There is a saying: remember, you are unique, just like every other human being. There is also the question of how far we are shaped by our genes, and how far by our upbringing.
Similar observations apply to infrared (IR) films. No two emulsions are quite the same (genetic uniqueness), and even with the same emulsion, each photographer has a different regime for...
Most people are vaguely aware that shutter speeds aren't always as fast as they are marked, that ISO speeds can vary, and that overall, photography isn't that precise a science. What they often don't know is just how far-out things can...
Photography is a wide-ranging field that engenders passion in its practitioners, and like all great forms of expression creates opinions formed through experience and reflection. In its early days one of the great debates was: Is Photography Art? This was the subject of many essays and heated discussions among players and spectators. Today, issues such as film vs. digital, format...
The Chinese-built, American-designed Fotoman 617 justifies itself as soon as you see the first transparencies on the light table. The huge format is a knockout. It's gorgeous. That vast slab of film is 21/4x62/3". That's 56x168mm, or over 11 times the area of 35mm.
It's ideal for scanning, too. Even a very modest flat-bed film scanner giving...
It sometimes seems that there are two kinds of photographers: those who bang their cameras and lenses around mercilessly, and those who baby them. The former see themselves as rough, tough, and macho; the latter are perpetually worried about the slightest risk of damage to their precious cameras.
Neither attitude makes a lot of sense. Yes, you need to be unlucky to damage a...
Weird stuff is my favorite category at any show: the things that don't fit into sensible categories, but are useful, or unusual, or yes, just plain weird. Some manufacturers of weird stuff rejoice in being called weird (they are often the most fun of all) but others sometimes flinch and say things like, "Um, we'd prefer to be called, er, unique." At a...
This article was very nearly called "9600," which is what you get if you multiply 24 by 400. Twenty-four films, that is, times ISO 400. There are at least this many, though half a dozen or so aren't available in the US. Even 18 films is however a pretty impressive number for a...
Mechanical precision has an almost sensual pleasure of its own. Think of the buttery wind-on of a 1950s Leica M3, or the way that the lens panel of an Alpa 12 glides into place, then fits solid as a rock. Recently...
If you’re a confirmed film shooter, welcome to the new all-but-universal color film. If you’re new to color film, this is the place to start. And if you shoot both film and digital, but have been neglecting your film cameras, say three Hail Kodaks and repent, or at least, don’t sin again until after you’ve tried this stuff.
What do you want from a 75mm f/2 lens? Whatever it is, the new APO-Summicron-M Aspheric almost certainly delivers it--except, it must be said, low cost. Perfection, or as close as modern lens design can come to it, doesn't come cheap.
For reportage, it is superb: fast, compact, and convenient. Of course, you don't normally need or expect ultimate...