The last decade and a half have been a rough time for people shooting film, watching Kodak in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, the discontinuation of favorite film stocks, rising prices, and the closing of film labs around the world. For those shooting motion picture film and particularly small-gauge film, it’s been a bitter struggle. Thankfully, we …
The Negative Space – a Portrait of a Local Film Lab Read More
Too friendly, if I’m honest. But this is why I carry a camera with me nearly everywhere I go. It’s usually something like a Nikon F2 loaded with Tri-X (rated at 1600), with my 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor attached. This kit can elicit old guys waxing nostalgia and the interest of young film shooters alike. And the wildlife would appear to be just as interested in my camera. If you can still call them that.
In 1973, the year of the Minolta XM’s launch, Minolta had been serving the consumer market very successfully for several years with the SR-T . There, it was a hard-to-beat queen. In total, about 3.6 million cameras of the SR-T series were sold. The SR-T was a cash cow for Minolta. Despite different versions and further developments, it was basically always the same camera. virtues of extreme robustness, high reliability and simple operation, were important to millions of photographers. No matter what the condition, an SR-T can almost always be triggered, and reliably. It and the outstanding Rokkor lenses were the basis for the success of the Minolta brand, which lasted for a good three decades. Why did Minolta dare to take the risk of entering the pro camp with the XM in 1973?
I have been fooling with cameras for almost 60 years, since I was in junior high school in the early 1960s in the Detroit, Michigan area. In those days the Nikon F series of film cameras was the professional’s choice and I lusted after them. I was unable to float the cost of such a …
5 Frames on a Morning Walk with a Nikon F2A – By Stephen Hanka Read More
On a sticky early morning lines of cars crawling up the small highway give way to vendors for miles on either side of the small country highway. It’s the first weekend of August and the World’s Longest Yard Sale is in full swing for its 35th year in a row. I grew up at the start of it, or for some the end. On top of Noccalula Falls it begins every year, like a three day celebration for antiques, cool finds, and that one thing you know you shouldn’t have bought, but did anyways.
I felt this way about my Black Nikon F2AS, at first. I already had a chrome F2, but never liked the look of it. I used it extensively, but the chrome never filled the void. Looks aren’t everything, sure, but why settle for less!
