After exclusively using digital cameras for a long time, I have gradually been switching to film cameras. I started on this path during the pandemic. As a fun project that could be completed at home I restored an old twin lens reflex camera camera. A restored camera deserves to be shot, and the images from the superannuated camera turned out much better than I imagined they would. Since then I have increased the amount of film that I use, and now my ratio of film to digital is probably something like 10-to-1.
As happens with many things, since I recognized that vintage cameras still existed, I have noticed them in more places. So, I have been picking up the cheap ones - ones that are clearly defective in some way. In most cases I have found that it only takes a little bit of work to make them operational again. Though it can definitely take a lot more work to make them reliable and fun to use again. I have also traded my way up to having some very nice cameras that are unlikely to be found at a thrift store. These are all the cameras which I have worked with so far.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1959 | Carl Zeiss Jena | Werra I (scale focus) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/2.8 – ƒ/16 1/750 – 1s, B |
| 1956 | Argus | C3 (rangefinder) |
135 | 50mm ƒ/3.5 – ƒ/16 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 |
| 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 | 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 | 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 |
| 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/MC/MD mount 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 |
| 1985 | Minolta | X-700 (single-lens reflex) ♡ |
135 Speeds: 25 – 1600 |
Minolta SR/MC/MD mount 1/1000 – 1, B |
| 1986 | Minolta | X-370 (single-lens reflex) |
135 Speeds: 12 – 3200 |
Minolta SR/MC/MD mount 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 |
| 1995 | Minolta | Freedom Zoom 140EX (viewfinder) |
135 Speeds: 25 – 3200 |
38 – 140mm ƒ/3.5:9.4 – ƒ/9.4 1/500 – 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 |
People have asked which camera is my favorite. For a while I was into big, mid-century fixed-lens rangefinders, at that time I was always carrying around the Minolta Hi-Matic 9. Currently, I don’t have a single favorite. Having experimented with a wide variety of cameras, I have come to appreciate different cameras for specific purposes or situations. My view on this evolves over time, but below are my current situational top picks.
Since the intent it to showcase the cameras, minimal manual editing was done on the images, except for dust and watermark removal. The negatives are digitized using a light box and a T3i. Then, the digital images are inverted using a custom python script and the frame borders are cropped out. The images are optimized for the web prior to being uploaded.
I have picked up a few old light meters over the years. I used to really enjoy using the Gossen Luna-Pro, but it would periodically act erratically, so I lost faith in it. Now I only use a modern Sekonic L308. Working with old cameras brings enough challenges, I see no reason to add the complexity of compensating for an old light meter with various quirks and inaccuracies.
| 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 |
Christopher