Author name: Iain Paterson

Recent arrival to film photography's revitalisation and based in the UK's far south west, resuming a journey first inspired by a Fujica STX-1 and the then nearby National Museum of Photography, Film & Television

Konica TCX with Sigma 28mm lens

5 Frames Simply Taken with a Konica TC-X and Sigma Mini-Wide II 28mm lens (No Batteries Required) – By Iain Paterson

By / January 11, 2023 / 5 frames with... / 6 Comments

Going back to basics in photography – using just a light-tight box, a single lens, and a mechanical shutter and winder – is often framed as a return to simplicity, even if it immensely complicates the actual process of taking a picture. I guess simplicity refers in this case not only to the equipment, but also to a sort of purity of experience. Seeking more engagement with the process than an autofocus SLR or compact can provide, and even perhaps aiming for something of a meditative state, a photographer might first choose a metered manual focus camera, perhaps setting exposure guided by a match needle in the viewfinder.

MZ-M front view

The Pentax MZ-M (ZX-M) Review – The Ultimate Beginner’s 35mm SLR? – By Iain Paterson

By / November 17, 2021 / SLRs / 32 Comments

Look at virtually any of the online guides recommending the best SLRs for newcomers to film photography and a shortlist soon becomes familiar: Pentax K1000, Canon AE-1, Olympus OM10, plus a variable selection of other models from the same era. All are perfectly solid choices no doubt, and with a certain retro cachet for some – but are they really the best starting point?

The camera, lens and film used

5 Frames with ‘The Worst Lens Minolta Ever Made’ – By Iain Paterson

By / September 13, 2021 / 5 frames with... / 14 Comments

A flurry of budget e-bay purchases since my imagination had been captured by the film photography revival had brought me a prized ragbag of treasures. Amongst them, three items that had been part of bundles or hasty mis-purchases: an untested Minolta Dynax 500si Super SLR whose badly yellowed viewfinder looked barely usable, a Truprint 400 film (to be developed within 24 months according to the foil wrapper in which it was still sealed) and a Minolta 35-80mm 1:4 (22) – 5.6 autofocus zoom lens. These misfits of my small new collection of late-model 35mm kit somehow belonged together, and I was curious to see what could be made of them.

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