Even before purchasing the cute, little Polaroid 300 camera I’ve been dabbling in Polaroid instant photography. Only in the last month or so has it become all-out Polaroid Mania. Using “The Google” I researched Polaroid present and past, making a list of various cameras that I would like to test. I was amazed to find THOUSANDS of used classic Polaroid cameras on-line. My latest ... [Read More]
Reviews
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Ansco B2 Speedex Junior
I purchased this beautiful vintage Ansco camera for $0.99us on e-bay. It’s fast becoming one of my favorite 120 cameras. Not a great deal of information on the web but I was able to find the following: Made in (or around) 1945 in the US Uses 120 film 1/30th sec shutter f-stops 11 through32 Has "time" mode for long exposures Camera boasts a "deep" area to load the film - meaning ... [Read More]
Love for the Ultra Wide & Slim Camera
Blog by Michael Raso James Butler from Hertfordshire, UK loves the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim 35mm camera so much that he created a gallery of his favorites on Flickr. I couldn’t agree more. An amazing set of images. Feast your eyes! The all mechanical / all plastic Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim camera has no electronics or need for a battery to ... [Read More]
Kiron Konclusion / Sears Big Zoom at Film Premiere
After complaining about quality issues with my Kiron 28 – 210mm Super Zoom (for Canon FD) in previous blog postings, I decided to look through my photo notes and find additional shots using the lens. Fellow Kiron lens user Chuck Norcutt pointed out in an e-mail to me that perhaps I was being a bit harsh on the lens considering its usage in a dark environment (also previous posts). Well, ... [Read More]
Super Zoom is Ka-Boom! Part II
Imagine my surprise when I receive an e-mail regarding my July 20, 2009 post Super Zoom is Ka-Boom. I spend a fair amount of my spare time shooting film photography. When I’m not shooting, I’m usually talking about or promoting the whole “Shoot Film” idea to friends or colleagues ad nauseam. Apparently my negative experience with the Kiron 28 – 210mm lens (for Canon FD) touched a nerve with ... [Read More]
Super Zoom is Ka-Boom!
My first and (to date) only photograph of fireworks is a summary of the lens that shot it – unspectacular. The lens is a Kiron 28 – 210mm manual focus f 4.5 – f32 with an FD mount for Canon SLR cameras. Can a lens manufactured in the 1980s with such a dreamy choice of focal lengths be as fantastic as you want it to be? I tend to be a bit romantic about older camera gear – only to find that ... [Read More]