The beauty, the style and the build quality of mechanical film cameras made before the 1960’s is simply unmatched. Barnack Leica’s, the original Nikon F, Rolleiflex TLR’s, Konica rangefinders, early Pentax SLR’s, Zeiss, Voigtlander and Agfa folders. WOW! Okay, I’m going to need a moment to calm down! (Particularly since most of the cameras pictured […]
Read more "Upgrade Your Meterless Film Camera!"If you’re cheap or just enjoy a variety of glass in your quiver, it’s worth running vintage Leica Thread Mount (LTM or M39) lenses on your newer bayonet M mount Leica bodies. The fact that this can be done so flawlessly is yet another boon to the Leica rangefinder system and justification to buy a […]
Read more "Leica LTM to M Adapters"Instead of reviewing yet another needless classic camera, I wanted to talk about products that will actually help our photography while still indulging our universal fixation on gear; developing tanks. If you are interested in developing your own film or have been doing it for decades, hopefully you find this review useful in some far […]
Read more "Paterson Film Developing Tank Review"Something that drives me crazy is when I see photographers with disorganized camera bags. My wife’s is absolutely terrifying. Film photographers are probably the worst offenders but ironically have the greatest need for an organized bag. If you’re an award-winning, world renowned photographer and keep a messy bag, fine. Who am I to criticize you? […]
Read more "A Well Organized Bag is a Good Start"Nobody would argue that knob-wind Leicas are fine cameras that look as beautiful as they perform. With use of more modern designs, however, it doesn’t take long to realise that these cameras are a bit slippery in the hand, due to the symmetrical rounded sides and lack of front or rear grip. A neat accessory […]
Read more "A Thumbs Up for a Knob Wind"From the people who brought you the best camera in the world… Da dun da da dun! I present… The best camera strap in the world! This is the Leica 14312. I believe that it first surfaced in the 1990’s but I invite a more knowledgeable Leicaphile to comment on its precise origins. All that […]
Read more "The Best Camera Strap in the World"There’s a certain mystique to shooting on a rangefinder camera. Some of this mystique is based on factually superior characteristics to other types of cameras. But some of this mystique is pure hype born out of the exclusivity of the rangefinder user base and clever marketing intended to tap into the often fat wallets of […]
Read more "Ahhhh, Soft Release… PART ONE"Early Leica rangefinders were so small that focusing their tiny lenses with the conventional thumb and forefinger method was cumbersome. So Leica came up with a simple, elegant solution, as Leica often does; a focus knob. Many classic rangefinder lenses have a focus knob to aid in speedy, accurate focusing. The focus knob allows for […]
Read more "Add a Focus Knob to Any Lens!"I just wanted to give a shout-out to my recently purchased Voigtlander 90mm Brightline Viewfinder. The main focal lengths that I use on my Leica and Voigtlander rangefinders are 15, 50 and 90. So I now own both the Voigtlander 15 and 90mm finders, both are the metal versions. The earlier, plastic versions, while often […]
Read more "Voigtlander 90mm Brightline Viewfinder"I’m as much of a Leica fan as anyone but I have to admit, the Japanese reincarnate of Voigtländer seriously one-upped the German Leica gods when they designed their T-Winder. Let’s begin at the beginning. Leica introduced a few rapidwinder devices for it’s screw mount 35mm rangefinder cameras in the 1930’s or 40’s. The exact history […]
Read more "Leicavit vs. T-Winder"