After shooting digital for a long time, I gradually switched to film. During that transition I experimented with many cameras. What follows is a catalog of the cameras I experiemnted with before settling in on the few that I own and love today.
When I first started shooting film I was into big, mid-century fixed-lens rangefinders, at that time I was always lugging around the Minolta Hi-Matic 9. Now, I almost always grab the Nikon FA or Olympus XA before going out. Unless I am going out for serious shooting, then I’ll either grab the Hasselblad 203FE or Graflex Crown Graphic. I have enjoyed using other cameras for specific purposes, and though I no longer own most of these, these are the scenarios in which I particularly enjoyed a few cameras.
| Year | Make | Model | Film | Lens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Zeiss Ikon | Ikoflex (Coffee Can) (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 80mm ƒ/6.3 – ƒ/22 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, B |
| 1937 | Rollei | Rolleiflex Automat (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 75mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1938 | Agfa | B-2 Cadet (box camera) |
120 | unknown unknown 1/60 |
| 1940 | Zeiss Ikon | Ikoflex III (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 80mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/200 – 1s |
| 1946 | Ciro-flex | Model B (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 85mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/200, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/10, B, T |
| 1953 | Zeiss Ikon | Ikoflex Ia (twin lens reflex) |
120 | 75mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/300 – 1s, B |
| 1954 | Voigtländer | Vito B (scale focus) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/16 1/300 – 1s, B |
| 1955 | Agfa | Solinette II (folding scale focus) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/22 1/300 – 1s, B |
| 1955 | Polaroid | Model 80 (Highlander) | Type 30 Instant | 100mm ƒ/8.8 1/100, 1/25, B |
| 1956 | Argus | C3 (rangefinder) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/16 1/300 – 1/10 |
| 1956 | Argus | C44 (rangefinder) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/300 – 1/10 |
| 1958 | Fujica | 35 Automagic (scale focus) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 200 |
38mm ƒ/3.4 – ƒ/16 1/200 & 1/40 |
| 1958 | Minolta | Auto Wide (scale focus) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 1600 |
35mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1959 | Carl Zeiss Jena | Werra I (scale focus) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/16 1/750 – 1s, B |
| 1960 | FED (ФЭД) | 2, type D (rangefinder) |
135 | M39 thread mount 1/500 – 1/30, B |
| 1960 | Yashica | Lynx 1000 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 10 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.8 – ƒ/22 1/1000 – ?, B |
| 1963 | Graflex | Crown Graphic (rangefinder) |
4x5 | Graflex Lensboard |
| 1963 | Minox | B (scale focus) |
8x11 Speeds: 25 – 400 |
15mm f/3.5 1/1000 – 1, B, T |
| 1965 | Bronica | C (single-lens reflex) |
120 | Bronica C/S/S2/EC mount 1/500 – 1, B |
| 1965 | Minolta | 24 Rapid (rangefinder) |
135 (rapid) Speeds: 25 – 400 |
32mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/250 – 1/30, B |
| 1965 | Minolta | Autopak 700 (rangefinder) |
126 Speeds: 64 – 400 |
38mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/250 – 1/30, B |
| 1966 | Minolta | Hi-Matic 7s (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1/4, B |
| 1966 | Minolta | Hi-Matic 9 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 800 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 1s, B |
| 1966 | Minolta | 16 MG (viewfinder) |
16mm Speeds: 25 – 400 |
20mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/16 1/250 – 1/30 |
| 1966 | Yashica | Electro 35 (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1000 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/16 1/500 – 3s, B |
| 1966 | Yashica | EZ-matic (scale focus) |
126 Speeds: 64 – 400 |
37mm ƒ/2.7 – ƒ/16 fixed, B |
| 1968 | Kodak | Instamatic 134 (point and shoot) |
126 Speeds: fixed |
43mm ƒ/11 1/50 |
| 1970 | Yashica | Electro 35 GS (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1000 |
45mm ƒ/1.7 – ƒ/16 1/500 – 3s, B |
| 1973 | Polaroid | SX-70 (single-lens reflex) ♡ |
SX-70 Speeds: 100/160 |
116mm ƒ/8 1/175 – 22s |
| 1975 | Canon | 110ED (rangefinder) |
110 Speeds: 80 |
26mm ƒ/2 – ƒ/16 1/500 – 8s |
| 1975 | Polaroid | SX-70 Model 3 (scale focus) |
SX-70 Speeds: 100/160 |
116mm ƒ/8 1/175 – 22s |
| 1976 | Polaroid | SX-70 Model 2, Alpha (single-lens reflex) |
SX-70 Speeds: 100/160 |
116mm ƒ/8 1/175 – 22s |
| 1976 | Rollei | A110 (scale focus) |
110 Speeds: 80, 400 |
23mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/16 1/400 – 4s |
| 1977 | Minolta | 110 Zoom SLR (single-lens reflex) |
110 100, 400 |
25-50mm ƒ/4.5 – ƒ/16 1/1000 – 10s |
| 1978 | Bronica | EC-II (single-lens reflex) |
120 | Bronica C/S/S2/EC mount 1/1000 – 4s, B |
| 1978 | Polaroid | SX-70 SE, Sonar, Alpha 2 (single-lens reflex) |
SX-70 Speeds: 100/160 |
116mm ƒ/8 1/175 – 22s |
| 1979 | Agfa | Optima 1535 Sensor (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 500 |
40mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/1000 – 15s |
| 1981 | Olympus | XA (rangefinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 800 |
35mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 10s |
| 1981 | Polaroid | Autofocus 660 (viewfinder) |
Polaroid 600 | 116mm ƒ/11 – ƒ/22 1/250 – 1/4 |
| 1982 | Canon | A-1 (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 6 – 12800 |
Canon FD mount 1/1000 – 30s, B |
| 1982 | Minolta | XG-M (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Minolta SR Mount (MC/MD lenses) 1/1000 – 1, B |
| 1983 | Minolta | CLE (rangefinder) ♡ |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Leica M mount lenses 1/1000 – 1/2, B |
| 1984 | Minolta | AF-Sv (Talker) (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1000 |
35mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/?? 1/625 – 1/8 |
| 1984 | Minox | LX (scale focus) |
8x11 Speeds: 12 – 400 |
15mm f/3.5 1/2000 – 1/30 |
| 1984 | Nikon | FA (single-lens reflex) ♥ |
135 Speeds: 12 – 4000 |
Nikon Bayonet Mount 1/4000 – 1s, M1/250, B |
| 1985 | Minolta | X-700 (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Minolta SR Mount (MC/MD lenses) 1/1000 – 1, B |
| 1986 | Minolta | X-370 (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 12 – 3200 |
Minolta SR Mount (MC/MD lenses) 1/1000 – 1, B |
| 1988 | Hasselblad | 503cx (single-lens reflex) |
120 Speeds: 16 – 1000 |
Hasselblad V mount |
| 1989 | Canon | Snappy AF (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 50 – 1600 |
35mm ƒ/4.5 – ƒ/32 1/125 – 1/40 |
| 1991 | Omega View | 45E (monorail) |
4x5 | 6.3” x 6.3” Lensboard |
| 1994 | Hasselblad | 203FE (single-lens reflex) ♥ |
120 Speeds: 12 – 6400 |
Hasselblad V mount 1/2000 – 90s, B |
| 1995 | Minolta | Freedom Zoom 140EX (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 3200 |
38 – 140mm ƒ/3.5:9.4 – ƒ/9.4 1/500 – 4s |
| 1996 | Minolta | TC-1 (viewfinder) ♡ |
135 Speeds: 6 – 6400 |
28mm ƒ/3.5, ƒ/5.6, ƒ/8, ƒ/16 1/750 – 4s |
| 1999 | Nikon | 35Ti (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 5000 |
35mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/22 1/500 – 2s, T |
| 2000 | Canon | EOS ELAN 7e (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 6 – 6400 |
Canon EF mount 1/4000 – 30s, B |
| 2001 | Canon | PowerShot Pro90 IS (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 50 – 400 |
37 – 370mm ƒ/2.8:3.5 – ƒ/8 1/1000 – 8s |
| 2002 | Minolta | ɑ7 (single-lens reflex) ♡ |
135 Speeds: 6 – 6400 |
Minolta A mount 1/8000 – 30s, B |
| 2003 | Sony | Cyber-shot DSC-P72 (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 100 – 400 |
39 – 117mm ƒ/2.8:5.6 – ƒ/10 1/1000 – 2s |
| 2005 | Canon | PowerShot S2 IS (through the lens) |
CCD Speeds: 50 – 400 |
36 – 432mm ƒ/2.7:3.5 – ƒ/8 1/3200 – 15s |
| 2011 | Canon | EOS Rebel T3i (single-lens reflex) |
CMOS Speeds: 100 – 6400 |
Canon EF-S mount 1/4000 – 30s, B |
I have picked up a few light meters over the years. I used to rely on the Gossen Luna-Pro SBC, until it started acting erratically. Now, I mostly use a modern Sekonic L308; there are times when I will grab the Sekonic L-398 (which lives in my large format bag) or the the CdS version of the Gossen Luna-Pro (which is great for night photography). Working with old cameras brings enough challenges, I see no reason to add the complexity of compensating for a flaky light meter.
| Year | Model | Type | EV | ISO | ƒ-stops | seconds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c1950 | GE PR-1 | selenium | 7 – 17.5 | 0.2 – 1600 | 1 – 128 | 1/3000 – 120 |
| c1962 | Bewi Quick | selenium | 5 – 16 | 10 – 3200 | 1.4 – 22 | 1/1000 – 30 |
| c1966 | Sekonic Micro-leader |
CdS | 3 – 18 | 6 – 12,800 | 1 – 32 | 1/2000 – 8 |
| c1976 | Gossen Luna-Pro |
CdS | -8 – 24 | 0.8 – 25,000 | 1 – 90 | 1/4000 – 8h |
| c1982 | Gossen Luna-Pro sbc |
SBC | -5 – 24 | 0.8 – 100,000 | 0.7 – 128 | 1/4000 – 8h |
| c1986 | Sekonic L-398 |
selenium | 1 – 20 | 6 – 12,000 | 1 – 90 | 1/2000 – 60s |
| 2020 | Sekonic L-308X-U |
SPD | 0 – 19.9 | 3 – 3000 | 1 – 90.9 | 1/8000 – 60s |
I digitize most of my negatives using a light box and a T3i. Then, the digital negatives are inverted using a custom python script. The images are optimized for the web prior to being uploaded.
