Camerosity

Mike Eckman

The Camerosity Podcast is the world’s first open source film photography podcast.

  1. Episode 108: The TLR Episode

    1 DAY AGO

    Episode 108: The TLR Episode

    Episode 108 is all about a topic we've touched upon in a large number of Camerosity Podcast episodes, but after reviewing our show notes, we realized we had never covered thoroughly in a single show.  Since you've probably already read the title of this post, I can't really hide that I'm talking about TLRs, or Twin Lens Reflexes for those of you who are acronym-adverse. Theo was absent for this one because he only likes cameras that involve 7 of something, but joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike are callers A.J. Gentile, Brian MacDomhnail, Chris Sherlock, Ethan, Joao Gomes, Howard Sandler, Jeremy Scott, Norris Liu, Robert Rotoloni, Sarah Davis, and Will Pinkham. We quickly get started with some TLR history and then introduce a couple of our first time callers.  One such caller for the show was long time listener/first time caller, Sarah Davis who repairs cameras and specializes in TLRs.  What Sarah lacks in gray hairs she more than makes up for in experience.  Studying under some well respected camera technicians, Sarah has learned from the best and can now tear down most mechanical TLRs and Nikon film cameras, bringing them back up to life.  We regularly hear of long time technicians retiring or passing away and it is refreshing to have a new option for your camera repair needs. As you should expect, we cover a tremendous amount of GAS including some of our favorite models medium format, 35mm, and subminiature TLRs.  In the roughly hour and forty minutes runtime, we cover the gamut from some of the most popular Rollei and Yashica TLRs to some really wild and rare models like the Welta Superfekta, the Tessina 35, AGFA Flexilette, and we even take the opportunity to talk about our beloved Chuzhao (which isn't actually a TLR).  Mike discusses the closest he'll ever come to shooting a Nikon TLR, why he hates the label "Pseudo TLR", and shares some trivia about interchangeable lens TLRs. If you were to assume that an entire episode about TLRs would attract everyone who loves shooting TLRs, you'd be mistaken as we hear from a couple callers who aren't fond of the design, especially the horizontally flipped viewfinder, and why it can be difficult to get perfectly straight horizons. In addition to TLRs, we cover topics that are TLR-adjacent such as some of the different designs of focusing screens, why Rick Oleson's screens are better, and some fascinating pros and cons to leaf shutters, including why most of them can't actually move any faster than 1/500th of a second. 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 will be revisiting Canon rangefinders (again).  We tried to do this for Episode 108 but had to push it back due to a scheduling conflict, but we're giving it another go!  The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about!  We will record Episode 109 on Monday, May 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time.  For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode Quick TLR History / The Original Rolleiflex Used 117 Film Original Rolleiflex compared to Rolleiflex T (photo) First-time caller Ethan has four TLRs, but confesses he doesn’t like shooting them Stephen Strangways find he tilts not only film TLRs, but also the digital Chuzhao and Paul Rybolt figures it’s due to shutter button placement Paul likes the Rolleicord and Rolleiflex, but hates identifying them. Xenons, Xenars, Planars, and Tessars, oh my! Sarah Davis fixes Yashica, Rollei, and Mamiya TLRs, as well as some Nikon and Canon SLRs Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue has repaired some Tele Rolleiflexes: “try and take note of what I took apart, and put it back together so it works.” Sarah shares why the Yashica TLRs, after the Pigeonflex and Yashima Flex, are so durable Brian MacDomhnail took Mike’s advice to pick up a Yashica-D to replace his Lomo Lubitel Mike finds the non-Mat TLRs are simpler and smoother, Sarah recommends the Yashica-Mat LM and EM Anthony Rue had a Rolleiflex 2.8E that he traded for a Leica M4-2, but kept his Yashica Mat 124, but shoots his Meopta Flexaret VI the most, Anthony also loves his Voigtländer Superb, and Mike has a theory as to why it’s so different Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex “coffee can” Focusing screen brightness, Fresnel lenses, Rick Oleson Bright Screens, Martin Seelig’s mirrors A.J. Gentile has tips on shooting with TLRs Howard Sandler thinks the Minolta Autocord and Ricoh Diacord have great ergonomics, Sarah has some repair insights into them, and Mike explains the Autocord’s backwards film loading Leaf shutters vs. focal plane shutters, and the tricks used to get leaf shutters beyond 1/500th, as on the 1/800th Kodak Chevron and Tourist, the Graflex Super Speed Graphic’s 1/1000th, and the Minolta V2 and V3 Are the Mamiya C-series cameras, TLRs with interchangeable lenses, huge and reliable, or just huge? The Koni-Omegaflex M is even bigger / Rex Reflex The reason for TLRs, and medium format film Going smaller: Agfa Flexilette, Bolsey Model C, Samocaflex 35, the Gakkenflex DIY kit Even smaller yet: Tessina 35, GemFlex, Goerz Minicord Is it a pseudo-TLR, or something else? Argus 75, Voigtländer Brillant, Lubitel, Kodak Duaflex, Bedfordflex, Windsorflex Paul’s Rollei Magic Rant, and why it breaks Mike’s brain João Gomes on the underappreciated Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex and Ikoflex III Norris Liu’s funky Toyocaflex 35, Welta Superfekta and Perfekta Paul’s 1937 Minoltaflex (photo he sent in FB group chat) Jeremy Scott brings up f/2.8 TLRs with his Rollei, and Mike has a Fujicaflex Anthony’s Ansco Automatic Reflex 3.5 regret, Mike expands on the history of them, and Norris has a Rocca Super Reflex Will Pinkham opens a can of worms about viewing and taking lenses Stephen didn’t think his Mamiya C330f was too huge, just too convoluted, and servicing simpler cameras to keep them working Wrapping it up with some one-off TLR models A surprise guest swoops in like a Seagull 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 Sarah Davis Photo and Repair - https://www.sdavisphotorepair.com/ Chris Sherlock - Retina Rescue - https://retinarescue.com/ The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/ Camerosity in Spanish Podcast - https://camerosity.es/ 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/

    1hr 45min
  2. Episode 107: Chris Sherlock No Longer Repairs Retinas

    15 APR

    Episode 107: Chris Sherlock No Longer Repairs Retinas

    For over a year, one of my most sought after guests to come on the show has been Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue.  Way back in December 2019, I had a chance to sit down and have a discussion with Chris and I have wanted to have another opportunity ever since and it finally happened! Episode 107 is all about Chris Sherlock and his experience repairing and collecting the Kodak Retina system.  I promised Chris, I would make it very clear that he is still retired and is not taking in any new work, but Chris is still active on YouTube, publishing complete walkthroughs of CLAs on Retinas and other cameras. Joining Chris are Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike and a long list of callers, including A.J. Gentile, Aaron Knesal, Ben Ryerson, Doug Willoughby, Eric Schneck, Fernando Villava, Joao Gomes, Greg Harp, Howard Sandler, Michael Boudreaux, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham. Chris starts things off with how he got started repairing cameras, all the way back in the 1970s working for Kodak in Wellington, New Zealand and then continues onto his first Retina models and why he started his site. We discuss a wide range of Kodak Retina models, from the folders, solid bodied rangefinders, to the SLRs.  Chris, Mike, and others share their favorite models and which ones we recommend for first time shooters and which ones have issues to look out for.  Chris explains what kinds of problems the Retina cocking rack may cause and why the later cameras have a long silk cord in them. It wouldn't be a Camerosity Episode if we didn't get off track, so we can thank Howard for bringing up the Voigtländer Ultramatic, Theo gives an update on the most recent Sydney Camera show, Greg Harp shares his recent 1930s Canon Standard pickup, and Aaron talks about his Yashica 44 TLR he bought from Paul. 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 will be revisiting Canon rangefinders.  The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about!  We will record Episode 108 on Monday, April 27th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time.  For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode We Are Recording While Artemis II is Coming out of Radio Blackout / Anthony's Artemis Launch Photos Chris Sherlock is Not Coming Out of Retirement / Chris Still Gets Requests Daily to Repair Retinas How Chris Got Started Repairing Cameras / Working in Wellington Repairing Instamatics Chris's First Retina was a Retina Ib / Started Selling on Auction Web (Predecessor to eBay) The First Version of Retina Rescue was an ISP Personal Page Spare Parts Are Important to Camera Repair / Chris's Tips for Starting to Repair Anthony Gets his Dad's Retina Reflex III Repaired by Chris Paul Barden Also Repairs Some Retinas / Chris's YouTube Videos Are Incredibly Helpful Too Not All Retina Cocking Racks Are Weak Points Is the Retina IIIC the Best Retina? / Differences Between the IIIc and IIIC Using Auxiliary Wide or Telephoto Lenses on the Kodak Retinas The Retina With the Most Problems with Haze / Cleaning Lenses Were the Early Ektar 3.5 Lenses Actually Made by Kodak? What Would be Chris's Favorite Retinas to Shoot? / Kodak Retina IIS and IIIS How Far Did Chris Tear Down the Shutter when Doing a CLA? Doug Can Recognize Chris's Hands in a "Hand Lineup" Kodak Retina Automatics / Other Contemporary Cameras to the Retina The Kodak Retina II Type 122 is Unobtanium for Chris How Long Did it take Chris to CLA a Kodak Retina? Where were Chris's Customers From? / Selling Cameras is Difficult Retina Reflexes Had a Silk String Inside Them / Voigtländer Ultramatic You Can't Just Repair One Part of a Camera, You Must Do it All Chris Likes Jigsaw Puzzles But Not Zeiss-Ikon Contaflexes Mike's Favorite Retinas are the IIa, Ib, and IIIS Greg Picked Up a Canon Standard Rangefinder / Joao's Ansco Super Speedex Theo's Update on the Sydney Camera Show / Seagull TLRs Aaron Buys a Yashica 44 from Paul / Shooting 127 Film 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 Chris Sherlock's Retina Rescue - https://retinarescue.com/ Chris Sherlock's YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisSherlock The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/ Camerosity in Spanish Podcast - https://camerosity.es/ 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/

    1hr 40min
  3. Episode 106: Camerosity Invades Europe

    30 MAR

    Episode 106: Camerosity Invades Europe

    Ever since the very first episode of this show, we've aimed to include as many of our listeners in our shows as possible, but that our hosts are located in three different countries and in four different time zones makes finding a time that works for everyone difficult, especially those of you in Europe and other European-aligned time zones where it is often the middle of the night when we typically record. In an effort to give more people in these areas of the world the opportunity to join us, on occasion we change our recording time.  For Episode 106, we did just that and saw a large number of people show up! Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this show were returning and first time callers, Brendon Wilson, Brian MacDomhnail, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Joey Alvillar, John Wade, Josh Calvetti, Krijn Vogelaar from Holland, Kamil from Norway, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Stuart Pratt, Vlad Kern, and Wayne Scheipers. On this show, we covered a wide array of topics including one of Paul's most hated Nikons, John Wade shares with us a very interesting Ilford monorail camera which supports shooting on 35mm film, Ira shares his love for Eigenbau cameras, and we admire Krijn's beautifully painted Kodak box cameras. In addition, we cover a large range of cameras from the AGFA Automatic 66, to the Kodak Medalist, Hasselblad SWC, Leidolf Lordomat, Mamiya RB67, the Tom Thumb 'radiocamera', and Mike shares a quick preview of a neat rangefinder camera he picked up called the Wenk Wenka. 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 returning to one of the gang's favorite camera families, the Kodak Retina.  To help us navigate the nuances of so many Retina models, we are happy to welcome Chris Sherlock, of Retina Rescue.  Chris has many years of experience repairing Kodak Retinas and other leaf shutter cameras and is sure to have a great deal of insight into these wonderful cameras!  We will record Episode 107 on Monday, April 6th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and Tuesday April 7th at Noon New Zealand Standard Time.  For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode Happy Birthday to Pat Casey / Kamil and the Olympus mju Zoom / Minolta Dynax 5 / Nikon F80 Paul Really Hates the Nikon F70 / Mike’s First DLSR was the Nikon D40x Fujifilm Finepix Pro early DSLRs were F80 bodies John Wade has stopped writing books, but still writes for Amateur Photographer Ilford KI Monobar, a 35mm monorail camera John has Stanley German’s (Botanist in 1940s) specially made one off camera with all his slides Ira's Eigenbau and Frankencameras / Machinists Who Make Good Cameras at Home John showed a stereo camera which was converted to a Panoramic Camera Paul likes the pretty Kodak Model F 620 box camera Kodak pushed 620 across the world Agfa Automatic 66 and the Goerz Minicord Krijn's Hand Painted Kodak Brownies Brendan has a Mandelar Leica M lens, they are a hot item Third party lenses are really good value Wayne is shooting a Zeiss-Ikon Contessa 35 and a Kiev 88 Vlad has had a few problems with US Customs Mike has gone 3D printing crazy Josh has a new Minolta Rokkor 40mm f/2 CL Leica mount Joey picked up a Hasselblad SWC which could have gone through the Camerosity rounds Leidolf Lordomat / Brian has reduced his camera collection a lot, he is enjoying the Pentax MX Wishing the I Dream of Cameras podcast congratulations for 100th episode Some cameras have strange battery compartments Fernando has a new Kodak Medalist Many photographers used the collected cameras as workhorses Good photographers do not rely on the camera alone for the results Kamil scored a Mamiya RB67 Pro S New seals are often needed for older cameras / Don’t put cameras in the sun Norris brought in a radio camera called the Tom Thumb Mike Picked Up a Wenk Wenka / Stuart has a Rolleicord 5b and some Zeiss Ikoflexes 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/

    1hr 43min
  4. Episode 105: John Minnicks and the Aero-Liberator

    10 MAR

    Episode 105: John Minnicks and the Aero-Liberator

    For Episode 105, it finally happened!  As eluded to on a great number of previous episodes and on our official Facebook page and Discord server, the Camerosity Podcast finally dedicated an entire show to large format cameras!  And not just any large format cameras, as a special guest for this show, we welcomed John Minnicks, creator of the Aero-Liberator, a home built custom version of a Graflex SLR using aerial Kodak lenses! Joining the gang and John for this episode were a huge number of other guests, several of which own or have shot their own Aero-Liberators.  In alphabetical order by first name, we were joined by some guy named Erie, João Gomes, Howard Sandler, Lloyd Greene, Mark Cornelison, Mark Widhalm, Mat Marrash (from FPP), Parker Pfister, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, and Will Pinkham. In addition to hearing John Minnicks origin story, he shares many stories about people who he has sold cameras to and what has been done with them, including taking portraits of Barack Obama at his inauguration and at impeachment hearings in front of Congress. Mat Marrash from the Film Photography Project joins us and gives us his insight into large format and how well it does from the retail perspective.  We were also graced with the presence of Parker Pfister who shares his tales of developing film using his own urine!  This is the first ever mention of "pee" in a Camerosity episode! We eventually do get into a little bit of GAS, including some pickups by Mark Cornelison from the Chicago Camera show including the Camerosity favorites like the Voigtländer Perkeo and the KMZ Zorki 4. 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 "across the pond" to a European time zone friendly time which will allow for more of our European listeners to join us. We'll keep the topic wide open to encourage as many people as possible to join us.  If you are in Europe or other "European time zone friendly" areas of the world, we will record Episode 106 on Monday, March 16th at 2pm Central Daylight Time, 3pm Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm Greenwich Mean Time (London), 8pm Central European Time (Berlin), and 6am Tuesday the 17th Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney).  For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode What is Large Format? John Minnicks, Creator of the Aero-Liberator 4x5 SLR Cameras with Kodak Aero-Ektar Lenses Going from a standard Graflex Super D to a custom camera with swings and tilts for a unique lens Three Owners of Aero-Liberators Ron Gee, Mark Cornelison, and Parker Pfister Common Problems with Aero-Ektars / Bringing People Together Photographing Barack Obama with Only 4 Sheets of Film David Burnett and his Aero-Liberator in front of Congress Timtypes / Giving João Gomes some tips on adapting Leitz Hektor projector lenses and Tessar barrel lenses to his Graflex Getting into 4x5 Press Cameras / Crown Graphic and Speed Graphic / Omega and Sinar Monorails Wista, Tachihara, and Linhof Field Cameras Lloyd Greene is shooting a Sinar monorail, Howard Sandler recommends the Graphic as a companion to a Crown Graphic, and how he shares his Fujinon lenses between them Parker shoots 8x10 paper and develops it with help from pee Paul Rybolt misses Cibachrome, Mat Marash from Film Photography Project recommends RA4 reversal X-ray film and trying to prevent scratches Monobath single-shot processing kit as an introduction to developing and a great way to test a camera Sourcing large format films / How to shoot paper instead of negatives and tame the contrast / Light sources for enlargers Erie is a large format nerd and commercial photographer Many different methods for developing and scanning Mark’s trials and tribulations with wet plate collodion Exposure, Computers, and the Kodak Master Photoguide Will Pinkham asks about large format lenses / Schneider, Rodenstock, Kodak, Wollensak, Ilex, Fujinon, Nikkor, even Turner Reich can suit what you’re shooting How do you manage focus when shooting portraits on large format? A bit of GAS: Kodak Retina Reflex III / Nikon Nikonos Mark Widhalm got a Voigtländer Perkeo, which Anthony and Ron love / Howard got an Adox Golf 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 John Minnicks - https://johnminnicks.com/ 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/

    1hr 40min
  5. Episode 104: Cheap Modern Lenses

    7 FEB

    Episode 104: Cheap Modern Lenses

    We are back with Episode 104 of the Camerosity Podcast.  Unlike the last few shows where we didn't come prepared with a topic to discuss, this time we took a suggestion from our Discord server listeners and attempted to tackle all the new lenses that keep appearing from Chinese companies,  With ever faster maximum apertures and wider lenses selling for insanely cheap prices, are these lenses any good, and why suddenly is the market flooded with them? Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike are callers Andy Howarth, Brendon Wilson, Fernando Villava, Mark "Cletus" Widhalm, Martin Olsen, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham.  We start off the show with a quick announcement that Fernando has started a Spanish language version of the Camerosity Podcast called "Camerosity in Spanish".  They've already recorded two episodes, and if you speak Spanish, it is worth checking out what him and his guests are talking about! For this show, we briefly start off our lens episode talking about Retina Reflexes, but thankfully we don't stay distracted long as we move into the wonderful world of modern Chinese lenses.  We attempt to cover different brands of lenses and what kinds of options there are out there and which ones we've personally had experience with. Stephen and Norris have a wealth of technical knowledge and historical perspective for how the Chinese manufacturing industry works, and we get into a bit of why you're seeing so many options these days.  While many of the new ultra-fast lenses are extremely affordable, they are built to be disposable and likely won't last nearly as long as the classic lenses many of us collect.  Paul shares with us one (non-Chinese) brand that he doesn't like and Stephen tells us what "onion ring bokeh" is. Eventually we do move off from Chinese lenses to talk about extremely wide angle fisheye lenses and Stephen tells us about a clever use of his Olympus Air A01 and we briefly mention strange cameras like the Nikon KeyMission 360 Double Fisheye lens. With Bob Rotoloni on, Paul asks about a Nikon M he is interested in buying and we get into a discussion about the Nikon M and different variants of that particular camera.  We keep meandering topics before finally ending up Mike's first purchase on the Japanese auction site, buyee.jp. Come See Mike at the Chicago Camera Show: I will be heading up to the Sheraton Suites Chicago Elk Grove hotel for a camera show on Sunday, February 22nd.  At this show will be several callers from this episode, Bob Rotoloni, Norris Liu, Mark Widhalm, and past Camerosity guests like Vlad Kern and possibly others.  Mike won't have a table at this one, but I'll be walking around chatting with people so if you're near the area and want to stop by, come see 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. We don't have a topic for our next show, but we at least know it will be Episode 105 and we will record it on Monday, February 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode The Spanish version of Camerosity Hosted by Fernando Villava / Cletus and His Broken Retina Reflex IV Repairing Retina Reflexes / The Risk of Testing an Unserviced Camera / Leaf Shutter SLRs Are Very Complicated Modern Lenses Have Combinations of Focal Lengths and Speed Unheard of in the Classic Era How We Got to Today / Cheap Chinese Lenses Started with Low Quality C-Mount Lenses The Legalities of Making Third Party Lenses / Why is Nikon Going After Viltrox? Who Are the Most Respected of the Current Third Party Lens Makers? / Different Priorities for Film vs Digital Some Third Party Lenses Require You to Calibrate Your Lens to Your Own Camera What is the Difference between 7Artisans and TTArtisans? / DJ Optical Voigtänder Cosina Lenses Are Less Expensive Alternatives to Genuine German Lenses Some Chinese Lenses Feel Nicer Than They Really Are / Excessive Lubricants The Chinese Make a Lot of Their Own Glass / Mike Has No Idea How Glass is Made Leica No Longer Makes Their Own Glass but they Polish It / Onion Ring Bokeh Are There Any Companies to Stay Away From / Paul Doesn't Like MS-Optics Lenses Differences Between Western and Chinese Manufacturing Philosophies Chinese Manufacturers Typically Didn't Offer After Sale Support or Warranties China's Manufacturing Today is Far More Advanced Than Anywhere Else in the World Norris Goes to CES and Admires Hair Dryers / 40% of Exhibitors at CES are Chinese For Vintage Camera Users You Don't Always Want a Technically Perfect Lens Stephen's Olympus Air A01 and a 220 Degree Circular Fisheye Lens Nikon KeyMission 360 Double Fisheye Cameras / Go Pro / Ricoh Theta Camera Brandon Jumped into the Nikon Zf Using Chinese Lenses / Nikon Z-Mount Adapters Fernando Adapted Leica R Lenses to Leica M and the Results are Great Leica SLRs and Alpas are Almost Always Sold Without Lenses on eBay Come See Mike, Bob, Norris, Vlad, and Cletus at the Chicago Camera Show on February 22nd Paul Wants to Buy a Nikon M / The Three Different Types of Nikon M Rangefinders Mike Made His First Ever Purchase on Buyee of 5 Cameras 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 Chicago Camera Show on Sunday February 22 - https://www.facebook.com/events/sheraton-suites-chicago-elk-grove/chicago-camera-show/774123451683491/ Camerosity in Spanish - https://camerosity.es/ 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/

    1hr 32min
  6. Episode 103: Don't Snort Your Lenses

    22 JAN

    Episode 103: Don't Snort Your Lenses

    In what turned out to be one of the more unhinged episodes of the Camerosity Podcast, for Episode 103 the gang didn't get the show announcement out until the day of the recording, but that resulted in a near record number of participants, and without a dedicated topic to discuss, we ran the gamut of topics from Theo's recent acquisition of a local lab's Fuji Frontier Scanner, to a very lively discussion about radioactive lenses and why you should not grind up lens glass and snort it. Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this episode were A.J. Gentile, Dan Cuny, Doug Doyle, Fernando Villava, Greg McCreash, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Mario Piper, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, Vlad Kern, Will Pinkham, plus a few others who didn't say anything. The show starts off with Theo telling the tale of how a Frontier scanner is coming to him and that turned into a very lively discussion about all scanning options from using professional scanners, flatbed scanners, and then eventually to digitizing with a digital camera. Returning guest Dan Cuny shares some vintage digital cameras he's been working on reviews for including the 0.3 megapixel Canon PowerShot 350 and the floppy disc Sony Mavica!  Continuing on the vintage digital discussion was the revelation that three of the five Camerosity hosts all have the 1990s Minolta RD-175 DSLR! Vlad Kern from ussrphoto.com comes on and shares his recent pickup of a spy camera from a shot down Russian drone found in Ukraine which he recently acquired.  Vlad's crazy spy camera looks straight out of a science fiction movie and the hosts wonder how he managed to get that past European and American customs! Of course, we get into a bit of GAS including a follow up to Episode 102 where Ron Gee had ordered an Aero-Liberator camera from John Minnicks, Ron came back to talk about receiving the camera and his initial impressions of it.  Other cameras discussed are the Tele and Wide Rolleiflexes, a rare Foth TLR, the 16mm KMZ Narciss SLR, a very strange and rare American camera called the Millfred Cand-O-Matic and I give an update on some leather I purchased for a Leica IIIa that needed to be recovered. 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 show, Theo will be vacationing in Japan, so he won't be joining us, and there still isn't a topic yet, but Episode 104 will be recorded on Monday, February 2nd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode Theo’s big piece of GAS… where will it fit? / Fujifilm Frontier SP-2000 Doug Doyle is excited for the Knokke film scanner Mario Piper gets advice on dealing with spots and dust on negatives Kodak Photo-Flo and Edwal LFN Wetting Agents / Ilford Antistaticum Anti-Static Cloth / PEC-12 Photographic Emulsion Cleaner / ADOX Film Cleaner Add Humidity to your Darkroom to Reduce Dust Epson Flatbed Scanners / Nikon Coolscan Scanners / Camera Scanning with Negative Lab Pro / Romanian Lobster People A good reason to not worry about scanning resolution Dan Cuny is reviewing vintage digital cameras like the Canon PowerShot 350, the Sony Mavica, and the Nikon Coolpix 100 The hosts have way too many Minolta RD-175 DSLRs Scanning Kodak Disc Film and Sawyer's View-Master weddings Vlad Kern Discusses Soviet Film Formats / Russian Drone Cameras Fernando’s KMZ Narciss / Homebrew Photosnipers Ron Gee’s Aero-Liberator / Everyone shares their big Radioactive Aero Ektars Vlad has an aerial camera that’s just missing the MiG-21 fighter jet Jeremy Scott tests his Canon FD concave 35mm f/2 with a Geiger counter / De-Yellowing Radioactive Lenses Foth-Flex and Foth Derby / Tele Rolleiflex / Soligor and Sears 55m f/2.8 macro Lenses / MIOJ Nikkor 13.5cm f/4 version Norris Liu shows off a Millfred Cand-O-Matic made by a Hollywood movie producer Mike reskinned a Barnack Leica with Leather from cameraleather.com Jeremy brings us back around to the start with his bellows film scanning setup 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/

    1hr 50min
  7. Episode 102: Eggnog Manatees and Opportunistic GAS

    31/12/2025

    Episode 102: Eggnog Manatees and Opportunistic GAS

    The end of the year has come.  As is the case every year, 2025 was filled with some ups and downs.  For the Camerosity Podcast, we reached the 100 episode milestone, saw a huge influx of Miranda cameras re-enter the used camera market, and a whole lotta pictures of manatees. For Episode 102, the gang got together with some holiday themed alcoholic beverages and discussed what last minute bouts of GAS we had, and other bits of nonsense we were up to.  Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike were returning callers A.J. Gentile, Leon Blankenhorn, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, William Ponder, and first time callers Joao Gomes and Ron Gee. In this episode we start right off with recent pickups, Paul is enamored with his Hasselblad digital back which he has almost permanently mounted to his 907x, calling it the best digital camera he's ever shot.  A recent pickup of a Hassy 65mm f/2.8 lens further cemented it for him.  Pat Casey talks about his love for 3x4 Graflexes and first time caller Ron Gee is excited for his new Aero Liberator camera he ordered from John Minnicks. We discuss the shift of German cameras being made in countries other than Germany, why West German companies made so many leaf shutters and seemed to be reluctant to adopt focal plane shutters, and Mike (poorly) attempts to explain the confusing history of the Voigtländer Bessaflex, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex and SL706, Voigtländer VSL series and Rollei SL35 series SLRs. Mike shares his two most recent pickups, the first is the brand new and recently released LOMO MC-A which is an impressive premium point and shoot camera and he feels is the best example we've seen so far of what a brand new premium 35mm camera should be.  His other pickup is a rather ordinary Vivitar XC-3 with the unordinary XC-A accessory which kinda sorta adds Aperture Priority Automatic Exposure to a camera which wasn't built with it. Anthony talks about a $25 Nikonos III he recently picked up and used to take some of the best photos he's ever taken of manatees in the spring by his house.  He also shares with us his oddest camera, the Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit. And right before we were about to sign off, Ron Gee drops not one but two of the largest 6x17 and 6x24 3D printed cameras any of us have seen.  With names like Sasquatch and Kracken, these large beasts are not to be taken lightly! 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. We don't yet have a topic for our first episode of the new year, but whatever it is, Episode 103 will be recorded on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches / Ron and Joao are Both First Time Callers Long Time Paul Customers Zeiss-Ikon Contax S / Everyone Needs a Praktica Different Types of GAS / Hasselblad 907 w/ Digital Back Pat Casey's 3x4 Graflex Infatuation / Ron Gee is Getting an Aero Liberator from John Minnicks Kodak Aero Ektar Lenses / Gowlandflex TLR Ifbaflex M102 / Voigtländer VSL1 / Zeiss-Ikon SL706 The Shift of German Cameras Being Made in Countries Other than Germany Why Did Zeiss-Ikon and Other West German Camera Makers Make So Many Cameras with Leaf Shutters? The Technical Limitations of Leaf Shutter SLRs Compared to Focal Plane Shutter SLRs Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit Anthony's $25 Nikonos III Find / Anthony Rue: Manatee Belly Scratcher Sea & Sea Cameras Lenses and Housings / Canon Aqua Snappy / Stay Away from the Nikonos IV Olympus G.Zuiko 42mm f/1.2 C-Mount Lens Check out the Camerosity Discord Server, It Is Way Better than Facebook Olympus Accura View 90 Point and Shoot Mike's Thoughts on the LOMO MC-A Premium Point and Shoot Comparing the LOMO to other New Premium Film Cameras like the Rollei 35 AF and Pentax 17 The Camerosity Podcast Still Likes the Chuzhao Three Months In Vivitar XC-3 w/ XC-A AE Module / Will Picks Up a Zorki 4 What Kind of Camera Would You Like to See Come to Market? Epson RD-1 / Zeiss-Ikon ZM Rangefinders We Need to Do a Lomography Show / LOMO Spinner William Asks for an Update on the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex TLR Review Sasquatch 617 3D Printed Camera / Kracken 624 3D Printed Camera 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/

    1hr 59min
  8. Episode 101: Mike Eckman Man of Mystery

    17/12/2025

    Episode 101: Mike Eckman Man of Mystery

    When it came time to decide what to follow up our 100th episode, the guys made a comment that we should interview a prominent podcaster and blogger in the vintage camera realm.  With a long list of guests already, we thought hard about who we've missed, who is one person who has helped grow GAS as much as any one single person can?  Anthony spoke up and said, "Hey, it should be Mike"!  While I had my doubts about how interesting a whole episode about me could be, I thought that I do like to tell stories, why why not?! Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike this, our 101st episode are returning callers A.J. Gentile, David Palumbo, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Mark Faulkner, Pat Casey, Rob Lattimer, William Ponder, and Will Pinkham. Over the course of the episode, I field a variety of questions from how I got started, what is my while whale camera, what cameras never clicked for me, what was an example of a camera that I felt overwhelmed trying to shoot.  Paul gets me to revisit my 2023 trip to Los Angeles when I went through the collection of Kurt Ingham and what it was like going through such a large collection.   We get into camera accessories, especially how difficult it is to adapt Kilfitt lenses and that the "Rear Window" Kilfitt lens was never made specifically with an Exakta mount, we talk about what is a good first camera is, and we get into how I am resisting the urge to collect carbon filament light bulbs and Nixie Tubes. Amazingly, we make it through the nearly 2 hour run time without repeating too much of what's been covered before, and while doing so managed to cover a whole lot of GAS! 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. We will be back shortly with our next episode, which is going to be two days before Christmas.  We'll call this one our "holiday eggnog episode" where we recap the year and open up the call in lines for whatever you all want to talk about.  Episode 102 will be recorded on Tuesday, December 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us! In This Episode Mike’s T-shirt Sorting Techniques / It was Anthony’s Idea to Interrogate Mike How did Mike get started? One night on eBay… He shares the cameras he used, and the ones that started his collection The origins of MikeEckman.com It all started with a Nikon EL2, then a Kodak No.1 Autographic Special, Model A An avalanche begins: Argus C3, FED-2, Konica Auto S2 The Meeting of the Bloggers / White Whales Just Keep Coming ‘What the hell is this?” The Hasselblad XPan Mike Damaged a Pentacon Six TL That Was Loaned to Him Flying to LA: Kurt Ingham’s Collection Mike’s Camera room (Cave? Bunker? Subterranean lair?) Cameras that didn’t click for Mike / Konica AiBORG / Leia R8 Continuation/knock-off/replica cameras… Kiev vs FED and Zorki, Minolta Auto Press vs Plaubel Makina, Contax vs Nikon Rangefinders Hidden histories Clarus MS-35, Vokar II, thousands of 6x6 TLRs, and the King Regula Fernando Villava asks Mike about His Favorite Film / Anthony shares his bulk film lucky find William Ponder wants to know if finding accessories leads to discovering cameras The Kilfitt Konundrum that Mike created for Paul / Mark Faulkner’s Rear Window Lens / Paul’s NASA Lens Will Pinkham wants to know what rarities are on Mike’s Wish List Rob Latimer wants to know Mike’s Favorite Cameras Vinyl Records, Carbon Filament Bulbs, and Nixie Tubes / Theo wants to know Mike’s other interests Cameras that can start a collection, and a good first rangefinder for the SLR shooter Is Mike a foodie? A coffee connoisseur? A traveler? The importance of keeping photography knowledge alive Could there be a Camerosity spin-off some day? 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/

    1hr 41min
See All (100)

About

The Camerosity Podcast is the world’s first open source film photography podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Eckman
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Camerosity

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