Cameras, Lenses, Gear
53 Analogue Photography Gear Reviews, History, and Stories
Olympus f/1.8 F.Zuiko Auto-S Lens Review
The Middle of Everything “PEN”
October 15, 2021
Versatile, a pleasure to operate, and capable of producing sharp images. You’d be hard-pressed to find a half-frame lens of this quality that isn’t Olympus from the same period.— Dmitri.
Travels With Diana
When the 2-Metre Social Distancing Rule Stopped
September 26, 2021
The restrictions on social gatherings, including the social distancing rule to keep two meters apart, came to an end in England on 19 July 2021. As the pandemic itself has not come to an end yet, the authorities have continued asking the public to follow some of the more basic rules such as regular handwashing, wearing a mask where recommended, etc.— Danilo Leonardi.
Olympus f/2.8 E.Zuiko Auto-S Pancake SLR Lens Review
A 🥞 38mm Lens to Pocket Your Olympus PEN F/FV/FT SLR
September 20, 2021
If you’re a lucky owner of an Olympus PEN half-frame camera and you’ve got this lens handy, you may be able to do the impossible: pocket your SLR!— Dmitri.
Pentax Espio 140V Camera Review
Could This Be the Affordable 35mm Point and Shoot You’ve Been Looking For?
September 10, 2021
Pentax Espio 100v is a relatively modern film camera from the ‘90s that can be easily found for sale on eBay these days. Superia 200.— Dmitri.
Canon EF, an FD-Mount 35mm SLR Camera
The Irresistible Appeal of the Non-Revolutionary
August 31, 2021
An extremely detailed article; the history, use, and quirks of this mid-range Canon SLR.— Danilo Leonardi.
Praktica MTL 5B
A Mechanical Beauty
August 18, 2021
A user review of the East German Praktica MTL 5B and the discussion of its advantages, being a fully-mechanical 35mm film camera.— Justino Lourenço, with images by Dmitri.
MiNT Flash Bar 2
A Principal Polaroid SX-70 Accessory
August 2, 2021
A brief review of MiNT’s versatile little flash for Polaroid SX-70 cameras. Complete with plenty of beautiful sample images.— Dmitri.
Bolsey “Model C”
User Guide + Review
July 25, 2021
An in-depth review & user guide of the only 35mm TLR camera ever created that is also a rangefinder.— Dmitri.
Canon Demi
A Pretty Little Half-Frame Review
July 7, 2021
Canon Demi is the famous Japanese camera maker’s answer to the Olympus half-frame series. It features a fast 𝒇2.8 28mm lens and a unique exposure control.— Dmitri, with images by Betty.
Olympus L-10 Super
An Affordable SLR Review
April 29, 2021
Olympus L-10 Super is a 35mm film zoom lens SLR that you can find today for less than $100. Its integrated lens with aspherical elements has a motorized variable focal length of 28mm-110mm with a maximum aperture of 𝒇4. 5 (𝒇5. 6 at longer focal lengths).— Dmitri.
Epson ET-M2170
The Best Printer for Making Monochrome Zines at Home
April 26, 2021
A fully monochrome inkjet with duplex printing, great resolution, edge-to-edge printing, and eco-friendly ink supply.— Dmitri.
Werramat by Carl Zeiss Jena
Peculiar Design, Odd Controls, Incredibly-Fast Shutter, Great Optics
April 13, 2021
An in-depth review of an inventive East German camera with an incredibly fast 1/750s leaf shutter and a brilliant 𝒇2.8 Tessar zone-focus lens.— Dmitri.
Voigtländer Kontur Viewfinder
A Review and an Accuracy Test
March 24, 2021
A unique German viewfinder for 50mm lenses on 35mm film that relies on stereoscopic vision.— Dmitri.
Minolta TC-1
A Complete Camera Review & Shooting Guide
March 15, 2021
A premium 35mm compact camera featuring titanium exterior, an incredible aperture priority lens, and a tiny footprint.— Dmitri.
Voigtländer Vitessa A
A Premium German Foldable 35mm Rangefinder Camera
March 1, 2021
An in-depth review of Voigtländer Vitessa A: a German folding 35mm film rangefinder camera, manufactured in the mid-1950s. Variant A is the first Vitessa in this remarkable 35mm shooter lineup.— Dmitri.
Ricoh YF-20
A Hackable Point-and-Shoot
February 18, 2021
A focus-free point-and-shoot. What's cool is that you can hack this Ricoh’s glass lens focus and exposure.— Dmitri.
Rollei Prego 100WA
A Pretty Little Point-and-Shoot
January 28, 2021
Rollei Prego 100WA is a beautiful point-and-shoot with a 28-100mm 𝒇5. 8-𝒇10. 5 Vario-Apogon lens (the maximum aperture changes based on zoom level). It can focus as close as . 5m with “macro” mode or . 65m/2’1½” normally. The camera has a decent shutter that actuates between 1 and 1/500th of a second.— Dmitri.
Voigtländer Vito C / Revue 35XE
A Super-Light 175g/6.17oz 35mm Folder With 𝒇2.8 38mm Lens
January 12, 2021
175g/6.17oz 35mm foldable zone-focus camera with glass 𝒇2.8 38mm lens and a remarkably well-made plastic body. This camera is known as Voigtländer Vito C, Revue 35XE, and Blada CA35.— Dmitri, with images by Betty.
The Incredible Contarex and Contaflex Film Cameras
Plus, Why Did Zeiss’ Cameras Stop Selling
December 24, 2020
In this article, I talk about my father-in-law’s Contaflex camera and how looking for a wider-angle lens led me to discover the Contarex. I also talk about the reason why I think Zeiss lost its top market position in the 1960s. I’ve recorded my dialogue on this topic while riding bikes and taking pictures in Vienna in-between the lockdowns.— Gavin Lyons.
FED-2 With Industar-10
A Review of an Irresistible Piece of Soviet Photographic Technology
November 18, 2020
FED-2 is a beautiful camera with its share of flaws and imperfections. A Soviet copy of the Leica II that I could not resist at $50.— Dmitri.
