Do You Want To Be A Photographer Or A Repair Tech?

by Johnny Martyr "I just found this awesome Konica Autoreflex at my local thrift store for just $25! It works perfectly and just needs to be cleaned. But I noticed that sometimes when I wind the advance lever, the shutter opens. Is this normal?" "I just bought this awesome Olympus XA rangefinder from eBay for...

An Analog Leica M6 Photographer Tries a Digital Leica M9

by Johnny Martyr I'm pretty committed to film photography. Not because I think film photography is superior to digital photography - on a technical level, it's just not. And on an artistic level, there is no such thing as "superior," there's only how things feel and how they make you think. I am not committed...

Why Buy A New Film Camera When I Can Buy Used Ones From eBay?!

“Why would I buy a new Nikon FM10 for $150, a new Nikon FM2 for $700 or a new Nikon FM3a for $800 from a camera store when I can buy a used Nikon FM from eBay for $50?”

I Don’t Shoot Expired Film, Maybe You Shouldn’t Either

by Johnny Martyr Look, I don't want to curtail anyone's creativity, but I think it's worth rethinking how readily many photographers shoot expired film. For me, shooting paid work, I never ever take client photos on expired film. And I really don't use it for personal work either because to me, it's just not worth...

Q&A: Which Leica M Should I Buy?

by Johnny Martyr Here's a DM from a reader in France: "Hi Johnny, how are you? My name is Victor and I live in Paris. I was intrigued by your article about camera shops in Paris. I am trying to start in the photography world, more as a hobby than anything else, and I wanted...

Unboxing & Evaluating A Welta Weltur 6×4.5/6×6 Folding Rangefinder

by Johnny Martyr I got the notification from my Ring doorbell when a non-descript cardboard box was dropped off at my front porch. Who, in the 1930s would have imagined that this little handcrafted camera would be couriered to the United States by robots and its arrival announced by a motion-sensing camera that transmits images...

Q&A: I’m Afraid to Shoot 3200 ISO Film Because It Doesn’t Cold Store Well So I Push 400 to 3200 Instead

by Johnny Martyr I recently got a question in response to posting some Kodak TMAX P3200 photos. The gist of it was that a photographer is learning how to achieve higher ISOs by pushing 400 speed films (which he referred to as "traditional films") instead of using 3200 speed films (as if these are not "traditional")...

Q&A: Why Do You Use 0.85x Leica Rangefinders instead of 1:1 Voigtländers?

by Johnny Martyr Yesterday, long time photo buddy Brent Legum Levenson asked a really great question on my Facebook page. He was referencing my Leica M6 TTL cameras which have 0.85x viewfinder magnification. "Any reason you got the .85? I think I’ve only seen the .72 versions in person. Also, I liked that the Bessa R3s...

Gilligan’s Return: Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit-M Thin Review Part II

by Johnny Martyr Since Molly Kate kindly featured it on 35mmc, my Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit Thin Review has been getting alot of traffic. The review concluded with my decision to throw Gilligan overboard and invite The Skipper to join me on the top deck. Quick recap: I was lead to believe that all Thin Canadian...

The Kodak Ektar H35N Has Another Important Hidden Feature

by Johnny Martyr Based on my enthusiasm for their previous model, makers of the new Kodak Ektar H35N, RETO, kindly sent me a production model to try. A few weeks ago, I tested the upgraded half frame 35mm camera, wrote a review and published my thoughts and results on Petapixel. Alot of folks DM'd me...