Author name: Dan Cuny

A little background on me, and my interest in anything photographic. I’ll begin to add posts on my collection, my interests, and items in my collection. I can still remember the day that my uncle gave me my first camera when I was 9 years old. It was a Univex twin lens camera and I was mesmerized looking down through the waist level finder. Everything was backward, but my brain quickly figured out left was right, and right was left. I took that camera on a vacation to Alaska shooting 620 film and still have the negatives and photos. Fast forward a few years to when I’m 16. I find myself in the front row at concerts like Traffic, Humble Pie, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and all the classic bands of the ’70s. My 3 friends and I went to see bands at least a couple times a month and where I first was published in Rolling Stone, Musician Magazine, Guitar Player, and other publications. In later years, we published a blog on the shows we saw and also have images on my website. I’m in the process of writing a book on my experiences and images from this time period. My passion for all things cameras and photographic started when I turned 18 and started working at the local camera store. Having worked there for almost 20 years, I sold all the classic cameras of the 1970s and ’80s like Canon AE-1, Nikon F, Minolta SRT, Pentax Spotmatic, Topcon Super D, and many large and medium format cameras. To this day, I can tell these camera cameras even from the outline they have. This is where I started to collect anything photographic, but the true passion is for cameras and lenses. I’ve had a great career in the photo industry which has lead in many different directions, from Professional Photo Lab Manager to PrePress and high-end scanner sales to repping for Sinar and Broncolor, to Leaf Digital back representative, and onto the most recent where I was the Profoto Rep for the US, West Coast for almost 15 years. During these times, I’ve had the opportunity to travel where I always found some time to seek out cameras or photo items in the town I’ve traveled to. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and work with some fascinating photographers over my career. From Mary Ellen Mark, Jim Marshall, Dan Winters, Annie Leibovitz, and many, many others.

Running 35mm Film Through My 110 Year Old No. 0 Folding Pocket Kodak – By Dan Cuny

By / / Mods, DIY & Lens Adapting / 14 Comments

I write a weekly camera collecting blog through my website, but due to the holidays I didn’t have the usual time I spend researching the camera or the camera company, which is something usually like to do. Instead, I decided to do something a little different.

Looking and handling the No.0 Folding Pocket Kodak camera, I noticed that a 35mm film might fit in the camera… as follows is the rest of the story.

Mamiya Six II – Early Version Review & Images – By Dan Cuny

By / / Medium & Large Format / 3 Comments

For the past few years, I’ve enjoyed shooting with older folding medium format cameras. These cameras are generally smaller and something I can fit into my pocket for easy transportation. Also, use larger film than 35mm, so the ability to enlarge or crop the image gives more flexibility. Their lenses are somewhat flat in contrast, but I can change that after processing and digitizing the images.

Yashica Rapide Half Frame

Yashica Rapide Half Frame Camera – History and Review – By Dan Cuny

By / / Scale Focus / 7 Comments

The Yashica Rapide is a camera I’ve had for a few years. Looking around on the internet, I don’t see a lot of information on it. I’m excited to bring this camera to the forefront for others to be aware of and hopefully renew some interest in this oddball half-frame camera. I do like the design and compactness of this camera as it’s something you can easily stick in your coat pocket and bring along for your weekend getaway or summer holiday.

Minolta Autocord CDS

Minolta Autocord CDS – History & Review – By Dan Cuny

By / / Medium & Large Format / 14 Comments

I had purchased my Minolta Autocord CDS cameras about three months ago. The previous owner didn’t know if it was working, even after giving them some tips to check. However, I took a chance and bought it. To my surprise, when it arrived, the shutter worked great, and the aperture moved as it should. A good friend told me the focus was notorious for hanging up, but It moved smoothly and focused well. The meter didn’t have a battery, so I purchased a battery for the light meter. When I installed the battery, it took some time for it to react to light. Eventually, it did and seemed close to accurate. My wife and I planned a few days away so I was excited to take it for a test drive.

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