Camerosity

Episode 100: Camerosity Centennial

Can you believe it?  The Camerosity Podcast is back with Episode 100!  From what started out as a spontaneous Zoom call on a random May evening during the midst of a global pandemic has turned into one of the most popular and still only open source film and digital photography podcasts!  While the hosts have changed since we started, its not really the hosts that make this show what it is, it is the guests and callers we have each episode which keep us on our toes with new and interesting topics.

For our centennial episode, the hosts sent out invites to some of our favorite guests and also kept the call in lines open for anyone to join us.  We received responses from Todd Gustavson from the George Eastman Museum, Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Camera and Auctions in Chicago, Marwan El Mozayen from Silvergrain Classics, Robert Rotoloni from the Nikon Historical Society, and returning for the first time in 50 episodes, Johnny Sisson from Central Camera in Chicago.  Joining these esteemed guests were callers A.J. Gentile, Alex Luyckx, Eric Risse, Greg McCreash, Nick Marshall, Pat Casey, Patrick Rapps, Wayne Scheipers, Will Pinkham, and William Ponder.  It was a star studded cast if I ever saw one!

We get things started out with Marwan giving us an update on the all new Widelux-X panoramic camera prototype and where there at in its ultimate release.  While we don't expect to see the new model this year, its release is coming soon!  Todd chimes in with updates from the George Eastman Museum and what's new in their collection.  He shares what he knows about Eastman Kodak's recent announcement of them distributing their own film again and the new Kodak 100 and 200 films and a project to document the most important historical cameras in history.  Dan Tamarkin discusses getting married and the upcoming Tamarkin Camera Auction and gives us a preview of a couple cool Leicas which will appear in the show.

Robert gives an update on the state of the NHS Journey and Alex shares what he's working on for his site and an upcoming review of EFKE KB50 film.  Johnny Sisson is back at Central Camera and he shares some updates about what's going on there and what's new in his life.  While we don't expect to see Johnny resuming his hosting responsibilities, he should be more present in the camera collector community.

In addition to the guests already mentioned, other callers chime in with their favorite developers for black and white film, Will Pinkham opens Pandora's Box by asking for recommendations for a good rangefinder to use, and Mike shares his thoughts on the Nikon S3 re-release from 2000 and William Ponder shares his love for the Welta Weltini.

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.

As we hit this milestone 100th episode, we are taking a short break before our next recording.  As of this post, we don't yet have a date or a topic for Episode 101, but rest assured, once we know, it will be communicated via the normal channels!

In This Episode

• Dan Tamarkin Got Married! / Dan's New Wife is a Leica DLux Shooter
• Marwan from Silvergrain Classics Discusses the Widelux-X Prototype's Debut
• Why is it Called the Widelux-X? /  A Little Background
• The Prorotype's Black and Brass Body / Comparing the Widelux Lens to that of the Hasselblad XPan
• Todd Gustavson Joins Us and Talks Recent Kodak Film Announcements
• Whats New at the Eastman Museum? / Most Influential Cameras of All Time
• Alex is Working on an Article about EFKE 50 Black and White Film
• John(ny) Sisson Returns / An Update About the Management of Central Camera in Chicago
• After 41 Years the Nikon Historical Society Newsletter is Now Digital / No More Printed Copies
• Mike Shoots a Brand New Nikon S3 2000 Rangefinder
• Johnny Sets up Bargain Bins at Central Camera / People Dropping Off Collections of Cameras
• The Eastman Museum Has the Rowe Collection Including a Huge Custom Squirrel Cage Flash
• Jim McKeown's Camera Guide / No One Writes Camera History Books Anymore / Shutterbug Magazine
• The Tamarkin Auction is Coming Up in November / Dr. Paul Wolf's Leica
• Paul and Dan's Thoughts on Light Lens Labs Lenses / LLL Peel Apart Instant Film
• Slow Black and White Films / More People Should Shoot Ilford Pan F 50
• Eric's Corfield 66 SLR / Chinese Great Wall SLR
• Will Asks for Recommendations on a Rangefinder / Nikon S2
• Petri Green-O-Matic / Canon VT Deluxe / Canon P / Olympus 35 RC
• Eric's Strange Wind Up Generator Flashgun
• Do Any Professional Photographers Shoot Alpas?
• Welta Weltini / Welta Perfekta / Welta Superfekta
• Email Todd if You Want a Tour of the Eastman Museum

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, 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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

Official Widelux-X Website - https://wideluxx.com/

Tamarkin Camera Auctions - https://www.tamarkinauctions.com/

George Eastman Museum - https://www.eastman.org/

Central Camera - https://centralcameraco.bigcartel.com/visit

Alex Luyckx Blog - http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/

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 99: Sanibel Island

For the past several episodes, the Camerosity Podcast has covered a wide range of topics from tiny digital TLRs, to Exaktas, to death and while these were all riveting conversations, we realized it had been a while since the hosts could just talk about what we've been up to.  Camera shows, tropical vacations, and recent GAS abound, we decided to not advertise the recording of Episode 99.  Although this show was mostly about the hosts, that didn't stop two additional guests, first time caller Douglas Willoughby and returning caller William Ponder from jumping in!

We get things started with Paul's introduction to Doug who repaired his Nikon F4 and explains what went wrong.  William follows with a discussion regarding Miranda cameras and the tale of a Miranda Automex III that he bought from Mike.  We continue on with more Miranda discussion then pivot to Zeiss-Ikon Contax SLRs and other cameras from the Texas collection such as the KW Praktiflex and later Praktica cameras. Mike professes his love for the Contax SLRs shutter and the strange noises it makes.

Later we pivot to traveling with cameras, and Anthony, Theo, and Paul all give their tips and shared experiences traveling with cameras and how to get your film hand checked at the airport.  We talk about camera batteries, Stephen's journey of modifying his LEGO camera to look like a Leica which then of course turns into a discussion about actual Leicas including Anthony's crazy tale of how he acquired a Leica M2.

Finally, we chat about recent GAS pickups, Theo brings up the Mamiya 7 AGAIN and then Stephen shows off a very strange camera called the Olympus Air A01 which is the same size as a teleconverter, but is an entirely self contained micro 4/3s interchangeable lens mirrorless digital camera.

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.

Can you believe it?  The next episode will be number 100!  Since May 2021, the Camerosity Podcast has proclaimed to be the world's first and only, open source film and digital podcast.  Our show has kept that theme through most of those 100 episodes and the amount of feedback and engagement you all have shared with the hosts is humbling.

For this, our centennial episode, we are opening the doors for anyone to call in, but we've extended invites to some of our favorite previous guests.  I'd won't give out any names here, but I would be willing to bet if you were to guess, you'd get at least a couple right!  We will record Episode 100 on Monday, October 20th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.  Be sure you mark your calendars and hit up the Zoom link when it is posted and join us!

In This Episode

• Paul Bought some Brand New Nikon F4s That Didn't Work and Doug Fixed Them / Common F4 Issues
• William Ponder Got a Miranda Automex III From Mike After Episode 97
• Black Paint Mirandas / Theo Likes the Miranda Automex III
• Soligor Lenses / Many Were Made by Kowa / Anscomark M
• AIC Was Miranda's Importer in the United States
• Paul's Haul from the Texas Collection
• Early Contax SLRs / Black Biotars
• The Contax SLR Shutter is not Like Other SLRs
• The Sounds of the Contax Shutter
• Pentacon SLRs / The Zeiss-Ikon East and West German Lawsuit
• Theo's Choices for Japan / Mamiya 7 and Nikon AF600
• Horseman Convertible 852 / Horseman Field Cameras /  Horseman Stereo 3D Camera
• Anthony's Trip to Mexico / XRay Machine Toasts Anthony's Film
• XRay Shield Bags / TSA Tips
• Traveling Camera First Aid Kits / Other Travel Tips
• Challenges with Batteries on Film and Digital Cameras
• Stephen Turned a LEGO Creator Camera Into a Leica
• Anthony's Quest to Own a Leica M2
• Reskinning and Repainting Cameras
• Doug Discusses the Weaknesses of the Pentax LX and Kowa Six
• Black Paint KW Praktiflex / Mamiya 7 with Pano Kit
• Minolta Maxxum 5000 and 650si
• KMZ Zenit 16 / Red Olympus XA2 and other XA Cameras
• Stephen Shows off the Tiny and Strange Olympus Air A01

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, 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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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 98: The Exakta Episode

It has been a couple of weeks but the gang finally got back together to devote an entire episode to one of our favorite, and longest lived camera brands, the Ihagee Exakta.  If you are familiar with the Exakta name, you probably know them as a maker of high end, but very quirky 35mm SLRs, however there were far more Exaktas produced in the 20th century using three different forms of film and nine different lens mounts.  In Episode 98, the Camerosity Podcast hosts do their best to try and corral all those models and history into a single episode.

Joining Anthony, Stephen, Paul, and Mike are returning and first time callers Daniel from Chicago, Eric Lorenz, Fernando Villava, Howard Sandler, Ira Cohen, Michael Boudreau, Mike Toppo, Pat Casey, and Phil Clark.

We were unable to find an expert who could speak intelligently on the history and wide range of Exakta models made, so Mike did his best to cover the history, starting with how the company formed, and we go (mostly) in chronological order from the first 127 Vest Pocket Exaktas, the Night Exaktas, the early Kine Exaktas, into the Varex models, the redesigned VX1000 and Elbaflex models, and into the weeds with uncommon cameras like the Exakta Real, Exakta Twin TL, and some other Japanese and Chinese made models.

In addition to the Ihagee Exakta, we also dedicate a bit of time to the Exakta's little brother, the Exa, covering that models strengths and weaknesses.  We attempt to explain how the shutter on early Exas work, and Mike tells a story of a hard to find "System Exa" that's not even made by Ihagee at all.

Many questions were asked with varying levels of good answers, including how many lens mounts can be found on an Exakta camera, how many different companies produced Exakta cameras, what is the best introduction to the Exakta lineup, and whether or not Exaktas are good for shooting or just for collecting.  We even spend some time on the infamous Exaka with 400mm Kilfitt lens found in the Hollywood classic movie, Rear Window.

And just to round it all off, we spend the end of the episode on the Topcon SLRs which use the Exakta mount, including whether all lenses are fully compatible between the two company's models.

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.

The last several episodes of the show have been wonderfully exciting and informational.  We've had a huge number of guests, many of whom are first time callers who joined a long list of people who have contributed to this show.  And while all the hosts enjoy chatting with all of you, we haven't had an episode to ourselves in a while, so for Episode 99, we are not taking any callers.  We want to spend this time to get caught up on what we've been doing, share with you some of the private discussions we have behind closed doors, but mostly, we're looking for an episode that's easier to edit.

Don't worry though, for the next, next episode, we hit triple digits, episode number 100.  It gives me chills just typing that here.  We will be looking for something special for our centennial episode and once we know what that is, and what date we are recording it, we will be sure to let you all know!  Until then, Episode 99 will be recorded sometime in early October.

In This Episode

• Exaktas Are an Accidental Collection / Mike Had Wanted to Do an Exakta Show with Hugo Ruys
• Did Ihagee Ever Make Their Own Lenses? / Canon Once Made a Lens Using the Exakta Mount
• Did Other Companies Make Cameras that Use the Exakta Mount?
• Topcon R / Mamiya Prismat / Tokiwa Seiki Firstflex 35
• Differences Between a Night Exakta and a Regular Vest Pocket Exakta
• What is a "Kine Exakta"? / Identifying All the Different Exaktas / Mike Mirrors wrotniak.net
• Captain Jack's Exakta Website / Exakta Books and other Sites
• What is the Difference between Varex, VX, and non Varex?
• Paul's Tip for Cleaning an Exakta Ground Glass
• The Exakta VX1000 Signaled a Big Change in Exakta Design / Mike Thinks the VX1000 Is the Perfect First Exakta
• A Kickstarter to Revive the Elbaflex / The Real Elbaflex
• Using the Exakta's Film Cutter / Cassette to Cassette Film Transport / Exakta and Exa Take Up Spools
• Differences Between Exaktas and Exas
• The Ihagee Exa that Wasn't Made By Ihagee / System Exa / How Does the Shutter Work on the Exa?
• How Likely Are you to Find Working Exaktas and Exas? / Cloth Shutter Curtains
• What was the Lens and Camera Used in the Movie Rear Window? / Kilfitt Lenses / Adapting Exakta Lenses
• Olympus Made a 4cm f/3.5 Zuiko Lens in Exakta Mount / Exa and Exaktas Advance Film Opposite of Each Other
• It's Spelled Ihagee, not Jhagee or Thagee
• The Horizontal and Vertical Exakta 66 Medium Format SLRs
• The Exakta Real Was an Attempt to Re-Launch the Exakta With More Modern Features
• Exakta Twin TL and Twin TL 42 / How Many Lens Mounts Can Be Found on Exakta Cameras?
• Are Exaktas Good for Shooting or Just for Collectors? / The Exakta Self-Timer and Slow Speed Escapement
• Do Topcon SLRs Have the Same Mount as the Exakta? / Lens Compatibility

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, 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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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 97: Everybody Chuzhao Tonight

An epidemic has swept Camerosity HQ along with a large swath of the camera collector groups.  It seems a cheap Chinese toy camera has made its way into the homes of all of us and resulted in us sharing images from it online.  Have we gone mad?  Do you dream of tiny TLRs at night? 

In Episode 97 we tackle the controversial Chuzhao mini-TLR digital camera.  This $35 camera available worldwide through Amazon and Alibaba is selling like crazy now and each of the hosts ask our listeners what their thoughts are on it.

In addition to Chuzhao talk, we spend a good portion of the show on a completely unrelated topic, which is what to do with your cameras when you die.  Mike and Paul both share their stories of picking up large estates of vintage cameras and what we ended up doing with them.  If you think the prospect of being asked to tackle a 4500 piece collection sounds awesome, you should definitely listen to this episode as we have some thoughts on what its like.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Ed Gabe, Greg McCreash, Ira Cohen, Larry Effler, Pat Casey, Phil Clark, Will Pinkham, and first time callers Doug Doyle, Rob Latimer, and William Ponder.

In addition to Chuzhao and Camera Estate talk, Ira shares some selections from his tiny TLR collection including a couple rare Hit film models, Paul shares his thoughts on what you should do in preparation for what happens to your collection after you die, Mike briefly talks about an uncommon 1950s 35mm SLR called the Tokiwa Seiki Pentaflex, and Rob shares his thoughts on the Zeiss-Ikon Super Nettar.

Meet Paul and Mike: If you are in the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, September 6th, come to the Ohio Camera Swap at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/West Chester and say hi to us.  Both Paul and I will have a lot of Miranda cameras to sell!  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 are devoting a whole show to the Ihagee Exakta and Exa cameras.  As one of the earliest 35mm SLRs and also one of the most successful, millions of Exakta cameras were made over several decades of the 20th century, so there are a great deal of them to talk about.  As usual, we'll cover some history about the brand, go over their use, and cover some of the more interesting or collectible models.  If we have time, we will even cover the "other" Exaktas like the Exakta Real and the Pentacon produced RTL1000.  Will we stay on track or end up finally discussing large format?  You'll only know if you turn into Episode 98 which will be recorded on Monday, September 8th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Everyone Lost their Minds and Bought a Chuzhao / Many Chuzhao Resellers are Scams / Beware Where You Buy!
• The Chuzhao is Only Worth it if You get it for the Equivalent of USD$40 or Less / Hacking the Chuzhao
• Blown Out Highlights / The Chuzhao Is Great for Children or for Having Fun / Battery Life
• Small Cameras Like the Chuzhao Break Down Barriers when Photographing People
• Ira Cohen Has Many Other Really Small TLRs / Babyflex, Museflex, and Gemflex / Japanese Hit Film Cameras
• Constructor and Blackbird Camera / Other Toy Cameras / Lego 3-in-1 Camera
• 5 Years Ago, Paul Picked Up a 4500 Piece Collection
• Why Do Some Collectors Have Multiples of the Same Camera
• Mike Goes to Texas to Get a Large Miranda Collection
• The Many Variations of the Vest Pocket Kodak Camera / World War I Soldier's Camera
• Ira Has Negative Niches in His Collection
• Inheriting a Large Collection is Fun But Overwhelming
• Advice On What Should Happen With Your Collection After You Die / Tell Someone / Keep Records / Don't Lie
• How Do You Sell High Value Cameras from a Collection?
• Mike Recommends Shipping Large Collections with U-Haul U-Boxes
• Packing Cameras / Estimating the Value of a Collection
• More Tips for Preparing Your Collection For After Your Demise
• Tokiwa Seiki Pentaflex / Zeiss-Ikon Super-Nettel / Donating Cameras
• Yashicaflex TLRs / Do You Get More Satisfaction Getting an Image from a More Difficult Camera?
• Coated vs Uncoated Lenses / The Non-Rangefinder Version of the Kodak 35 / Canon VI-T

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, 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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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 96: The AGFA Episode with Very Little AGFA

If there ever was an episode that epitomizes the concept of the "first and only open source film and digital photography podcast" it is this episode!  We started off with the idea of devoting a large part of it to AGFA, makers of Rodinal, Karat film, and a large number of really cool cameras from the mid 20th century.  From the moment we got started, we immediately got off topic and wouldn't come back to AGA until an hour into the recording.  Never fret, but in the shortened time we covered Germany's version of Kodak, we covered a lot of ground.

Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike are returning callers A.J. Gentile, Fernando Villava from Germany, Mike Litwin, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, and first time callers David Palumbo and Zack Lothamer.

From the moment the show got started, we feel down the Kodak Instamatic (type 126) wormhole, discussing a large number of Instamatic cameras, what kinds of films can be used in 126 cameras today, the Fakmatic 3D printed adapter, and other oddball cameras.  We meander around, somehow winding up on the Ricoh GXR Interchangeable module digital camera, and Anthony's love for Kodak 5220XT Film.

When we finally get into the world of AGFA, we discuss some of the group's favorite films like AGFA Professional Pan 25, APX25, HDC 100, Scala, and AGFA's original AGFAColor film from the 1930s.  Eventually, we get into AGFA GAS with some really cool cameras like the Parat and Optima Parat half frame cameras, the cool twin lens Flexilette and Optima Reflex, the large orange button AGFAs like the Optima 1035 and 1535, the Optima Electronic Flash, Ambi Silette, and the Selectaflex SLR.  By far, the most time is dedicated to the postwar AGFA Karat rangefinder with the split image viewfinder, which Mike says is the best rangefinder camera for people with terrible vision.

Sprinkled throughout the show we answer questions about how long expired film can be used when refrigerated, what is a recommendation for a good entry into 6x9 cameras, and some warnings about not trying to repair the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex SLR.

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, the entire Camerosity Podcast crew went crazy over a $35 Chinese digital camera.  Each of us bought the same camera and played with it for a couple of weeks in an effort to see what happens if expectations are low enough, can you really enjoy a toy camera?  In addition, Mike has now gone on two treks across the country to move large collections of cameras, and he has some thoughts (here is a preview, if you are a collector, don't die!)  Of course, if anything is certain, is that nothing is certain and Episode 96 is a perfect example where we might plan on talking about one thing and end up on something else.  Will we stay on track or end up finally discussing large format?  You'll only know if you turn into Episode 97 which will be recorded on Monday, August 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Asking David About the Mysterious Curtain on Bronica S2 Backs / Other Cameras with Curtain Dark Slides / Mamiya Six
• Koni-Omega Rapids / Bronica Lenses / Dave Ditched His Bronica for a Hasselblad 500CM
• Kodak Instamatic Type 126 Cameras / Olympus Quickmatic / Bell & Howell Autoload 342
• Fakmatic 126 Adapter / Using 35mm Film in Instamatic Cameras
• Magic Cubes vs Flash Cubes / Motor Driven Instamatic Cameras
• Verichrome Pan is Your Best Bet for Using Original 126 Film Today / Rolleiflex SL26 SLR
• Theo Wants an "I'm Back" for 126 Cameras / Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Sensor Digital Camera / Horseman Convertible
• How Long Can Expired Film Be Stored Frozen or Refrigerated? /  Does Slower Film Last Longer?
• Anthony Loves Shooting Expired Eastman 5220XT Film
• Slide Film Ages Poorly / Some Films Degrade Even After Being Developed
• Anthony Loves AGFA HDC 100 Color Film / AGFA Pan Professional 25 / APX25
• AGFAColor Color Film from the 1930s / Other AGFA Films / Ultra 50 and Scala
• Developing Early Slide Film Required You to Expose the Developing Film to Light
• What is Stand Developing? / Benzotriazole / Mike Has Tried All Kinds of HC-110
• We Finally Talk About AGFA Cameras / Anthony only Has an AGFA Pioneer
• The AGFA Optima 1535 Looks Kinda Like the Plaubel Makina 67 / Optima Sensor
• AGFA Flexilettte and Optima Reflex 35mm TLRs
• Some AGFA Cameras Using the Film Advance Lever to Rewind the Film
• More About the Flexilette / Mike Loves the AGFA Selectaflex
• Don't Bother Trying to Repair the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex SLR
• AGFA Ambi Silette / AGFA Parat I / Mike Raves About the AGFA Karat
• The 6x6 AGFA Isolette and Ansco Speedexes are Great Affordable Medium Format Folders
• What is a Recommendation for a Good 6x9 Folder? / Voigtländer Bessa
• The AGFA Compact Electronic Was the Last AGFA Camera Made in Germany

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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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

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

Reloading 126 Instamatic Film - https://mikeeckman.com/2020/03/reloading-instamatic-film-the-better-way/

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 95: Let's Wing It!

Over the past several episodes. we've covered a wide range of topics and had some excellent guests on the show.  While we love predetermined topics, the original concept of the Camerosity Podcast was that any topic is always on the table, so from time to time, we like to "wing it" and start recording without any idea of what we're talking about.

Episode 95 was one such episode where Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike logged into Zoom, hit record and let everyone in!  As always seems to happen, the show fills up quickly with GAS discussion.  Guests sharing their recent pickups and anything they're shooting now.  For this episode, we were joined by AJ Gentile, Darin Cozine, Jeremy Scott, Kyle Liu, Nick Marshall, Robert Coates, Shane Pacheco and Will Pinkham.

We start out the GAS discussion covering Bronica and Mamiya SLRs and TLRs.  A discussion about the S2 and S2A and issues with foam seals which need to be replaced on pretty much all Bronica S-series cameras.  Anthony shares his experience on a new (to him) Contax D SLR he picked up and that spawned a lengthy discussion on the Contax SLR's shutter and the unique sounds it makes.

Jeremy shares the pickup of a lifetime at a recent estate sale in rural Oklahoma where he bought a Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide, Canon f/0.95 "Dream Lens", and other highly sought after wide angle lenses.

Mike discusses an upcoming storage locker of cameras in Texas he will be picking up soon, along with his pickup of a very early Contax S and an Orion Miranda T with the rare Zunow lens.

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 going to cover AGFA.  As the German equivalent of Kodak, AGFA has a long history of making both cameras and film stocks, so our intent is to do their history some justice and cover their most memorable models and emulsions.  We will record Episode 96 on Monday, July 28th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Jumping Straight into GAS / Bronica S2 vs S2A / Mamiya C33 Professional / Who Used the Mamiya TLRs?
• Anthony Buys a Murder Scene Camera / Paul Sold Cameras to Coroners
• Bronica vs Hasselblad / Nikkor Lenses on Medium Format Cameras
• All Bronica S/S2/S2A Cameras Will Need Their Foam Replaced or Images Will Be Out of Focus
• Anthony Receives and Shoots a Zeiss-Ikon Contax D SLR
• Mike Gives a Very Poor Explanation for Why 100 and 125 are the Safest Shutter Speeds
• The Contax SLR and KW Praktina Have a Similar Design Language / Contax vs Pentax?
• Asahi Pentax ES II and It's Horrible Battery Compartment
• Why Are Black Cameras Often Worth More than Chrome Cameras?
• LOMO LCA Wide 120 / Hasselblad SWC
• Jeremy Scores Big at an Estate Sale / Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide / Canon 0.95 Dream Lens / Canon 7SZ
• The Voigtländer Bessa L is an Economic Alternative to the Hologon Ultrawide / Bessa R Series
• Everyone Talks About Ultrawide Lenses / Voigtländer 12mm and Canon 19mm Lenses
• Reveni Labs Lumo Incident and Direct Light Meter
• Mike's GAS / Contax S SLR / Orion Miranda T with Zunow Lens
• AJ Buys Himself a Minox B for his Birthday
• Many Young People Associate the Film Look with Degraded Photos from When They Were Younger
• Stephen Sold All His Nikon F Cameras and Lenses Then Bought New Ones / Everyone's First Nikon

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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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

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

Reveni Labs Lumo - https://www.reveni-labs.com/reveni-labs-lumo

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 94: Camera Shopping at Roberts Camera and Blue Moon

We are back with Episode 94 of the Camerosity Podcast.  For this episode, we decided to revisit a topic we covered all the way back in Episode 30, which is talking about camera stores with people who work in camera stores.

Joining us for the discussion are Meredith and Corey Reinker from Roberts Camera (aka UsedPhotoPro) in Indianapolis, Indiana and Zeb Andrews from Blue Moon Camera and Machine in Portland, Oregon.  Of course, two of the Camerosity hosts, Paul and Stephen both used to work in camera stores too, so between those four, we were well represented.

Much has changed in the photography space since we did our last camera store episode.  Releases of new cameras like the Pentax 17, Rollei 35 AF, and recent announcements of a new "film like" digital Yashica SLR have caused a lot of ruckus and it will be interesting to hear how actual camera store people see these latest developments.

Joining Paul, Stephen, Theo, Mike, and our special guests was a long list of callers including A.J. Gentile, Betty Ann Cochrane, Brad, Dan Hausman, Hong Lee, Howard Sandler, Larry Effler, Miles Libak, Pat Casey, Shane from  Discord, and Will Pinkham.

During the show we ask Meredith, Corey, and Zeb a wide range of questions ranging from what differentiates their stores which has allowed them to remain successful well into the era of digital photography.  We cover what the modern camera store customer looks like today and what makes photography appealing to a younger crowd.  We cover both lab and home developing, what one camera both camera stores wish there was an unlimited amount of, how they acquire their inventory of used cameras, and Zeb shares a cool story about how Blue Moon developed a roll of film which had images of Mount St. Helens erupting.

Mike gets excited that he received a bottle of the new Adox Syrup 110 developer and attempts to break down the myth that C41 home developing is difficult.  Theo and Zeb counter that you shouldn't be shamed into developing your own film and that the consistency of a professional lab is worth it.

While most episodes are a lot of fun to record, while doing this one, it was amazing how fast the two hours went, and I wish we could have talked to Meredith, Corey, and Zeb longer.  Who knows, maybe we'll return for a third Camera Store episode some day!

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 don't have a dedicated topic and will open up the Zoom recording to anything you'd like to discuss.  If there have been any questions or topics from previous shows you'd like to revisit, or share with us your latest camera GAS pick up, we'd love to hear from you!  This next one will be a free for all!  We will record Episode 95 on Monday, July 7th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Introducing Roberts Camera / They Used to Sell Jewelry
• UsedPhotoPro Was Started with Corey and Nelson Kopech in 2011
• Blue Moon's Origin Story / Blue Moon's Owner Jake Has a Passion for Vintage Typewriters
• Blue Moon Slits Their Own Minox Film / They Source New Cartridges Direct from Minox
• What Does the Typical Camera Store Customer Look Like Today?
• What Inspires the 18-24 Crowd to Buy a Particular Camera? / Is there an Upgrade Path to a Leica?
• Mike Breaks Down All Film Shooters into One of Three Broad Categories
• How Were Roberts and Blue Moon Able to Navigate the Film to Digital Switch When Others Failed?
• Blue Moon Developed Film from an Argus C3 Showing Mount St. Helens Erupting
• Robert's Early Experience with Mail Order Helped them be Successful Selling Online
• How Does Roberts Get Their Used Inventory / Burgess Auction in Carmel, Indiana
• Recommendations for Local Camera Stores
• How Hard is it to Get Film Processing Labs Repaired?
• Everyone Talks About Developing Machines
• How Common is it For People to Develop Film at Home?
• Mike Gets a Bottle of the New Adox Syrup 110
• Overcoming the Myth that Developing C41 Film at Home is Difficult
• How Do you Handle Developing So Many Different B&W Films at the Same Time?
• Camera Stories that Depended on Development and Services Struggled the Most
• What Camera Do Roberts and Blue Moon Wish they had Unlimited Supply Of?
• Upcoming Roberts and Blue Moon Events

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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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

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

Roberts Camera - https://robertscamera.com/

Used Photo Pro - https://usedphotopro.com/

Blue Moon Camera and Machine - https://bluemooncamera.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 93: John Wade, Wrayflex and Clockwork Cameras

We're back with Episode 93 of the Camerosity Podcast!  This time, we've altered our recording time to better suit those of our listeners across the pond who are normally sleeping when we record at our usual time.  For this 'European time zone friendly' episode, we welcome special guest, collector, and author John Wade who has written or contributed to more than 30 books, including a couple which I have relied on for several of my camera reviews.

In addition to John, we were joined by callers Brian MacDomhnaill from Ireland, Fernando Villava from Germany, Guy from Germany, Leon Blankenhorn from Germany, and domestic callers Miles Libak and Andrew Madsen.

And of course we had our regular hosts, Anthony Rue, Stephen Strangways, and our time zone friendly recording time also allowed Paul Rybolt to join us who has been vacationing in Ireland for the past month.  As this episode was recorded at 4am in Sydney, we gave Theo the day off.

With John's expertise, we spent a lot of time talking about Britain's only 35mm SLR, the Wrayflex.  As the author of the only specialized book on the Wrayflex and the company who made it, John has a fascinating level of knowledge on this attractive and quirky camera. 

In addition to Wray, we spent a lot of time talking about clockwork cameras, you know, those cameras that have a spring tensioned wind up film advance mechanism.  We discussed a wide variety of models from the very first wind up camera, the Japy Le Pascal, Ansco No.1A Automatic Ansco, and later cameras like the Debrie Sept, Bell & Howell Foton, Canon Dial, Ansco Auto Half, GOMZ Leningrad, and others.

We briefly talk about the British Leica copy, the Reid and Sigrist Reid camera and the American equivalent the Premiere Instrument Kardon, among other popular British cameras.

In addition to John's contributions, Paul shares with us another 617 camera he's got his eye on, Brian tells a tale about lenses he thinks he needs and never uses, Mike shares an uncommon German camera he recently GASsed over, Guy brags about all his working Rollei A110s, the brightness of the Olympus Pen F's viewfinder, and we go around the room asking which cameras each of us have the most duplicates of.

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 going back to our regular recording time and will be welcoming Meredith and Corey Reinker from Roberts Camera/Used Photo Pro in Indianapolis, Indiana to share with us their stories selling vintage cameras on eBay and in a well established retail environment.  We may welcome some callers from other camera stores too, but you'll just have to join us to see who calls in!  We will record Episode 94 on Monday, June 16th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Henry Scherer Passed Away / Mike Doesn't Know the Difference Between Ireland and Scotland
• Retro Cameras / What Motivated John Wade to Start Writing About Cameras
• John Wade's A Wrayflex Story / John Researched That Book by Interviewing People Who Used to Work There
• Early Wrayflex Prototypes / John Does YouTube Videos on Amateur Photographer's Channel
• Reid and Sigrist Leica Copies / Premier Instrument Kardon Leica Copy
• Kodak Brownies and Instamatics Were as Ubiquitous in England as in the US
• Many British Kodak Cameras Looked Different Than Their US Counterparts / 120 vs 620
• Miles Had GAS for a Rectaflex / Wrayflex Viewfinders / Differences Between the Models
• Britain's Role in WWII / Cameras Made in the Allied Occupation Zone in Germany
• Hand Assembling Cameras and Lens Bubbles
• Clockwork Wind Up Cameras / Japy Le Pascal Wind Up Camera
• Ansco No.1A Automatic Ansco and Semi-Automatic Anscos
• Bell & Howell Foton / AGFA Moto-Rapid C
• Andrew Asks for Advice on a Reliable and Repairable Clockwork Camera to Buy
• Canon Dial 35 / Mike's Tip for Using Alkaline Batteries in Cameras Designed for Mercury Batteries
• KW Praktina with Auxiliary Motor Drive / Kodak Motormatic 35 / Ricoh Auto Half
• Olympus Pen EM / GOMZ Leningrad / The Debrie Sept Will Break Your Wrists
• The First British SLR Might Have Been Made by Two Germans
• Brian's Thoughts on Italy and Buying Lenses He Doesn't Need
• Popular Telephoto Lenses / Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 / Nikkor 180mm f/2.8
• Guy Has Working Rollei A110 Cameras and He Loves Them
• Dr. Wohler Saar Favor II / Rollei SL66 Repair / Paul Wants Another 617 Camera
• Which Cameras Do Each of Us Have the Most Duplicates of?
• Viewfinder Brightness Between Olympus Pen F and FT

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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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

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

John Wade's The Wrayflex Story - https://www.johnwade.org/the-wrayflex-story

John's Youtube Videos for Amateur Photography - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM3_2GF5hWAA2Bt0qqVYNPR6yclCxEV_j&si=8FkUfnSBA3ys_eUc

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 92: Apparecchi Fotografici Italiani

In Episode 92 of the Camerosity Podcast, we needed to promote every caller to "host status" to tackle the topic of the Italian camera industry.  While a huge number of cameras were made in Germany, Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union, many were made in other countries like Italy, France, England, and Czechoslovakia yet far less is talked about these countries.

We attempt to do some justice to cameras from this boot shaped peninsula, spreading some (very expensive) GAS for models like the Rectaflex, Ducati Sogno, and Gamma II.  In an episode where everyone was a host, Mike, Theo, AJ Gentile, Miles Libak, Robert Rotoloni and Will Pinkham share our thoughts on a variety of models.

Mike's best reference is an out of print book called Made in Italy: Apparecchi Fotografici Italiani by Marco Antonetto and Mario Malavolti.  This 1983 book is the best reference any of us have found covering the Italian camera industry.  Featuring images and short descriptions for over 150 Italian cameras, this book, plus our assessment of a few models we're familiar with, prove that the Italian camera industry is far deeper than many realize.

In addition to a whole lot of Italian GAS, we go over the many different film sizes and formats used by Bencini cameras, Robert spends some time with his favorite Italian subminiature camera, the Gami 16, Mike struggles to explain how the metering system on the Durst Automatica works, he spends a great deal of time professing his love for the Ducati Sogno, and shares with us the wild operation of the very interesting Industria Scientifica Ottica Super Duplex 120, a strange stereo camera that shoots 24mm x 24mm stereo pairs on 120 format roll film.

In addition to talking about Italian cameras, we get side tracked and talk about the new upcoming Yashica FX-D digital camera and Mike shares his thoughts on these "so-called" hybrid film and digital cameras and where he thinks the film industry will be in 50 years.  Will Pinkham asks about new 3D printed cameras like the Superflex and the Alfie Tych.

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 recording at a special time to allow for our European and South African listeners to join us.  We don't have a specific topic selected for this show as these "Euro Time Zone Friendly" episodes generally are open to anything, so if you've always wanted to join us, but couldn't because we recorded in the middle of the night, this is your chance to call in!  We will record Episode 93 on Tuesday, June 3rd at 1pm Central Daylight Time, 2pm Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm British Summer Time, 8pm Central European Summer Time, and at 4am Wednesday, June 4th Australian Eastern Standard Time.  

In This Episode

• Italian Camera Book / Italy's Camera History is Deeper Than You'd Think
• Bencini Comet III / Bencini Koroll II and Koroll S / 127 Size Images on 120
• Italy's Camera Industry is Similar to France's
• Ferrania Also Released Cameras / Ferrania Rondine / The Ferrania Condor is Not a Leica Copy
• The Rectaflex Was Very Pretty and Innovative / Rectaflex Lichtenstein
• Mike Apologizes for the Expensive GAS From This Episode
• Theo Loves His Closter Camera
• Durst Made Four Cameras, the Duca, Automatica, 66, and the Gil
• Mike Fumbles His Way Through Explaining how the Durst Automatica Works
• Theo Lusts Over a Gold Plated Half Frame Italian Camera
• SSR Ducati Sogno is a Half Frame Super Camera
• Gamma Officine Meccaniche de Precisione Gamma II
• Phototeknica Eaglet Box Camera / What if Italian Companies Still Made Cameras?
• Bob Heaps Praise on the Unique Gami 16 Submini
• ISO Super Duplex 120 / Forty-Eight 24mm x 24mm Images on a Single Roll
• The Italian Camera Indusry is Very Deep / Bob is All Done Writing Books
• Italian Cars Are Unique Too / Theo and Bob Both Owned Fiats
• What Ended Camera Production in Italy? / The Rise of Japanese Industry
• Miles is GASing for a Rectaflex / Mike's Warning About the Viewfinder
• Get Yourself a Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt!!!
• Yashica FX-D: Your First Digital Film Simulation Camera / SOC Cameras
• Will 3D Printed Cameras like the Superflex and Alfie Tych Ever Become Collectible?
• Mike Doesn't think New 3D Printed Cameras Appeal to Too Many Collectors
• Film Cameras Will Outlive the Production of Film

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.

Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! - https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg

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 91: Smells Like Cameras of the 90s

Like the saying goes, "better late than never", the Camerosity Podcast is back with Episode 91, which is dedicated to cameras of the 90s.  Which 90s you prefer, 1890s or 1990s, all 90s cameras are welcome!

Joining Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike are returning callers, AJ Gentile, Ira Cohen, Miles Libak, Nick Marshall, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham and we cover a wide range of 1990s cameras and technologies.  Paul starts off with some stories about mini labs and how single use cameras became a big thing.  We dive into bridge cameras, including the Olympus IS-2 which Mike gave rave remarks to.

We discuss a large number of point and shoot cameras including premium models by Nikon and Konica, and ponder why the Olympus Stylus Epic is so popular today.  We talk about some dead end technologies from the 90s such as Minolta's ill fated Creative Expansion and Canon's obscure barcode scanner for the EOS 10S.

Not all technologies from the 1990s were failures though as the 1990s was the first decade of digital cameras.  Models like the floppy disc Sony Mavica and Nikon D1 were great cameras with a historical significance which helped prove that digital photography had arrived.

We round out the discussion with why Theo loves the Mamiya 7 so much and how it compares to the Mamiya 6, Robert shares some info on the development of the Nikon S3 2000 edition, and we have a thorough discussion on Kyocera's Contax SLRs.

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 decided to explore the Italian camera industry as its not often discussed in camera collector circles.  While Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States were well known as makers of fine cameras, a great number of really cool cameras were made in Italy such as the Rectaflex, Ducati Sogno, Gamma II, and other models by Bencini, Durst, and Ferrania.  Join us if you're a fan of cameras from this "boot shaped" country, and see if we can manage to fill an entire episode without getting distracted!  We will record Episode 92 on Monday, May 19th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

• Jeff and Gabe Can't Pronounce French Names / Alan Peres Sends Us Emails Now
• Sometimes Its Hard to Remember That We Like Cameras from the 1990s
• The 1990s Was the Decade of the MiniLab and Single Use Disposable Cameras
• Olympus Invested Heavily in Point and Shoots in the late 1980s
• In the 1990s, Olympus Gave Up on Traditional SLRs and Created the IS-Series
• Olympus IS-2 / In the 90s Zoom Reach was Over Valued By Novices
• Why Are the Olympus Stylus Epics so Expensive? / µ[mju:]-II
• Nikon F5 Improvements Over the F4 / Paul Really Hates the Nikon N70
• The Nikon N90/F90 Was Nikons Best Semi-Pro SLR of the 1990s
• Broken Battery and Film Doors Were a Huge Problem Back Then
• The Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti Are Impressive Cameras but Terrible Investments
• 1990s Underwater Cameras / How Many People Kept Shooting 80s Cameras in the 90s?
• Contax S2 and Other 1990s Contax SLRs / Contax S2 and ST
• Mike Likes the Contax RTS II and the Contax RX / Large Contaxes Like the N1 and AX
• The Minolta Maxxum 600si/650si Has Mechanical Knobs and is Awesome / Minolta Maxxum 9xi
• Minolta's Horrible Creative Expansion Cards / Disabling Features on Consumer SLRs / Canon Barcode Scanning System
• The Canon EOS-1n RS / Pellicle Mirrors / Canon EOS A2E / Canon's Eye Control System
• Premium Point and Shoots / Konica Hexar AF / Canon Elph
• Theo Loves the Mamiya 7 / Mamiya 6 / Everyone's First 110 Camera
• Nikon Started Working on the S3 2000 in the 1990s / Differences Between the 2000 and Original S3
• Sony Floppy Mavica Cameras / Nikon D1
• Alfred C. Kemper Kombi from the 1890s / Theo's 1890s Australian Studio Cameras
• Advanced Photo System (APS) Film and Cameras / Kodak Advantix Preview

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/

Keppler's Vault 101: Advanced Photo System - https://mikeeckman.com/2022/03/kepplers-vault-101-advanced-photo-system/

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/