Camerosity

Episode 89: Camera Cleaning, Maintenance, and Repairs

A topic that we've lightly touched upon in previous episode, but never dared devote an entire episode to is the taboo subject of repairing your own cameras.  There are those who firmly believe all repairs should be left to the capable hands of professionals, but there are others who have no problem with opening their own cameras and trying it out themselves.

If you're in the latter group and are interested to hear some tips and tricks from those of us who have been brave/foolish enough to try it, Episode 89 is all about repairing your own cameras.  Joining Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Alyssa Micha, Andrew Reynolds, Christopher Wells, John Michael Mendizza, Keir Frei, Larry Effler, Pat Casey, Rafael Espinoza, Ray Nason, Wayne Scheipers, and Will Pinkham who all share their own experiences.

We cover a wide range of topics, starting with what you can and cannot repair on a Kodak Medalist and whether you can still send your Leicas to the factory in Wetzlar to get repaired.  Hear who we think makes a good set of JIS screwdrivers, lens spanners, and Mike recommends a rubber grippy tool.  We share our recommendations for cleaning cameras, getting sticky residue off film doors, replacing mirror bumpers and foam light seals, how not to clean a reflex mirror, what works on lenses and what not to use.  We even cover the taboo topic of washing your camera in the dishwasher!

Although there is very little GAS in this episode, we do get into a few model specific camera repairs.  Alyssa Micha shares with us her beautiful 1903 Kodak camera which had moldy bellows and what she needed to do to replace them.  We talk about how to and how not to fix the infamous Canon Squeal of the Canon AE-1 and A-1 cameras, along with how to deal with the sticky backs of the Nikon N80 and N90, Mike talks about a product he used to mold a custom hand grip for his Minolta 650si.

We talk about various cleaners, when and when not to use lighter fluid, acetone, glass cleaner, and for the love of God, please never use WD-40 on any camera!  Although this whole episode is about home repairs and cleaning, we end the show talking about how best to take care of your camera to minimize its chances of never needing to be repaired, how to deal with humidity, and whether or not to store your cameras in their original leather cases.

Meet Anthony, Paul, and Mike: If you are in the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, March 22nd, come to the Ohio Camera Swap at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/West Chester and say hi to us.  Who knows, maybe even some other Camerosity Podcast regulars will show up as well.  While you’re there, maybe you can buy something from us!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you!  Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

Our next episode will be number 90, and like we've done for episodes 70 and 80, we will be devoting the show to cameras of that decade.  For Episode 90, we will discuss cameras of the 1990s (or 1890s for that matter)!  Finally, Theo will get a chance to talk about his beloved Mamiya 7, but in addition to that there were many other terrific cameras from that decade like the Nikon N90s and the premium 28Ti and 35Ti point and shoots, the Contax AX, and the Olympus µ[mju:]-II.  In addition to terrific film cameras, the 1990s was the first decade with a large number of digital cameras like the Minolta RD-175 and Nikon D1.  We will record Episode 90 on Monday, March 24th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

(Note that Daylight Savings Time started in North America on Sunday, March 9th, so be sure to check your local time if you plan on joining the show!)

In This Episode

• Disclaimer: A Proper CLA is Always the Best Way to Get Your Camera Working / Technicians for Some Models Are Retiring
• You Don't Have to Use The Most Popular Technicians to Repair Leicas / Does Leitz in Wetzlar Still CLA Cameras?
• Larry Wants to Repair His Kodak Medalist / Mike Offers Tips on Cleaning the Medalist Rangefinder
• Rerolling 620 / Larry Reload 828 Film Using Unperforated 35mm Film
• 3D Printing Battery Holders for Nikon SLRs / 3D Printing for Analog Photography Facebook Group
• Cleaning Corroded Battery Compartments / Removing Stuck Pentax Spotmatic Battery Compartment Covers
• Eyeglass Screwdrivers Are Not Good Enough / Japanese Cameras Use JIS Screws
• Get Good Spanners / SK Grimes Spanners Are Very Good / Micro-Tools
• Mike Recommends Getting a Set of Rubber Grips for Removing Lens Rings
• How to Remove Stuck Filters Due to a Damaged Filter Ring
• How Do You Know Whether You Should Fix It or Live With It?
• Beware of Sellers Claiming a Camera Was CLAd If They Did It Themselves
• Repairing the Canon AE-1 / Canon Squeaky Shutters / Never Use WD-40!
• Using Ronsonol and Lighter Fluid / Naphtha Oil
• Use Caution When Cleaning a Reflex Mirror / What is a Front Surface Mirror? / ROR Solution
• Replacing Light Seals is a Good DIY Repair / Mirror Bumpers
• Do Not Shoot a Camera with Compromised Light Seals / Cleaning the Old Stuff Out First
• Are PEC Pads Recommended for Cleaning Cameras? / Kimwipes and Baby Wipes
• A Old Toothbrush and a Tiny Drop of Soap is Good for Cleaning Crevasses and other Tight Spots
• Cleaning and Conditioning Rubber Grips on Lenses / Shrinking Rubber Grips
• Cleaning Sticky Rubber Surfaces / The Nikon N80 and N90 Have Horribly Sticky Backs
• Making a Hand Grip for a Minolta 650si Using Sugru
• How Do You Know When a Shutter Needs to Be Serviced?
• Beware of Self-Timers on Old Cameras / What does "V" Mean on German Shutters?
• Tips for Keeping Your Camera Working / Use It / Remove the Batteries
• Controlling Humidity / Using Silica Gel Packets and Desiccants / Damp Rid
• Getting Rid of Ever Ready Cases / Are There Any Cases Worth Saving?
• An Easier to Remember Join Link - join.camerositypodcast.com

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 88: Desert Island Cameras Part 2

Way back in Episode 27, the Camerosity gang went on a three hour tour to a tropical paradise and asked everyone what would be their idea of three "desert island" cameras that they would want to be stranded with if they couldn't have anything else.  That discussion proved to be a fun one and something we had wanted to revisit again.  It would take us all the way to Episode 88 when we would finally put out the call for another Desert Island episode.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Mike and our new regular host Stephen Strangways, are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Andrew and Christopher Wells, Ira Cohen, Will Pinkham, and first time caller Robin Stone.

Starting with this episode, we are welcoming Stephen as one of the regular hosts to the show.  His presence and knowledge on many previous episodes has impressed us, and after considering regular scheduling conflicts with the four regular hosts, we thought it was time to add a fifth person.  Although Theo has missed the last two episodes, he is still very much apart of the show and will return soon.  With a fifth host, in the event one of the "original four" have a scheduling issue, we can continue without hesitation.

On this episode, we go through a tremendous amount of GAS, covering many unexpected models including multiple Horseman cameras, a Fuji G617, Argus Brick, Nikon F2, Leica CL, Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II, and many, many others.

In addition to commercially available cameras, both Andrew and Christopher Wells share with us their own home made 3D printed large format creations.  Custom cameras built to use any combination of lenses, shutters, and film backs in a million different combinations are truly one of the more fascinating aspects of this hobby.  And if 3D printing your own camera isn't cool enough, Andrew took it a step further and even made his own bellows!

In addition to tropical island GAS, we answer the question of why the Nikon F mount is backwards of almost every other interchangeable lens system and the Wells brothers give us a quick update of the state of current Polaroid Originals instant film.

Meet Anthony, Paul, and Mike: If you are in the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, March 22nd, come to the Ohio Camera Swap at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/West Chester and say hi to us.  Who knows, maybe even some other Camerosity Podcast regulars will show up as well.  While you’re there, maybe you can buy something from us!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you!  Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we will be discussing camera failures and home repairs.  What are some of the most common problems vintage cameras face and what can you do to get them back up and working?  While the Camerosity Podcast fully recommends professional CLAs to keep vintage cameras going as long as possible, we understand that a full service on every vintage camera is impractical, so sometimes you have to take matters in your own hands.  If you aren't afraid to go inside a camera and possibly make it worse, the next episode may be for you!  We will record Episode 89 on Monday, March 10th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

(Note that Daylight Savings Time starts in North America on Sunday, March 9th, so be sure to check your local time if you plan on joining the show!)

In This Episode

• All Aboard the Second Ever Camerosity Desert Island Cruise!
• Robin Starts Us Off with the Horseman VH / AJ is Bringing His Kodak Retina IIIc and Kodak Tourist
• Anthony Brings a Fuji G617 with an Unlimited Supply of 220 Film
• Ira Brings the Nikon F2 / Why is the Nikon F-Mount Backwards from Most Other SLRs?
• Andrew Brings a Rolleiflex SL66 / Another Horseman Makes It to the Island / Horseman Convertible
• Will Brings Brings A Balda Rigona 127 Camera / Mike Recommends Other Cool 127 Cameras
• Paul Has a Case of Cheap Plastic Pocket Cameras
• Mike's First Camera is the Folding Mamiya Six
• Stephen Brings the Nikon FM2 or Maybe the Pentax MX
• Pentax MZ-S / The Entire Pentax MZ-Series Had Weak Plastic Gears But They Can Be Replaced
• Mike Still Loves the Pentax LX / The Pentax LX Has a Geared Exposure Counter
• Robin Brings His Argus C3 / Andrew and Chris Wells Both 3D Printed Their Own Cameras
• Chris Brings the first Canon, a Canon F-1 / Ira Brings a Nikonos 4 for Underwater Fun
• Anthony Has Experience with Nikonos and O-Rings / More Large Format Discussion
• Stephen Goes Small with the Olympus XA / Anthony Goes Prewar with the Voigtländer Bergheil
• Paul Loves his Canon G10 / Digital Cameras with Optical Viewfinders
• Anthony is Bringing His Recent Favorite, the Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II
• Chris Suggests the Olympus 35 RC / Mike Picks the First Leica, the Leica CL / 40mm Lenses
• Will Pinkham Brings a Konica I Rangefinder / Minolta 24 Rapid
• Paul's Third Camera is the Nikon F
• Andrew Loves the Polaroid SX-70 So Is Bringing Some on the Boat
• Stephen Appreciates a compact Auto Focus SLR, the Pentax MZ-3
• Minox 35 GL / Bel Air Plastic Camera / Graflex Norita 66 / Akameter / Akarex / Akarelle
• We Have No Clue What Episode 89 Will Be About

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 87: Dr. David Jentz and the Kodak Retina

In yet another request from our listeners for topics you wanted to hear, for Episode 88, you can include me as someone whose been interested in hearing an episode about the Kodak Retina and other German Kodaks.

For many years, whenever I needed to write something about the Retina, the person I always reached out to was Dr. David Jentz.  David is not only the founder of the Historical Society for Retina Cameras, but also has published multiple written works about the Retina and its history. 

In addition to his knowledge about the Retina, David frequently collaborates with historian Klaus Schicht who has studied the man who created the Retina, Dr. August Nagel.  Although Klaus does not appear on the show, David was able to quote some information regarding topics we discussed on this show.

If one Kodak historian was not enough, we also invited Todd Gustavson from the George Eastman Museum to be on the show to fill in the blanks for any other Kodak related questions which came up.

This was a closed episode, so we did not have any callers, and both Paul and Theo weren't able to make it, but what we lacked in callers, we more than made up for in fascinating Kodak, Nagel, and Retina history.

Listen to Episode 87 to get a background on who Dr. August Nagel was, how he became a doctor, brief histories of his time working for Contessa Nettel, Zeiss-Ikon, and Nagel Kamerwerke prior to joining Kodak.  Did you know that before Kodak AG made cameras, they made film in Germany?

We discuss other German Kodaks such as the Recomar, Pupille, Kodak Duo Six-20, and the mysterious Kodak Regent.  We get into the differences between the use of "Nr." and "Type" when referring to prewar and postwar cameras, and finally solve the mystery of Paul's Retinette Angenieux lens.

In addition to camera history, we also take a deep dive into Kodak's introduction to making 35mm film.  While Kodak's type 135 daylight loading cassette was their most notable contribution to 35mm film in the 1930s, did you know they made 35mm film for the Leica and Contax before that?  David shares with us information about Kodaks original 35mm film, along with some detailed patent information about the Retina, and much more!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you!  Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are getting on a boat and heading on a "Three Hour Tour" for our second Desert Island episode.  If you were stranded on a desert island with only three cameras, which three would they be?  Will a high spec but fragile electronic camera make the cut, or will people choose less technically impressive models built to withstand a lot more abuse?  Let us know what you’d choose!  We will record Episode 88 on Monday, February 24th at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

In This Episode

• David's Origin Story / His First Camera was a Kodak Retina IIIS
• Kodak Used to Have a Camera Museum in Stuttgart
• David Jentz Formed with Peter Tosh the Historical Society of Retina Cameras
• HSRC Received Permission from Kodak and the Rights to use the Actual Retina Logo
• Are the Retinas Separated in the George Eastman Museum? / There Are 22,000 Items in the Eastman Museum Collection
• Who was Dr. August Nagel? / Nagel Started Contessa Nettel and Merged with Zeiss-Ikon in 1926
• Nagel Worked for Zeiss-Ikon for About 18 Months and then Formed His Own Nagel Werke
• Nagels First Cameras were the Recomar, Vollenda, and Pupille
• Kodak Gave Nagel Very Little Direction, He Was Free to Do What He Wanted
• Kodak And Nagel Both Benefited from the Two Companies Working Together
• If You Ship a Camera and Lens Separately, There are No Tariffs
• Nagel was Most Famously Known as a Great Designer
• Kodak's Design of the New Daylight Loading 35mm Cassette
• Kodak Made 35mm Film for Leicas and Contaxes Before the Release of Type 135 Film
• Was the Retina an Immediate Success? / Why Were the Nr. 117, 118, and 119 Released So Quickly
• Kodak Duo Six-20 and Other Nagel Designed Cameras
• Mike Has Questions About Nagel's Role in Making the Kodak Regent / Kodak Regent II
• Kodak's Transition During World War II / Early Post War Retinas Used Steel in Their Construction
• Are Retinas with the f/2 Ektar Lenses Worth Paying a Premium / 47mm f/2 Kodak Ektars Were Also on the Premier Instrument Kardon
• Kodak's CAMEROSITY Date Codes / Many Retinas Were Sold through US PX Stores / Identifying PX Retinas
• David Jentz Dispels Some of the Myths Mike Got Wrong in His Reviews
• Dr. August Nagel Never Once Used the Word "Type" to Identify Different Cameras He Made
• The Mystery of Paul's Angenieux Lens / French Kodak Retinettes

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

David Jentz - https://www.blurb.com/user/hsrc028N

The Historical Society for Retina Cameras - https://www.hsrcretina.org/

HSRC Publications - https://www.hsrcretina.org/hsrc-publications

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 86: Adapting Vintage Lenses

We return with yet another exciting episode of the Camerosity Podcast.  For Episode 86, we dip into the listener mailbag and select a topic you all have told us you wanted to hear about, adapting vintage lenses.  Taking an old film camera lens and mounting it to a modern digital camera isn't exactly anything new, as adapting lenses from one mount to another camera has been done since the early 20th century.

But what about the crazy number of lenses that weren't meant to be adapted?  How about uncommon Angenieux lenses from French Kodak Retinettes, photocopier lenses, or astronomy telescopes?  If it has glass and it focuses light, it can be adapted, and that's what got us going on this episode.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike are returning callers, AJ Gentile, Miles Libak, Nick Marshall, Pat Casey, Patrick Rapps, Ray Nason, Stephen Strangeway, Will Pinkham, and first time callers Alyssa Micha, David Jentz, and Rollin Banderob.

On this episode, we talk about a huge number of lenses we mount to various digital and film cameras, but Alyssa starts us off with an ambitious project of adapting 35mm lenses to a Crown Graphic Graflex press camera, Stephen gives us some education on flange distance, why the Nikon Z mirrorless camera is ideally suited for adapting lenses, and Theo gives us his thoughts on how well a Mamiya press lens performs on micro 4/3rds.

We discuss whether it is wise to spend extra money on premium adapters vs the cheap Chinese ones you can find on eBay, David Jentz talks about adapting DKL mount lenses and the struggles to find a good DKL adapter, and why you need to be concerned with image circle size when picking lenses from differing formats.

Miles Libak shares with us a purchase he just made of a Contarex lens mount converted Canon F-1, and Paul talks about the best adapters to use for adapting Nikon rangefinder lenses to modern digital cameras.

This episode proved that a relatively simple topic of adapting lenses included a deep wormhole into a huge amount of combinations of lenses including Paul's tip on how to remove a stuck Leica M to LTM adapter.

For those of you who can't get enough of the Camerosity Podcast and would like the chance to meet 3/4 of the hosts, Anthony, Paul, and Mike will be at the Cincinnati Camera show in West Chester, Ohio on Saturday, March 22nd!  If you have nothing going on that day and can make it to the Cincinnati area, come and join us!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are are taking another suggestion from you all and dedicating a whole show to the Kodak Retina and other cameras made by Kodak AG, the German arm of Kodak in Stuttgart, Germany.  We will be welcoming author and Kodak Retina expert David Jentz, along with Kodak historian from the Eastman Kodak Museum, Todd Gustavson to talk with us.  This will be a closed episode, so we won't be taking any callers for this one, but rest assured, the Camerosity gang has a long list of great questions to ask our esteemed guests.  Episode 87 will be recorded soon and should be available by the end of February.

In This Episode

• Ramir's Rare Adapters / Argus Brick to Micro 4/3s
• Adapting 35mm SLR Lenses to a Crown Graphic Graflex / Learning About Image Circle Size
• Flange Distance and Why it is Important When Adapting Lenses
• Adapting DKL Lenses to Nikon DSLRs and Z-Mirrorless Cameras / DKL Adapters are Finicky
• Nikon Z Cameras have the Narrowest Flange Distance and a Very Narrow Sensor Stack
• More Love for Ramir Rare Adapters Sold on eBay
• Adapting Nikon Rangefinder Adapters / Amedeo Adapters / Wide and Telephoto Lenses Only Need the External Bayonet
• Paul's Adapted Angenieux 45mm Lens from a Retinette / David Jentz explains the origin of French Lenses on German Kodaks
• The Reason You Should Adapt Lenses is Because They're Imperfect / Perfection is Boring
• Adapting Lenses from Projectors and Photo Copiers / Enlarging Lenses
• Theo Has Adapters for Mamiya Press Lenses and Pentacon Six to Micro 4/3rds
• Adapting Lenses Intended for the Visoflex is Great on Digital
• PC-Nikkor 28mm and 35mm Lenses Are Great for Pseudo-Panoramics
• Pentax Q Lenses / Akarelle Lenses / Auto Focus Lens Adapters
• Third Party Licenses for the Nikon Z Mount / Nikon AF Teleconverters
• Miles Bought a Canon F-1 Modified to Accept Contarex Lenses / Zeiss Lens Separation
• DAG Modified Color-Minotar Converted to LTM and Mounted to a Corfield Periflex
• Shooting Macro on a Yashica-Mat / Rollei Bay Filters / Parallax Correction on TLRs
• Is it Worth Spending More Money on Premium Adapters? / What Brands Should You Avoid?
• Do All LTM to Leica-M Adapters Work on Every Camera? / Removing Stuck LTM Adapters With a Lens Cap
• Adapting Telescopes to Cameras / Nikon F Mount Telescopes
• Lenses with Floating Elements Can Sometimes Not Focus Correctly When Adapted

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

David Jentz - https://www.blurb.com/user/hsrc028N

Amedeo Lens Adapters - https://www.ebay.com/usr/amedeo.m

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 85: Mint and Rare Cameras with Jo Geier

The Camerosity Podcast returns with Episode 85 where we wander back into the wonderful world of high end camera auctions.  For this episode, we went all the way to Vienna, Austria and invited Jo Geier from Mint and Rare Cameras and the Wetzlar Camera Auctions.  In addition to Jo, we also welcomed back Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Camera and Auctions.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, Mike, and our two special guests are returning callers Brian McDomnhaill, Dan Cuny, Fernando Villava, Gheerwijn Clicque, Ira Cohen, Wes Loder, Miles Libak, Tom Zoss, and Wayne Scheipers,

As you might expect when you have two of the world's most respected camera auctioneers on the same episode, we talk about a lot of super rare and collectible cameras.  Everything from the original Ur-Leica to rare cameras like the Carl Zeiss Jena Contax, the Australian Snider 35 rangefinder, and Luxus Leicas.  In addition to some pretty deep GAS, some love is given to several more affordable cameras like the Canon P, Tower/Nicca rangefinders, and the Nikon F4.

In addition to GAS, several great questions were raised including whether or not the definition of 'rare' has changed over the years, whether or not finding collectible cameras is getting harder to find, and why there aren't more younger people collecting cameras.

Jo tells us his origin story to how he started both companies and shares with us what his 'white whale' camera would be, Dan and Jo show appreciation for each other and talk about how they have collaborated in the past, including a very special Leica which Dan found at a Pennsylvania garage sale.  We revisit the need to get old cameras repaired sooner than later and how quickly experts in certain cameras are disappearing, tips and tricks for new collectors, and Jo proposes a $10 "ugly" camera challenge for anyone going to a camera show.

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are are going to the suggestion box and covering a topic that you all have told us you wanted to learn more about, adapting lenses.  There are many people in this hobby who love cameras, but love the lenses more.  While an old Kodak Ektra might be pretty to sit on the shelf, it is more practical to adapt that lens to a modern digital camera and see what kinds of results you can get from it.  Episode 86 will be dedicated to the hobby of using old lenses on modern digital cameras.  We will record Episode 86 at our regular time on Monday, February 10th at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  If you live in a different time zone and would like to participate, be sure to check your favorite time zone calculator to find out the exact time in your region.

In This Episode

• Jo Geier's Origin Story / Shooting a Yashica FX-D with No Film
• Wetzlar Auctions Runs One Auction a Year / Jo Doesn't Keep Too Many Cameras
• Dan Loves Wetzlar Auctions and Has Worked with them Many Times
• How Jo Determines What Goes to Auction and What Goes to Retail
• Auctions Set a Benchmark for What Things Are Worth / Collectiblend
• Has the Definition of "Rare" Changed? / What is the White Whale that Has Never Shown Up?
• Sometimes a Pristine and Truly Mint Camera is More Rare Than a Collectible
• Are Certain Things More Common in the US compared to Europe and Vice Versa?
• Most Collectible Cameras are no Longer Owned by their Original Owners / Large Collectors
• Zeiss Prototypes and Oddities are Far More Difficult to Come By than Leicas
• Paul's Story About a Guy Buying a Luxus Leica in 1984
• The Rarest Cameras Need to be Handled in Person to Fully Authenticate
• Post War Carl Zeiss Jena Contaxes / Does Jo Sell Rare Japanese Cameras
• Jeicy 35 Rangefinder / Leotax A / Minolta Sky / Konica FR / Konica F / Canon Standard and Hansa Canons
• What Are the Most Surprisingly Beautiful Cameras Jo and Dan Has Ever Handled?
• Theo is Still Looking for a Snider 35 Camera / Bell & Howell Foton
• Everyone Lists Off Cameras They Think Are Pretty
• Is it Getting Harder to Find Rare Cameras to Sell?
• Gheerwijn Wants to Know Why There Aren't More Younger Collectors
• Anthony and Paul Just Bought an Unused, New in Box Nikon F4 and It Don't Work
• Getting Old Cameras Repaired Today / It's Already Too Late for Some Models
• Other Great Japanese Cameras / Tower Rangefinders
• How Often is the Same Camera Sold More than Once?
• Tips for Getting into Collecting For Those New to the Hobby
• Do the $10 Camera Contest / Buy the Worst Camera You Can Find and See What You Can Get

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

Jo Geier - https://www.jogeier.com/ and https://www.wetzlarcameraauctions.com/

Dan Tamarkin - https://www.tamarkin.com/ and https://www.tamarkinauctions.com/

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 84: Hip to Be Square

We are back with the first new episode of 2025!  The Camerosity crew hopes you had a good start to the new year.  Unfortunately, the episode we had planned to have Jeff and Gabe from the I Dream of Cameras podcast had to be postponed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.  Instead, we went to the Camerosity mailbox (aka Facebook) and did an episode about square format cameras.  We had intended to cover all cameras that shoot square format, but found so much to talk about with 35mm and 127, we didn't have much time for 120 6x6 cameras, so we can save that for a future show!

Whenever you talk about square format 35mm, one of the more popular ones for collectors is the Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II, and whenever you mention the Tenax II, the Wes Loder's "Spidey Sense" starts tingling, so we were happy to welcome back Michael Wescott Loder for the first time since Episode 74!

Joining Wes, Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on this episode were A.J. Gentile, Ira Cohen, Miles Libak, Mina Saleeb, Robert Coates, and Will Pinkham where they all shared their favorite square format cameras.

We attempt to start off the list of square format cameras in alphabetical order with the Altix and quickly move into the Berning Robot and Bilora Radix, but our plan quickly goes off the rails as we jump around the alphabet with cameras like the Akarette (which isn't even square format), Metz Mecaflex, Yashica 44, and the Purma Special.  We also cover the popularity of square format Rapid film cameras from Japan like the Minolta 24 Rapid, Canon Dial Rapid, and Fujica Rapid S2.

One of the more sought after square format cameras is the Mamiya Sketch, a camera that Mike has previously reviewed, but Theo desperately wants to acquire to round out his Mamiya collection.

Mike shares his tips on rolling your own 127 film using bulk 46mm film, and Will asks for recommendations on affordable entries into square format 35mm.  Although the group is initially stumped, Mike comes up with an off the wall solution that is quite affordable!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are excited to revisit a topic that we love to talk about, Camera Auctions, specifically high dollar auctions.  Our special guest for the next episode will be Jo Geier from Wetzlar Camera Auctions.  In addition to Jo, we will be welcoming back Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Auctions in Chicago.  In order to accommodate Jo's time zone, this will be a "European Friendly Time Zone" episode.  We will record Episode 85 on Monday, January 27th at 1pm Central Standard Time, 2pm Eastern Standard Time, 7pm Greenwich Mean Time, and 8pm Central European Time.  For Theo, and those of you in Australia, this will be very early in the morning on Tuesday the 28th.  Please check your favorite time zone calculator to find out the exact time in your region if you'd like to participate.

In This Episode

• Square Cameras Come in All Format / Using TLRs Over Your Head or Around Walls
• Eho-Altissa Altix / Altix I Through III Shoot 24mm x 24mm
• Berning Robots / 90 Degree Viewfinder / Robot Junior
• Large Wind Knob Robots / Loading a Robot Camera / Accidental Redscale Surprise
• Anthony and West Love the Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II 
• Lenses Used by the Navy Required Lens Coatings
• 35mm Square Format Was Driven by the Technology of the Time
• Aka Akarette / AGFA Square Format Cameras Usually Shot Rapid Film
• Japanese Rapid Cameras / Fujica Rapid S2 / Minolta 24 Rapid / Canon Dial Rapid
• AGFA Karat Film and Bilora Radix Cameras
• Japanese Bolta Cameras / Sida Extra and Bolta Photavit
• The Mamiya Sketch is a Sought After Square Format Camera
• Metz Mecaflex is the only 24mm x 24mm SLR
• Quite a Few 127 TLRs Shoot 4x4 / Many Called Baby or '44' Cameras
• Yashica 44 / Adapting to Use 35mm Film
• Purma Special Shoots 4x4 and has a Gravity Shutter
• Kodak Vest Pocket / Other Vest Pocket Cameras
• Super Flex Baby / Karmaflex / There Were a Lot of Japanese 4x4 Cameras
• Bencini Comet 44 / Czech Kola Camera
• The Doris 3a probably had a 1a and a 2a / Diana Mini
• Super Slides Were Popular For a While / Reloading 127 with 46mm Bulk Film
• Photo Labs Hated Non-Standard Film Formats
• Chroma Cube / Stereo Cameras are a Cost Effective Way to Shoot Square Format 35mm

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 83: Spontaneous Contax

The end of the year is almost here, and the guys and I were getting that itch to record something, so on a dreary Boxing Day, we all got together for a spontaneous episode to catch up on what we've been doing.  We did not post the join link this time, but we managed to coerce our friends Dan Cuny and Ray Nason to join us for some post-Christmas camera discussion.

To help us find things to talk about, we decided to tackle a request made earlier this month in the Camerosity Facebook group, asking for more detail about Contax cameras which we were happy to do.  We get into some history, some real world reviews, advice, and other Contax nonsense.  Everything from the pre and post war  Contax rangefinders, the East German Contax SLRs, and the Yashica/Kyocera Contax cameras were discussed.

In addition to Contax discussion, Mike gives an update on what became of the Detrola 400 he "borrowed" from Roberts Camera, Dan shares his thoughts on his most recent review of the Ansco Memo and we talk about Memo cameras.  Anthony shares his photographic adventures he went on traveling to New Zealand, and Paul confesses his love for adapting Contaflex 126 lenses!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

We will welcome in the new year with Episode 84 in which we will be inviting Jeff and Gabe from I Dream of Cameras.  There is a high chance we will spend some time on Alpa SLRs, but there's no telling where the discussion will go with what will effectively two podcasts recording at the same time!  If you've ever wondered what it is like to have "too many cooks in the kitchen", this is the episode for you!  We will record on Monday, January 13th 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

In This Episode

• Mike's Update on the Detrola 400 / Other Premium American Rangefinders / Ektra, Bell & Howell Foton, Clarus, Perfex
• Allen Wade is Ray, Paul, and Mike's Source for Camera Repair
• Mr Zhang Modifies Hasselblad Backs / Mike Didn't Like the Hasselblad SWC
• Paul Wishes for a 6x9 Mamiya 7 / Fuji 6x9s / Texas Leicas
• Dan Cuny Talks About His Review Process / Ansco Memo and Agfa Memo Cameras
• Dan is Curious About the Beier Beira / Voigtländer Prominent
• Paul's Friend Made a 240 Degree Panoramic Mamiya RB67
• Tim Floyd is Contax Curious / Camerosity Presents: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Contax Cameras
  • Pre-War Contax I
  • Pre-War Contax II and III
  • Post-War Contax IIa and IIIa
  • East German Contax SLRs
  • Yashica / Kyocera Contax SLRs and Other Cameras
• Comparing Shooting a Contax and Nikon Rangefinder / Dan Has Never Liked Shooting Contax Rangefinders
• What are the Differences Between a Contax / Pentacon / Hexacon SLRs
• Preset Lenses / Contarex Bullseye and non-Bullseye
• Contaflex 126 / Instamatic Cameras
• How Did Yashica Come to Use the Contax Name?
• Kyocera Made Great Knives and Golf Clubs / Contax T and G Series Cameras
• Theo is Shooting a Pentacon Six, KMZ Horizont, and Canon 7
• Gallus Derlux and Foth Derby / Theo Has a Jolly Look from Antony Hands
• Mike Picks Up a Taron Supra V18 / Ray Picks Up an Exakta with an Ansco TLR Lens on It
• Anthony Just Got Back from New Zealand / Voigtländer Bessa and Perkeo II / Anthony Gets a Clip-On Meter
• Zeiss-Ikon Ikoflex TLRs / What's Next

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 82: The Coolest Digital Cameras

When you collect vintage film cameras, if they don't work, just send it out for a CLA and some technician will take it apart, clean it up, lube what needs lubing, calibrate the shutter and it is ready to go, good as new!  How boring!  If the simplicity of CLAing a film camera is not enough of a challenge for you, perhaps you should consider collecting vintage digital cameras.  Incompatible memory cards, legacy file systems, unsupported USB cables, and batteries which no longer hold a charge are all the rage!

Although the era of digital cameras barely exceeds three decades, the earliest days of digital saw a tremendous amount of innovation and strange designs because camera makers were still trying to figure out what and how a digital camera should look and work like.

In this episode, the Camerosity crew (minus Anthony) go over this early innovative era of digital camera design and pick out some of the coolest cameras of the era.  Many of these cameras have early sensors which do not stand up to the quality of modern designs, but that's not why we collect them,

Joining Paul, Theo, and Mike are returning callers AJ Gentile, Larry Effler, Mark Faulkner, Miles Libak, Pat Casey, Stephen Strangways, and Will Pinkham and we cover a great deal of history regarding the earliest and most important digital cameras like the Kodak DCS-100, Nikon E2Ns, and Minolta RD-175.  We declare two cameras from the late 1990s to be historically significant moments in camera design, on par with that of the Leica and Nikon F.

Stephen Strangways shares with us his wide depth of knowledge about camera sensors.  We discuss the differences between CCD and CMOS sensors, why companies made the switch between the two, motivations of Live View, and why DSLRs eventually gave way to digital mirrorless cameras.

We discuss the limitations of early CCD sensors, what are hot mirror filters, why we think Nikon missed the mark on mirrorless, plus we cover a great deal of cool digital cameras, some of which have features cameras today don't have, like the Sony Cybershot DSC-F828, Olympus E-100 RS, Panasonic GF1, and the Ricoh G900.

In addition, Mike shares his large collection of 17 Pentax Q-series cameras, plus a very strange "camera coffin", a wooden Nikon rangefinder camera that has the guts of a Sony alpha mirrorless inside.

As it is officially the holiday season and each of our schedules has gotten increasingly complicated, we do not yet know when the next show will be, or what we will discuss.  Rest assured, that once we know, you'll know.  Be sure to follow us on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, our new BlueSky page, and right here on mikeeckman.com.

In This Episode

• What Exactly is 'Vintage Digital'? / Differences Between Still Video and Digital Cameras
• Kodak Had the Most to Lose with Digital But Pioneered it Anyway
• Apple Quicktake 100 / The Kodak DCS-100 Was Used in the Gulf War
• Did Kodak's Involvement in APS Impact Their Role in Developing Digital Cameras?
• Early CCD Sensors Were Extremely Difficult to Make, Resulting in Smaller Sensors
• The Sony Digital Mavica Was the Beginning of the End for Polaroid
• The Digital Mavica Was Also the Introduction of Digital to Many People
• Floppy Discs Gave Way to PCMCIA Cards and Eventually Flash Cards
• So Many Different Formats, MemoryStick, SmartMedia 3v and 5v, Compact Flash, etc
• Minolta RD-175 DSLR / Early Digitals Didn't Write JPGs / Converting Extinct Formats
• Sony Cybershot DSC-F828 / Sony's Night Shot Feature and How it Worked / Digital IR Photography
• Early Digital Cameras Had Weak IR Filtration, Throwing a Color Cast on Images / Hot Mirror Filters
• Why Did Digital Cameras Switch from CCD to CMOS Sensors? / Live View and Video Recording
• Problems with Sony Sensors / Canon and Fuji FinePix Pro SLRs / Leica M9 Sensor Problems
• Early Live View Sensors Would Overheat / Externally Cooling Camera Sensors
• What Drives the Popularity of CCD Sensors Today?
• Larry and Paul Love the Canon G-Series / Canon Color Science / Olympus E-100 RS
• Sigma Foveon Sensors / Foveon Merrills and Quattro Cameras
• The Nikon D1 Was the Watershed Moment for DSLRs / Nikon E2Ns
• Canon Did Well with the Digital Rebel and 18-55mm Kit Lens
• Kodak DCS Pro SLR/14 Was the First Full Frame DSLR In a Nikon Body and Mount
• Polaroid Polachrome Instant Slide Films
• The Switch from DSLR to Mirrorless / Panasonic GF1 / Sony SLT Cameras
• Nikon One and Pentax Q-Series Mirrorless Cameras / Nikon Missed the Mark On Mirrorless
• "No one will ever shoot the Superbowl with a smartphone"...or Will They?
• Digital Mirrorless Cameras Generally Have Poorer Battery Life Compared to DSLRs
• Most Camera Makers Never Made a Profit off Making Digital Cameras
• In February 1986 Herbert Keppler Made Several Predictions About Electronic Cameras
• Leica M11 / Pentax W90 / Canon Digital Rebel / Epson R-D1 / Pentax 645 Digital / Ricoh G900
• Kurt's Strange Nikon Rangefinder Wooden Sony Digital Camera / Hasselblad Lunar and Stellar Digicams

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Keppler's Vault 86: Electronic Still Photography - https://mikeeckman.com/2021/03/kepplers-vault-86-electronic-still-photography/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 81: No One Is Immune to GAS

At the end of Episode 80, we promised an entire show dedicated to Zeiss-Ikon.  Unfortunately, things got in the way of us being able to dedicate the necessary time to prepare to cover such a complex and important company, so we decided to pivot and do another GAS episode.

Anthony and Theo were only able to make brief appearances, but joining Paul and Mike on this show was a well rounded cast of callers including AJ Gentile, Antony Hands, Fernando from Germany, Rafael E, Wannes Scheipers, Will Pinkham, and first time callers, Andrew Curley, Charles Lawson, and Jem!

A large number of Zeiss-Ikon cameras were discussed including the Contax rangefinders, Contarex, folding Nettars, Contina, Contaflex, and the square format Tenax and Taxonas.  AJ shares his thoughts on his recent pickups of a Aires 35-V and Rolleiflex SL35, Wannes picks up an interesting book about the Kodak Vest Pocket, and Charles shares a story of how he gets his Kiev cameras repaired by a Ukrainian war hero.

Mike talks about a very rare camera he was able to "borrow" from Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis, along with some recommendations on the most innovative and best user American rangefinders and medium format cameras, and a very well done book about the career of Heinz Waaske.  We also cover a very strange 1980s Fisher-Price video camera that records video onto standard audio cassettes, the I'm Back Digital Camera back, why auto focus lens adapters all suck, and Antony shares his love for the JollyLook foldable instant camera and pinhole camera.

This was a wide ranging episode with a huge number of different cameras and topics covered, so rather than continue to promote it here, I recommend you hit the play button below, or on whatever your favorite podcast player is and enjoy!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For Episode 82 we are going back to digital....waaay back and going to attempt to cover some early digital cameras.  While everyone knows that digicams are seeing a resurgence of interest, what were some of the earlier models that are worth checking out!  Are there any undiscovered gems out there?  Even I don't know the answer to that one!  We will record Episode 82 on Monday, November 25th at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

In This Episode

• Mike Fell for GAS After the 80s Episode / Pentax ME-F with AF 35-70 f/2.8 Lens
• Mike Convinces Roberts Camera to Loan him a Detrola 400 / The Tamarkin Auction Was Last Saturday
• What Were the Best American Cameras Ever Made? / Bell & Howell Foton / Kodak Ektra / Kodak Signet Series
• Kodak 35 / Military Kodaks / All of the Signets are Good Except the Kodak Signet 80
• Bridge Cameras / Ricoh Mirai / Olympus IS-Series / Canon Photura
• Wayne Picks Up a Book About the Kodak Vest Pocket Cameras in World War I
• Kameras für Millionen - Heinz Waaske, Konstrukteur / Will Gets a Ricoh 500 and Ricoh-Matic / Zorki 10 and 11
• Fisher-Price PXL2000 Video Camera / Recording Videos of Punk Rock Shows on Cassette Tapes
• Zeiss-Ikon Contarex Bullseye / Zeiss-Ikon Taxona / Tenax Cameras / Contarex Lenses
• Rafael's Favorite Camera is the Zeiss-Ikon Contina / Contaflex and Magazine Film Backs
• Hasselblad XPan and SWCs / Converting Hassy 500 Backs to Shoot 35mm / Horseman 3D
• Folding Zeiss Nettars and Ikontas / Zeiss Made Great Triplets
• Paul Bought a Graflex XLSW From Tom Zoss / Steve Grimes Modified Cameras
• Is the Zeiss-Ikon Contax IIIa a Good User Camera? / Adapting Contax Lenses
• Charles Gets His Kiev and Contaxes Repaired by a Ukrainian War Hero
• AJ Shot Mike's Gifted Kodak Tourist and Picked up a Rolleiflex SL35 and an Aires 35-V
• Aires Made Lots of Good Cameras / Aires III-C
• Sending Cameras to Canada May Get Rejected if You say its a Camera on the Customs Form
• Kowa SW Wide Angle Camera / Kepler Telescope Viewfinders
• Why Did Nikon and Others Have Different Names for the Same Cameras?
• Minolta Dynax 7s Are Great, But.... / 3D Printing Replacement Camera Parts
• Jollylook Instant Camera / Jollylook Pinhole Camera
• Another Underappreciated American Camera is the Argus Argoflex Forty
• Canon P and IVS Rangefinders / Horseman Convertible / Viewfinder Photography
• I'm Back Digital Adapter for Film Cameras / Other Film to Digital Adapters
• Contax Rangefinder Adapters to Nikon Z Mount / Autofocus Adapters Suck

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Used Photo Pro (Robert's Camera) - https://usedphotopro.com/

JollyLook - https://jollylook.com/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/

Episode 80: Totally 80s

Everyone get out your Aqua Net hair spray and G.I. Joe lunchboxes because it is time to hop in the Hot Tub Time Machine and go back to the 80s!  In this, the 80th episode of the Camerosity Podcast, we revisit the decade where Michael Jackson and Madonna reigned supreme, taking a look at everyone's favorite cameras from that decade.  The Nikon F3, Minolta Maxxum 7000, Olympus XA2, the Minox 35 series, Contax RTS II, and many, many more.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on this show are returning callers AJ Gentile, Mark Faulkner, Miles Libak, Mina Saleeb, Pat Casey, Patrick Rapps, Will Pinkham, and first time caller Christopher Wells.

Each person shares stories of the cameras they used during the 1980s, but Patrick Rapps didn't get the message about the 20th century and went back all the way to 1889 with his beautiful and fully functioning Kodak No.2 String Set.  This camera was the follow-up to the original 1888 Kodak and shares many of the same design features, including that camera's distinct round film gate!

We get into a little bit of history of early point and shoot cameras and how their autofocus systems work and why so many of these early cameras consistently have such high image quality.  We discuss the history and merits of Kodak's Disc film cameras and two features of those cameras that influenced cameras that would come later.  We revisit the era of electronic still video cameras like the Canon Xap Shop and the original Sony Mavica.  We talk about focusing auto focus cameras and reflect back on how focus screens work from the Rick Oleson episode.  Theo shares with us a strange 3 lens 110 film camera, and finally, we answer a question asked in the Camerosity Facebook page about a recommendation of a compact SLR for a 10 year old.

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.  

Our next episode will be Episode 81 and we are planning on tackling the complex and wonderful world of Zeiss-Ikon.  Since the recording of Episode 80 however, some scheduling conflicts have come up which may require us to pivot this show and postpone it.  We won't know until we get closer to the show date, so if Episode 81 comes and it is not about Zeiss, we didn't forget, we just had to change at the last minute.  As of right now however, it is still on.  We will record Episode 81 on Monday, November 11th at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.

In This Episode

• Mike Forgets How Long Ago the 1980s Was / The Leica M6 Was Popular with Hobbyists
• Minolta Maxxum 7000 and Nikon N2020 Were Popular for the Every Man
• Nikon 4004 and 5005s Were Dogs, but the 6006 and 8008/8008s Were Very Nice
• Pininfarina Designed Nikon SLRs in the 80s and Created the Red Stripe
• Anthony's Go To 80s Nikon is the Nikon FM2 / FM2 Motor Drives
• Converting Non-Ai Lenses to Ai / Theo Loves the Nikon FA
• Paul Loves the Nikon F3 / HP Finders / Nikon F3P / Nikon FM3a
• Nikon L35AF "Pikaichi" / Nikon OneTouch AF3 / Pikaichi 46mm Lens Filters
• Olympus XA Series / Minox 35 Series / Agat 18K / Mamiya U
• Early Point and Shoots Had Superior Image Quality Due to Single Focal Length Lenses
• Canon MC / Plaubel 67W and 670
• Fuji Brought Back the Folding Camera with the GS645 / GS645W / GA645
• Patrick Rapps and His Kodak No.2 String Set from 1889 / The Original 1888 Kodak
• Don Goldberg Still Services the Minox 35 Series / Chinon Bellami / Canon Snappy S
• Canon Aqua Snappy and Minolta Weathermatic Underwater Cameras / Ricoh 500 ME / Yashica T-Series
• Mike and Mina Both Love the Contax RTS II / Contax RTS III / Repairing Contax SLRs
• Autofocus SLRs Were Not Meant to Be Manually Focused / A Nod Back to the Rick Oleson Episode
• Manual Focus SLRs with Focus Confirmation / Canon AL-1 / Minolta X-600 / Pentax ME-F
• Cameras Supporting External Autofocus Lenses / Canon T80 / Revue AC3 w/ Revuenon AF Lens /  Nikon F3AF
• Olympus and Konica Both Gave up on Interchangeable Lens SLRs in the 1980s / Konica Tomato and Konica Recorder
• Trivia: Name a Rangefinder Camera with Leica Thread Mount You Could Still Buy New in the 1980s
• Kodak Disc Film / T-Grain Film / Scanning Disc Film
• Mike Forgets What Decade He's In And Talks about APS Film
• Tasco Binoculars Camera / Canon Xap-Shot and Still Video Cameras / Sony Mavicas / Bronica GS-1
• Mark Picked Up a Pentax 17 / Film for Classics 620 Spools / Theo Gets a Rollei 35AF
• Listener Question: What Small Form Factor SLR Would You Recommend for a 10 Year Old?

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/