Film Cameras
Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Before we get to the news of the week, it is always worth mentioning that you can find some amazing deals by stopping by the B&H Holiday Page—cameras, lenses, etc. It’s all on sale.
Now for the good stuff. Kodak is finally making its modern
0 Plays ·Posted 11/03/2022
Vintage cameras and analog film have grown to be unprecedented media darlings within our crowded digital landscape. With a superstar status fueled by insatiable demand amid a limited supply, we investigate both the beauty and quirks of these trending tools in this week's podcast. Joining us in conversation are photographer/vintage camera buff Bill Bain, and expert camera technician/repair wizard Shlomo Weinberger from B&H Photo's Used Department. Whether you cut your teeth on old school tech or you're an analog adopter in the digital age,
It is a bit strange to think that many of the citizens of today’s world created their first-ever photograph casually with a smartphone or other mobile device. For those who grew up in the age of film, while we might not remember the first image we created—although we likely knew it was a moment of permanence and carried a small cost (film and developing), we may remember, and have fond memories of, the very first camera we used or owned.
While some cannot look fondly on their first picture-making machine, some photographers have a special
I received my Canon T50 as a birthday present from a parent who knew little about photography. But what I surely didn’t know at sixteen was that this camera would mark the beginning of my photography career and also the beginning of the end for Canon’s FD mount.
A sentence like that could only float by on a pillow of sentimental hindsight, but it is true that my first photo exhibit was of images taken with the T50 and, also fact, that in 1987 Canon introduced the “Electro-Focus” EF mount and EOS system, which was soon to make the FD mount,
Is it strange to sit back and think that buying a film camera is a new experience to many—even most—photographers? Just 20 years ago, almost everyone was buying and using film cameras. Today, there are legions of photographers who have never shot a single roll of film. Luckily for us, film photography still exists and there are both film and film cameras that you can buy with which
When many people think of special effects, they think of dimly lit rooms, expensive computers, and complicated software. While this may be an accurate picture if you are editing a blockbuster action movie, digital still photographers can do a lot to their images even before transferring files off their camera. The following guide covers some of the more popular in-camera effects on the market to consider when purchasing a new camera or for better understanding the camera you already own.
Film Simulation and Color Profiles
In recent years,
Film is alive and well in 2020, with a handful of new releases for the traditional photographers out there. Ilford is continually expanding its analog catalog, most recently with the launch of Ortho Plus Black-and-White Film, in 35mm and 120 roll sizes. Traditionally a specialized film, this orthochromatic film—meaning it’s
Picture editing is an integral part of the photographic process, and this holds true whether your format is film or digital. Digital shooters typically upload images to their computers, tablets, or phones, edit the files in Lightroom, Photoshop, or comparable editing program, and, with a few keystrokes output wall-size murals or scaled-down Instagram posts.
The tools and workflow of film editing are different. Editing film requires a light table, magnifier or loupe, storage sleeves, and, if you plan on digitizing your film images, a film
Recently, I wrote the Black-and-White Film Roundup, and started the article with the claim that “despite film being ‘dead,’ there’s still a surprising number of different and unique films to choose from in 2020.” The same holds true for color films, both negative and reversal types, with many contemporary classics still readily available, along with a surprising number of new films recently arriving on the scene.
Let’s take a look at the
If you wanted to be considered a professional photographer in 1979, the year the Olympus XA was released, your choice of cameras was limited. For some in the upper reaches of the profession, Leica was still the only option. For the rest of us, there were large, solid machines like the Nikon F2 and the Hasselblad 500C/M.
But I also wanted something smaller and easier to use when I didn’t have a paying client to impress.
Above photograph: Luxor, Egypt 1982 The Olympus XA is a low-profile camera that doesn’t call attention to itself. Ektachrome
The debate between analog film photography versus digital photography has been settled for most of the photographing populace. This just in… digital is, by far, the choice of today and the future. This article is not about dredging up that debate for the modern photographer—instead, let’s take a look at that discussion through the lens of someone just starting out in photography—a first-year photo student or someone interested in picking up the hobby.
To qualify the analysis, permit me to add my personal background. I started in photography
Where do I begin with the Nikon F4? Is my love of this camera rooted in the fact that four is my favorite number? Is it because one of my favorite jet warplanes as a child was the McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II? Or, is the fact that I just love the look of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign bodywork? Is it because when I started out in photography with my Nikon N6006 the F4 was at the top of Nikon’s food chain?
For as long as I can remember, the heavy chunk of black Bakelite and chrome nicknamed “The Brick,” was a staple on a shelf in my parents’ living room. Officially known as the Argus C3, this solid pointy-edged rangefinder is said to be one of the most popular cameras in history, selling about 2 million units during its extraordinary 27-year production run, from 1939 to 1966.
While this camera belonged to my father, I have little memory of him using it, and even less of a sense for when and how he acquired it, or which images were made with the
My Linhof Super Technika V is probably the camera I can least justify owning, but it’s probably also my most cherished camera. For me, it represents the type of camera I dreamt of owning, but thought I probably never would. The reason for this? It’s a luxurious camera. Akin to something like a Leica of large format, Linhof is a premium brand known for making the best of the best, having strong niche appeal and, of course, coming in at a premium price. I previously wrote about the
The Olympus O-Product is a perfect real-world example of the phrase ‘You can’t tell a book by its cover.” Designed and produced in 1988 by industrial designer Naoki Sakai of Water Design to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Olympus cameras, under its skin the all-aluminum, retro-styled Olympus O-Product was in fact a plain Jane Olympus Infinity Junior point-and-shoot camera. Produced in a limited run of 20,000 units - half of which were strictly for the Japanese market, the O-Product was also about as tongue-in-cheek as production cameras