“Ninety-nine percent of the lenses are better than 100% of photographers.” – Scott Bourne My friend Lynn Taylor from the Ogden Camera Club gave me this Minolta MD mount lens a few years ago. It’s in great condition, was still in the box with all the packaging materials. Has no scratches, no fungus, and no […]
Read More Asanuma LensMy son has become a master at thrifting. When looking for vintage clothing, he knows exactly what to look for. On occasion, he will find a camera and send me a text and ask if it’s worth investigating. Back in May, he came across a stack of Olympus gear at one of his favorite stores. […]
Read More Olympus Stylus Epic DLX (1997)Back in November 2019, my friend Maurice offered up a Kodak Master View monorail camera. Yes, it’s taken me this long to get around to using it. Along with the free camera, Maurice sold me a Kodak Commercial Ektar, 8 ½ inch, f/6.3, 215mm lens. The lens was manufactured by Ilex Optical and was designed […]
Read More Kodak Master ViewBack in February, my wife and I decided to visit the Midway Ice Castles on the last day before they closed for the season. I took two cameras and used three different films. The main camera was my Yashica Mat-124 G loaded with Ultrafine Extreme 100 and then Fuji Acros 100II. My second camera was […]
Read More Ice Castles on FilmOne of the coolest things about the online film community is the generosity of film photographers. Last year I emailed Natalie Smart, a Brighton UK film photographer after reading one of her blog posts. Seeing that she had just purchased a Hasselblad 500 C/M, I had several original Hasselblad brochures, and some other film items […]
Read More Lomography Berlin Kino 400I was contacted last May by someone looking to donate a camera. A reader named Sarah had acquired her grandfather’s Rollei 35 and wanted to make sure it would go to someone that would use it. After a few back-and-forth emails, Sarah sent the camera from North Dakota. I asked Sarah to tell me a […]
Read More Rollei 35 (1966 – 1974)Okay, one last post using the Close-Up Lenses No. 2 on the Yashica Mat-124 G and then I’ll move on to something else. This time I heated the CineStill Df96 Monobath up 32° C, pushing it one stop. Something I’ve not tried before and I’m happy with the results. Camera: Yashica Mat-124 G (1970 – […]
Read More Even More Photos with the Yashica No. 2 Close-up LensesA few miles away from my house an abandoned Datsun 280ZX has been sitting in a private parking lot for several years. Each time I drove past it, I thought how I should stop and capture some images of the car as it slowly became surrounded by weeds and the exterior became more weathered with […]
Read More Abandoned 280ZXHere are some additional photos with the Close-Up Lenses No. 2 on the Yashica Mat-124 G. These were shot on expired Kodak Tri-X. The resulting images have a lot of grain. Camera: Yashica Mat-124 G (1970 – 1986) with Yashica No. 2 Close-up Lenses. Film: Kodak Tri-X (Exp 6/2003). Process: CineStill Df96 Monobath 3 Mins […]
Read More More Photos with Yashica Close-Up Lenses No. 2Since having my Yashica Mat-124 G CLA’d by Mark Hama, I’ve used it more often. And recently found another film photographer on Facebook that was selling a set of close-up lenses for Yashica TLR’s. The set of lenses includes one that goes on taking lens, and the other on the viewing lens. According to yashicatlr.com, […]
Read More Yashica Mat-124 G Close-Up Lenses No. 2This week we’re featuring local photographer Bob Grant and his review of the Mercury II camera. Bob found Utah Film Photography a few years ago and we’ve met up for a few photowalks. With a background in engineering, Bob loves the technical details, mechanics, and operation behind film photography. He admits his artistic and technical […]
Read More Mercury II Film Test – A Tale of One CityI recently sent my Yashica Mat-124 G off to Mr. Mark Hama in Georgia (USA) for a CLA (clean, lubricate, adjust). Mark is known for working on the team that built the Mat-124 G at Yashica’s factory in Japan. For the past 30 years he’s been repairing cameras from his home. If you recall, he […]
Read More Yashica Mat-124 G CLASoon after I sent my Yashica 44 off to Mark Hama for repairs, I purchased this Yashica 44 LM. This camera was the last of Yashica’s 44 line of TLR’s that used 127 film. Manufactured from 1958 to 1962, the Yashica 44 LM is nearly identical to the 44 and 44A. The main difference being […]
Read More Yashica 44 LM (1958 – 1962)After purchasing the Camerhack FCK127 film cutter, one camera that kept calling to me was the Yashica 44. Small, grey, and admittedly cute. I spent a lot of time on eBay looking at 44’s, but most of them were beat up, dented, and missing parts. I found one that was in fair condition and made […]
Read More Yashica 44 (1958)When 127 film was discontinued in 1995, photographers were left to create their own ways of cutting film to use in their favorite cameras. The easiest method is cutting 120 film down, and re-spooling it, with the backing paper, to a smaller 127 spool. There are a few different ways that this can be done. […]
Read More 127 Film & The Kodak Baby BrownieIn 2019, I’ve tried to spend more time shooting film than writing. I’m finding myself returning to some of my favorite cameras and film stocks. This post is more about the destination and the subject than the gear or film. I thought it was worth sharing. Over Memorial Day weekend, my family took a short […]
Read More Haunted? Stricker Ranch – Hansen, IdahoWhen Stephen Dowling at Kosmo Foto announced the new Kosmo Foto Mono 120, I rushed to preorder several rolls. Why? Kosmo Foto Mono has been one of my favorite films. You can read my original review here, and view more photos here. Kosmo Foto Mono is a fantastic ISO 100 black and white film. Just […]
Read More Kosmo Foto Mono 120This year I organized another double-exposure challenge for The Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast. Using some of the lessons learned from last year, I decided to simplify the challenge, and give photographers deadlines. The concept of the double-exposure challenge: one photographer shoots a roll of film, rewinds the film, and then sends it to someone […]
Read More The 2nd Annual Negative Positives Film Photography Podcast Double-Exposure ChallengeI’ve been looking to buy a Minolta X-700 for a few years. I passed on a few of them because I thought they were overpriced. However, last month I found one in an antique store for $20. I believe they thought it was broken. With a set of new batteries, light seals, and some cleaning, […]
Read More Minolta X-700When New55 released a monobath a few years ago, I was eager to give it a try. What could be easier? A single solution to develop black and white film and no need to mix chemistry. After successfully developing a few rolls of 120 film, I was happy. That changed when I tried to develop […]
Read More Film Photography Project Super Monobath BW Developer
Utah Film Photography 