number of Instamatic cameras, what kinds of films can be used in 126 cameras today, the Fakmatic 3D printed adapter, and other oddball cameras. We meander around, somehow winding up on the Ricoh GXR Interchangeable module digital camera, and Anthony's love for Kodak 5220XT Film.
When we finally get into the world of AGFA, we discuss some of the group's favorite films like AGFA Professional Pan 25, APX25, HDC 100, Scala, and AGFA's original AGFAColor film from the 1930s. Eventually, we get into AGFA GAS with some really cool cameras like the Parat and Optima Parat half frame cameras, the cool twin lens Flexilette and Optima Reflex, the large orange button AGFAs like the Optima 1035 and 1535, the Optima Electronic Flash, Ambi Silette, and the Selectaflex SLR. By far, the most time is dedicated to the postwar AGFA Karat rangefinder with the split image viewfinder, which Mike says is the best rangefinder camera for people with terrible vision.
Sprinkled throughout the show we answer questions about how long expired film can be used when refrigerated, what is a recommendation for a good entry into 6x9 cameras, and some warnings about not trying to repair the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex SLR.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, the entire Camerosity Podcast crew went crazy over a $35 Chinese digital camera. Each of us bought the same camera and played with it for a couple of weeks in an effort to see what happens if expectations are low enough, can you really enjoy a toy camera? In addition, Mike has now gone on two treks across the country to move large collections of cameras, and he has some thoughts (here is a preview, if you are a collector, don't die!) Of course, if anything is certain, is that nothing is certain and Episode 96 is a perfect example where we might plan on talking about one thing and end up on something else. Will we stay on track or end up finally discussing large format? You'll only know if you turn into Episode 97 which will be recorded on Monday, August 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Asking David About the Mysterious Curtain on Bronica S2 Backs / Other Cameras with Curtain Dark Slides / Mamiya SixKoni-Omega Rapids / Bronica Lenses / Dave Ditched His Bronica for a Hasselblad 500CMKodak Instamatic Type 126 Cameras / Olympus Quickmatic / Bell & Howell Autoload 342Fakmatic 126 Adapter / Using 35mm Film in Instamatic CamerasMagic Cubes vs Flash Cubes / Motor Driven Instamatic CamerasVerichrome Pan is Your Best Bet for Using Original 126 Film Today / Rolleiflex SL26 SLRTheo Wants an "I'm Back" for 126 Cameras / Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Sensor Digital Camera / Horseman ConvertibleHow Long Can Expired Film Be Stored Frozen or Refrigerated? / Does Slower Film Last Longer?Anthony Loves Shooting Expired Eastman 5220XT FilmSlide Film Ages Poorly / Some Films Degrade Even After Being DevelopedAnthony Loves AGFA HDC 100 Color Film / AGFA Pan Professional 25 / APX25AGFAColor Color Film from the 1930s / Other AGFA Films / Ultra 50 and ScalaDeveloping Early Slide Film Required You to Expose the Developing Film to LightWhat is Stand Developing? / Benzotriazole / Mike Has Tried All Kinds of HC-110We Finally Talk About AGFA Cameras / Anthony only Has an AGFA PioneerThe AGFA Optima 1535 Looks Kinda Like the Plaubel Makina 67 / Optima SensorAGFA Flexilettte and Optima Reflex 35mm TLRsSome AGFA Cameras Using the Film Advance Lever to Rewind the FilmMore About the Flexilette / Mike Loves the AGFA SelectaflexDon't Bother Trying to Repair the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex SLRAGFA Ambi Silette / AGFA Parat I / Mike Raves About the AGFA KaratThe 6x6 AGFA Isolette and Ansco Speedexes are Great Affordable Medium Format FoldersWhat is a Recommendation for a Good 6x9 Folder? / Voigtländer BessaThe AGFA Compact Electronic Was the Last AGFA Camera Made in GermanyLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Reloading 126 Instamatic Film - https://mikeeckman.com/2020/03/reloading-instamatic-film-the-better-way/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Over the past several episodes. we've covered a wide range of topics and had some excellent guests on the show. While we love predetermined topics, the original concept of the Camerosity Podcast was that any topic is always on the table, so from time to time, we like to "wing it" and start recording without any idea of what we're talking about.
Episode 95 was one such episode where Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike logged into Zoom, hit record and let everyone in! As always seems to happen, the show fills up quickly with GAS discussion. Guests sharing their recent pickups and anything they're shooting now. For this episode, we were joined by AJ Gentile, Darin Cozine, Jeremy Scott, Kyle Liu, Nick Marshall, Robert Coates, Shane Pacheco and Will Pinkham.
We start out the GAS discussion covering Bronica and Mamiya SLRs and TLRs. A discussion about the S2 and S2A and issues with foam seals which need to be replaced on pretty much all Bronica S-series cameras. Anthony shares his experience on a new (to him) Contax D SLR he picked up and that spawned a lengthy discussion on the Contax SLR's shutter and the unique sounds it makes.
Jeremy shares the pickup of a lifetime at a recent estate sale in rural Oklahoma where he bought a Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide, Canon f/0.95 "Dream Lens", and other highly sought after wide angle lenses.
Mike discusses an upcoming storage locker of cameras in Texas he will be picking up soon, along with his pickup of a very early Contax S and an Orion Miranda T with the rare Zunow lens.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are going to cover AGFA. As the German equivalent of Kodak, AGFA has a long history of making both cameras and film stocks, so our intent is to do their history some justice and cover their most memorable models and emulsions. We will record Episode 96 on Monday, July 28th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Jumping Straight into GAS / Bronica S2 vs S2A / Mamiya C33 Professional / Who Used the Mamiya TLRs?Anthony Buys a Murder Scene Camera / Paul Sold Cameras to CoronersBronica vs Hasselblad / Nikkor Lenses on Medium Format CamerasAll Bronica S/S2/S2A Cameras Will Need Their Foam Replaced or Images Will Be Out of FocusAnthony Receives and Shoots a Zeiss-Ikon Contax D SLRMike Gives a Very Poor Explanation for Why 100 and 125 are the Safest Shutter SpeedsThe Contax SLR and KW Praktina Have a Similar Design Language / Contax vs Pentax?Asahi Pentax ES II and It's Horrible Battery CompartmentWhy Are Black Cameras Often Worth More than Chrome Cameras?LOMO LCA Wide 120 / Hasselblad SWCJeremy Scores Big at an Estate Sale / Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide / Canon 0.95 Dream Lens / Canon 7SZThe Voigtländer Bessa L is an Economic Alternative to the Hologon Ultrawide / Bessa R SeriesEveryone Talks About Ultrawide Lenses / Voigtländer 12mm and Canon 19mm LensesReveni Labs Lumo Incident and Direct Light MeterMike's GAS / Contax S SLR / Orion Miranda T with Zunow LensAJ Buys Himself a Minox B for his BirthdayMany Young People Associate the Film Look with Degraded Photos from When They Were YoungerStephen Sold All His Nikon F Cameras and Lenses Then Bought New Ones / Everyone's First NikonLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Reveni Labs Lumo - https://www.reveni-labs.com/reveni-labs-lumo
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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We are back with Episode 94 of the Camerosity Podcast. For this episode, we decided to revisit a topic we covered all the way back in Episode 30, which is talking about camera stores with people who work in camera stores.
Joining us for the discussion are Meredith and Corey Reinker from Roberts Camera (aka UsedPhotoPro) in Indianapolis, Indiana and Zeb Andrews from Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland, Oregon. Of course, two of the Camerosity hosts, Paul and Stephen both used to work in camera stores too, so between those four, we were well represented.
Much has changed in the photography space since we did our last camera store episode. Releases of new cameras like the Pentax 17, Rollei 35 AF, and recent announcements of a new "film like" digital Yashica SLR have caused a lot of ruckus and it will be interesting to hear how actual camera store people see these latest developments.
Joining Paul, Stephen, Theo, Mike, and our special guests was a long list of callers including A.J. Gentile, Betty Ann Cochrane, Brad, Dan Hausman, Hong Lee, Howard Sandler, Larry Effler, Miles Libak, Pat Casey, Shane from Discord, and Will Pinkham.
During the show we ask Meredith, Corey, and Zeb a wide range of questions ranging from what differentiates their stores which has allowed them to remain successful well into the era of digital photography. We cover what the modern camera store customer looks like today and what makes photography appealing to a younger crowd. We cover both lab and home developing, what one camera both camera stores wish there was an unlimited amount of, how they acquire their inventory of used cameras, and Zeb shares a cool story about how Blue Moon developed a roll of film which had images of Mount St. Helens erupting.
Mike gets excited that he received a bottle of the new Adox Syrup 110 developer and attempts to break down the myth that C41 home developing is difficult. Theo and Zeb counter that you shouldn't be shamed into developing your own film and that the consistency of a professional lab is worth it.
While most episodes are a lot of fun to record, while doing this one, it was amazing how fast the two hours went, and I wish we could have talked to Meredith, Corey, and Zeb longer. Who knows, maybe we'll return for a third Camera Store episode some day!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we don't have a dedicated topic and will open up the Zoom recording to anything you'd like to discuss. If there have been any questions or topics from previous shows you'd like to revisit, or share with us your latest camera GAS pick up, we'd love to hear from you! This next one will be a free for all! We will record Episode 95 on Monday, July 7th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Introducing Roberts Camera / They Used to Sell JewelryUsedPhotoPro Was Started with Corey and Nelson Kopech in 2011Blue Moon's Origin Story / Blue Moon's Owner Jake Has a Passion for Vintage TypewritersBlue Moon Slits Their Own Minox Film / They Source New Cartridges Direct from MinoxWhat Does the Typical Camera Store Customer Look Like Today?What Inspires the 18-24 Crowd to Buy a Particular Camera? / Is there an Upgrade Path to a Leica?Mike Breaks Down All Film Shooters into One of Three Broad CategoriesHow Were Roberts and Blue Moon Able to Navigate the Film to Digital Switch When Others Failed?Blue Moon Developed Film from an Argus C3 Showing Mount St. Helens EruptingRobert's Early Experience with Mail Order Helped them be Successful Selling OnlineHow Does Roberts Get Their Used Inventory / Burgess Auction in Carmel, IndianaRecommendations for Local Camera StoresHow Hard is it to Get Film Processing Labs Repaired?Everyone Talks About Developing MachinesHow Common is it For People to Develop Film at Home?Mike Gets a Bottle of the New Adox Syrup 110Overcoming the Myth that Developing C41 Film at Home is DifficultHow Do you Handle Developing So Many Different B&W Films at the Same Time?Camera Stories that Depended on Development and Services Struggled the MostWhat Camera Do Roberts and Blue Moon Wish they had Unlimited Supply Of?Upcoming Roberts and Blue Moon EventsLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Roberts Camera - https://robertscamera.com/
Used Photo Pro - https://usedphotopro.com/
Blue Moon Camera and Machine - https://bluemooncamera.com/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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We're back with Episode 93 of the Camerosity Podcast! This time, we've altered our recording time to better suit those of our listeners across the pond who are normally sleeping when we record at our usual time. For this 'European time zone friendly' episode, we welcome special guest, collector, and author John Wade who has written or contributed to more than 30 books, including a couple which I have relied on for several of my camera reviews.
In addition to John, we were joined by callers Brian MacDomhnaill from Ireland, Fernando Villava from Germany, Guy from Germany, Leon Blankenhorn from Germany, and domestic callers Miles Libak and Andrew Madsen.
And of course we had our regular hosts, Anthony Rue, Stephen Strangways, and our time zone friendly recording time also allowed Paul Rybolt to join us who has been vacationing in Ireland for the past month. As this episode was recorded at 4am in Sydney, we gave Theo the day off.
With John's expertise, we spent a lot of time talking about Britain's only 35mm SLR, the Wrayflex. As the author of the only specialized book on the Wrayflex and the company who made it, John has a fascinating level of knowledge on this attractive and quirky camera.
In addition to Wray, we spent a lot of time talking about clockwork cameras, you know, those cameras that have a spring tensioned wind up film advance mechanism. We discussed a wide variety of models from the very first wind up camera, the Japy Le Pascal, Ansco No.1A Automatic Ansco, and later cameras like the Debrie Sept, Bell & Howell Foton, Canon Dial, Ansco Auto Half, GOMZ Leningrad, and others.
We briefly talk about the British Leica copy, the Reid and Sigrist Reid camera and the American equivalent the Premiere Instrument Kardon, among other popular British cameras.
In addition to John's contributions, Paul shares with us another 617 camera he's got his eye on, Brian tells a tale about lenses he thinks he needs and never uses, Mike shares an uncommon German camera he recently GASsed over, Guy brags about all his working Rollei A110s, the brightness of the Olympus Pen F's viewfinder, and we go around the room asking which cameras each of us have the most duplicates of.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are going back to our regular recording time and will be welcoming Meredith and Corey Reinker from Roberts Camera/Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis, Indiana to share with us their stories selling vintage cameras on eBay and in a well established retail environment. We may welcome some callers from other camera stores too, but you'll just have to join us to see who calls in! We will record Episode 94 on Monday, June 16th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Henry Scherer Passed Away / Mike Doesn't Know the Difference Between Ireland and ScotlandRetro Cameras / What Motivated John Wade to Start Writing About CamerasJohn Wade's A Wrayflex Story / John Researched That Book by Interviewing People Who Used to Work ThereEarly Wrayflex Prototypes / John Does YouTube Videos on Amateur Photographer's ChannelReid and Sigrist Leica Copies / Premier Instrument Kardon Leica CopyKodak Brownies and Instamatics Were as Ubiquitous in England as in the USMany British Kodak Cameras Looked Different Than Their US Counterparts / 120 vs 620Miles Had GAS for a Rectaflex / Wrayflex Viewfinders / Differences Between the ModelsBritain's Role in WWII / Cameras Made in the Allied Occupation Zone in GermanyHand Assembling Cameras and Lens BubblesClockwork Wind Up Cameras / Japy Le Pascal Wind Up CameraAnsco No.1A Automatic Ansco and Semi-Automatic AnscosBell & Howell Foton / AGFA Moto-Rapid CAndrew Asks for Advice on a Reliable and Repairable Clockwork Camera to BuyCanon Dial 35 / Mike's Tip for Using Alkaline Batteries in Cameras Designed for Mercury BatteriesKW Praktina with Auxiliary Motor Drive / Kodak Motormatic 35 / Ricoh Auto HalfOlympus Pen EM / GOMZ Leningrad / The Debrie Sept Will Break Your WristsThe First British SLR Might Have Been Made by Two Germans Brian's Thoughts on Italy and Buying Lenses He Doesn't NeedPopular Telephoto Lenses / Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 / Nikkor 180mm f/2.8Guy Has Working Rollei A110 Cameras and He Loves ThemDr. Wohler Saar Favor II / Rollei SL66 Repair / Paul Wants Another 617 CameraWhich Cameras Do Each of Us Have the Most Duplicates of?Viewfinder Brightness Between Olympus Pen F and FTLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
John Wade's The Wrayflex Story - https://www.johnwade.org/the-wrayflex-story
John's Youtube Videos for Amateur Photography - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM3_2GF5hWAA2Bt0qqVYNPR6yclCxEV_j&si=8FkUfnSBA3ys_eUc
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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In Episode 92 of the Camerosity Podcast, we needed to promote every caller to "host status" to tackle the topic of the Italian camera industry. While a huge number of cameras were made in Germany, Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union, many were made in other countries like Italy, France, England, and Czechoslovakia yet far less is talked about these countries.
We attempt to do some justice to cameras from this boot shaped peninsula, spreading some (very expensive) GAS for models like the Rectaflex, Ducati Sogno, and Gamma II. In an episode where everyone was a host, Mike, Theo, AJ Gentile, Miles Libak, Robert Rotoloni and Will Pinkham share our thoughts on a variety of models.
Mike's best reference is an out of print book called Made in Italy: Apparecchi Fotografici Italiani by Marco Antonetto and Mario Malavolti. This 1983 book is the best reference any of us have found covering the Italian camera industry. Featuring images and short descriptions for over 150 Italian cameras, this book, plus our assessment of a few models we're familiar with, prove that the Italian camera industry is far deeper than many realize.
In addition to a whole lot of Italian GAS, we go over the many different film sizes and formats used by Bencini cameras, Robert spends some time with his favorite Italian subminiature camera, the Gami 16, Mike struggles to explain how the metering system on the Durst Automatica works, he spends a great deal of time professing his love for the Ducati Sogno, and shares with us the wild operation of the very interesting Industria Scientifica Ottica Super Duplex 120, a strange stereo camera that shoots 24mm x 24mm stereo pairs on 120 format roll film.
In addition to talking about Italian cameras, we get side tracked and talk about the new upcoming Yashica FX-D digital camera and Mike shares his thoughts on these "so-called" hybrid film and digital cameras and where he thinks the film industry will be in 50 years. Will Pinkham asks about new 3D printed cameras like the Superflex and the Alfie Tych.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are recording at a special time to allow for our European and South African listeners to join us. We don't have a specific topic selected for this show as these "Euro Time Zone Friendly" episodes generally are open to anything, so if you've always wanted to join us, but couldn't because we recorded in the middle of the night, this is your chance to call in! We will record Episode 93 on Tuesday, June 3rd at 1pm Central Daylight Time, 2pm Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm British Summer Time, 8pm Central European Summer Time, and at 4am Wednesday, June 4th Australian Eastern Standard Time.
In This Episode
Italian Camera Book / Italy's Camera History is Deeper Than You'd ThinkBencini Comet III / Bencini Koroll II and Koroll S / 127 Size Images on 120Italy's Camera Industry is Similar to France'sFerrania Also Released Cameras / Ferrania Rondine / The Ferrania Condor is Not a Leica CopyThe Rectaflex Was Very Pretty and Innovative / Rectaflex LichtensteinMike Apologizes for the Expensive GAS From This EpisodeTheo Loves His Closter CameraDurst Made Four Cameras, the Duca, Automatica, 66, and the GilMike Fumbles His Way Through Explaining how the Durst Automatica WorksTheo Lusts Over a Gold Plated Half Frame Italian CameraSSR Ducati Sogno is a Half Frame Super CameraGamma Officine Meccaniche de Precisione Gamma IIPhototeknica Eaglet Box Camera / What if Italian Companies Still Made Cameras?Bob Heaps Praise on the Unique Gami 16 SubminiISO Super Duplex 120 / Forty-Eight 24mm x 24mm Images on a Single RollThe Italian Camera Indusry is Very Deep / Bob is All Done Writing BooksItalian Cars Are Unique Too / Theo and Bob Both Owned FiatsWhat Ended Camera Production in Italy? / The Rise of Japanese IndustryMiles is GASing for a Rectaflex / Mike's Warning About the ViewfinderGet Yourself a Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt!!!Yashica FX-D: Your First Digital Film Simulation Camera / SOC CamerasWill 3D Printed Cameras like the Superflex and Alfie Tych Ever Become Collectible?Mike Doesn't think New 3D Printed Cameras Appeal to Too Many CollectorsFilm Cameras Will Outlive the Production of FilmLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Like the saying goes, "better late than never", the Camerosity Podcast is back with Episode 91, which is dedicated to cameras of the 90s. Which 90s you prefer, 1890s or 1990s, all 90s cameras are welcome!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike are returning callers, AJ Gentile, Ira Cohen, Miles Libak, Nick Marshall, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham and we cover a wide range of 1990s cameras and technologies. Paul starts off with some stories about mini labs and how single use cameras became a big thing. We dive into bridge cameras, including the Olympus IS-2 which Mike gave rave remarks to.
We discuss a large number of point and shoot cameras including premium models by Nikon and Konica, and ponder why the Olympus Stylus Epic is so popular today. We talk about some dead end technologies from the 90s such as Minolta's ill fated Creative Expansion and Canon's obscure barcode scanner for the EOS 10S.
Not all technologies from the 1990s were failures though as the 1990s was the first decade of digital cameras. Models like the floppy disc Sony Mavica and Nikon D1 were great cameras with a historical significance which helped prove that digital photography had arrived.
We round out the discussion with why Theo loves the Mamiya 7 so much and how it compares to the Mamiya 6, Robert shares some info on the development of the Nikon S3 2000 edition, and we have a thorough discussion on Kyocera's Contax SLRs.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we decided to explore the Italian camera industry as its not often discussed in camera collector circles. While Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States were well known as makers of fine cameras, a great number of really cool cameras were made in Italy such as the Rectaflex, Ducati Sogno, Gamma II, and other models by Bencini, Durst, and Ferrania. Join us if you're a fan of cameras from this "boot shaped" country, and see if we can manage to fill an entire episode without getting distracted! We will record Episode 92 on Monday, May 19th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Jeff and Gabe Can't Pronounce French Names / Alan Peres Sends Us Emails NowSometimes Its Hard to Remember That We Like Cameras from the 1990sThe 1990s Was the Decade of the MiniLab and Single Use Disposable CamerasOlympus Invested Heavily in Point and Shoots in the late 1980sIn the 1990s, Olympus Gave Up on Traditional SLRs and Created the IS-SeriesOlympus IS-2 / In the 90s Zoom Reach was Over Valued By NovicesWhy Are the Olympus Stylus Epics so Expensive? / µ[mju:]-IINikon F5 Improvements Over the F4 / Paul Really Hates the Nikon N70The Nikon N90/F90 Was Nikons Best Semi-Pro SLR of the 1990sBroken Battery and Film Doors Were a Huge Problem Back ThenThe Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti Are Impressive Cameras but Terrible Investments1990s Underwater Cameras / How Many People Kept Shooting 80s Cameras in the 90s?Contax S2 and Other 1990s Contax SLRs / Contax S2 and STMike Likes the Contax RTS II and the Contax RX / Large Contaxes Like the N1 and AXThe Minolta Maxxum 600si/650si Has Mechanical Knobs and is Awesome / Minolta Maxxum 9xiMinolta's Horrible Creative Expansion Cards / Disabling Features on Consumer SLRs / Canon Barcode Scanning SystemThe Canon EOS-1n RS / Pellicle Mirrors / Canon EOS A2E / Canon's Eye Control SystemPremium Point and Shoots / Konica Hexar AF / Canon ElphTheo Loves the Mamiya 7 / Mamiya 6 / Everyone's First 110 CameraNikon Started Working on the S3 2000 in the 1990s / Differences Between the 2000 and Original S3Sony Floppy Mavica Cameras / Nikon D1Alfred C. Kemper Kombi from the 1890s / Theo's 1890s Australian Studio CamerasAdvanced Photo System (APS) Film and Cameras / Kodak Advantix PreviewLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Keppler's Vault 101: Advanced Photo System - https://mikeeckman.com/2022/03/kepplers-vault-101-advanced-photo-system/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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As sometimes happens in the wonderful world of social media content creation, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray" we had plans to record Episode 90 back in March, but a variety of unfortunate and unrelated happenstances occurred which resulted in a short hiatus for recording. We had planned on making Episode 90 a show all about Cameras of the 90s, but we had also wanted Episode 91 to be recorded with two special guests, so we were forced to do things out of order.
Thankfully, the obstacles which caused our six week break didn't interfere with us sitting down with Jeff Greenstein and Gabe Sachs from the I Dream of Cameras podcast. For those of you who are familiar with their show, you'll know that Jeff has a fondness for Alpa cameras, so this unofficially doubles as our first and probably only Alpa episode.
After some short introductions, we refer back to a fun comparison between the two podcasts written by listener John Kelly and both hosts give our reactions to some of his funny answers. We cover a variety of cameras that we all love and shoot, along with Jeff's deep dive into why he loves the Alpa 11si so much.
Gabe shares a story of how he's had to rebuild his camera collection from scratch after losing it when his home burned down in the Palisades wild fires that ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year. We ponder why the Hasselblad XPan can't get repaired anymore and what other cameras are on the verge of being unrepairable. Mike shares three very different Alpas in his collection and shares what he likes and doesn't like about all three, Anthony shares his thoughts on a new (to him) Fuji camera he recently bought, and Paul talks about his plans for traveling to Ireland later this spring.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
As promised two episodes ago, we still want to do a Cameras of the 90s episode, but this time it will have to be Episode 91. Finally, Theo will get a chance to talk about his beloved Mamiya 7, but in addition to that there were many other terrific cameras from that decade like the Nikon N90s and the premium 28Ti and 35Ti point and shoots, the Contax AX, and the Olympus µ[mju:]-II. In addition to terrific film cameras, the 1990s was the first decade with a large number of digital cameras like the Minolta RD-175 and Nikon D1. We will record Episode 91 on Monday, May 5th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
In This Episode
Jeff Greenstein and Gabe Sachs from I Dream of Cameras / Episode NumbersJohn Kelly Compares Camerosity and IDOC Podcasts: A RebuttalRich Coastal Elites vs Salt of the Earth Midwesterners / So GoodCamerosity Yellow and Red is the Same as Kodak Yellow and RedMamiya 7, Alpa 10s, Pentax 17, and Hasselblad 500Why Can't Anyone Repair the Hasselblad XPan? / Unrepairable CamerasPaul Doesn't Know what Neon Genesis Evangelion IsAnthony and Paul Trade a Leica M2 for a Rolleiflex 3.5FGabe Talks About Losing His House and Entire Camera Collection in the LA Wild FiresLimiting a Collection to 30 Cameras / Olympus Pen FTJeff Handles an Ilford Witness / Anthony Much Prefers the Bell & Howell FotonIs there any Alpa Heritage in Bolex Cameras? / Kern Lenses / Kilfitt Makro Kilar LensesMike and Jeff Both See the World in 40mm / The Konica AR 40mm f/1.8 Lens is the Best Value in 40mmThe Original Alpa Reflex is a Hybrid SLR and a RangefinderMike Had an M42 Alpa Lens with No Body So He Bought an Alpa Si2000 / Chinon CE-II MemotronJeff's Rhapsody for the Alpa 11si / The Weirdest Motor Drive Ever / Engraved CamerasJeff Goes to Paris Fashion Shows / Cincinnati Camera Show Update / Sydney Show UpdateAnthony Picks Up a Fuji GS645W Professional / Fuji's Barcode Film SystemMore Recap of the Cincinnati ShowStephen Gets a Pentax 110 Auto / Theo Gets a Light Meter that Measures in Foot LambertsJeff Wants to Get a Pentax MX / He Has a Medical Camera Called the Pentax MFJeff Also Got a Zeiss Taxona and a Mamiya SketchMike Picks Up a Minolta 35 Model IIB and an Original Argus C with the F/S SwitchLinks
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Jeff Greenstein and Gabe Sachs - I Dream of Cameras - https://www.idreamofcameras.com/
Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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