My last ‘5 frames’ was a thinly veiled opportunity to complain about the ergonomics and reliability of the Minox 35EL. Even then I remained entranced by its tiny (and excellent) lens. The camera The Autoreflex used is the first real camera I owned (other than a brief one-night-stand with a Canonet). I’ve got a lot …
5 frames with Kodak Ultramax in a Konica Autoreflex T3 Read More
I took two vacations when I was young. I never recall being disappointed about it, but looking back with a lifetime of experience I realize it was the best my single mother could do at the time. I was fortunate. The first came when I was 14. Mom wanted to go back to Minnesota and …
Olympus 35RC and a Couple Rolls of Kodak Ultramax – The Radical Retro Red Vacation Read More
With color films often in short supply and prices continuing to increase, it was sad news when Fuji “paused” Superia X-TRA 400 in April of this year. It’s reasonable to see this as yet another Fuji film being discontinued. Just a short time later, however, news of a new Fujifilm 400 surfaced. A similar sequence …
Fujifilm 400 (made in the USA) vs. Kodak Ultramax 400 – The Same, or Different…? Read More
I have always liked “nice” things. I would rather have less quantity but with a greater quality. My favorite fly rods are made by Orvis. My camera of choice has always been Nikon. They are solid quality with a touch of class. I like nice things but some things are so nice as to seem unattainable. I’m ok with that. I’m content to admire them from a distance; like Leica’s. I began a long-distance respect for Leica when I began to shoot film again back in 2020. How could I not? Every YouTuber I followed or watched seemed to shoot a Leica. They were surprisingly ubiquitous considering their status and their price tag. Interestingly, I slowly became irritated by the sight of them. How about some cameras for the common folk?! Obviously, I exaggerate but at times I felt that way!
Vacations, in my personal experience (and preference), always involve cameras to record the story. One of the quintessential “vacation” cameras of the 60’s was the Half-frame. The “Halfs” were very competent, easily mastered affairs which doubled the amount of frames per roll. As a result, this would make them welcome companions for many families on vacation. The most notable of these was the Olympus Pen series though several other manufactures followed suit. One of the better ones was the Fujica Half which was introduced in 1963.
