2024 Year in Review: Camera Usage

It’s the time of year to reflect. Since photographs preserve brief moments they can refresh one’s memory of lived experiences. Reviewing photographs from the past year can aid in reflecting upon the details, but it is often useful to consider the broader strokes. Since photography is the main thing that I do when I am not working, I like to consider how I approached photography and how that approach has evolved. And, considering which tools I used helps me focus on the larger themes.

My approach to photography has continued to evolve as I learn more about the craft. An example of that is that I picked up my first spot meter in 2024. First two spot meters, actually. I thrifted a spot meter off of ebay, and it was not even close to accurate. There was no chance of calibrating it, so I went back to the well. I ended up finding a great deal on a Soligor Spot Sensor II, and thankfully it seems to be reasonably accurate.

I will occasionally use the spot meter for 35mm or even Polaroids, but I primarily use it when I shoot medium or large format. Even though I shot 70% more photos in 2024, I shot almost exactly the same number of frames of medium format (524) as I did in 2023 (519). Adding a Graflex Crown Graphic to my collection led to a nearly fourfold increase in the number of 4x5 frames I shot. I don’t digitize every large format negative I shoot, so my statistics are not precise, but they are probably directionally correct.

When I don’t want to haul around a medium to large format camera with all the accoutrement, I pick up one of my 35mm cameras. Sometimes I will even go out with the intention to take photos in 35mm. On those occasions I take an SLR. When I am grabbing a camera ‘just in case,’ I will grab a point-and-shoot.

Last year I traded in my Nikon 35Ti for the Minolta TC-1. I loved the Nikon, but it was a small brick. I wanted the 35Ti, but in the form factor of an Olympus XA. The closest I found was the TC-1. The TC-1 was a great little camera, but it was pricey and I hesitated to just throw it in a pocket. So, I sold it and purchased a very cheap Olympus XA. Next year I’ll probably want a Nikon 28Ti though. The XA is really only a point-and-shoot for photographers, it’s not something you can hand to a stranger and expect decent photos to result.

One of the reasons I took more photographs in 2024 was that I went on three backpacking trips. A backpacking trip is an occasion where I intend to take photos, so I grabbed an SLR each time. Also, the SLRs that I have are from the 80s; they are rugged and I worry less about taking them out in harsh conditions.

For my first two backpacking trips I used the Minolta X-700. I also took the X-700 on a trip to Maine. I was less than thrilled with my results. In some cases it was due to my choice of film and developer combinations, and in other cases it was because I was careless with my exposure. Realizing my shortcomings, I searched for technology to help me out. That is when I discovered the Nikon FA with the Nikon matrix metering system.

For the third backpacking trip I used the Nikon FA with Kodak ColorPlus 200. The images were beautiful. For my tastes they are better than the images that I took with the iPhone 13 Pro. The constrasty, high-res, high-dynamic-range iPhone images are great, but they are just missing some je ne sais quoi.

Speaking of the iPhone, had almost twice as many iPhone photos in 2024. As I look through them I realize that they are mostly either ephemeral photos that didn’t get culled or photos taken purely for historical reasons. There are photos of grocery lists and whiteboards. There are also photos that show progress in disassembling cameras or progress reassembling my bathroom. I’m not blaming Apple for this, but almost all my iPhone photos are uninspiring.

I also continued to use my Polaroid SX-70 in 2024. Partway through the year I got a deal on a broken SX-70 Sonar; I replaced the ECU on it with a modern aftermarket replacement, and it became my go-to SX-70.

Other than that, I shot one roll through a Ciro-flex and one roll through the Minolta Hi-Matic 9. The Ciro-flex was a $10 impulse buy at the flea market. Its beauty is its simplicity - the photos it takes are just fine. I don’t remember what possessed me to get out the thirteen-pound Hi-Matic 9. It looks like I was probably bored and just wanted to take some photos around the lake with something different.