#film camera review

[bromodideuterio]

A Week With a Leica

Last week I purchased my first Leica camera, which is something I swore that I would never do. To me, Leica is the Rolex of the camera world. Yes, they’re great cameras, but they’re overpriced and overhyped for something that a much cheaper piece of kit can do equally well. Besides, the gear doesn’t make the photographer. However, I have always had a soft spot for the Barnack models.

Lo and behold, a Leica IIIf, fully serviced and equipped with a 5cm Summicron, stumbles its way into my life. I got a pretty good deal on it. I won’t say specifically how much I spent, but let’s just say it was more along the lines of Canon money.

After putting a few rolls through the camera, I have very few complaints about the shooting process. The only things that come to mind are that to load the film, it’s recommended you cut your film leader into a taper (carry some scissors), there is no in-body light meter, and the film advance/rewind is less than optimal when compared to its SLR contemporaries.

Aside from those minor issues, this camera is a dream to shoot with. The collapsible lens makes it extremely compact. The build quality is incredibly robust. Obviously the lens is razor sharp, it’s a Leica. Additionally, it doesn’t have the big red dot on the front, so it’s less likely to be stolen.

After shooting with this camera for a little while, I can already tell that it will be a permanent feature of my collection. I get it now. I understand the hype. I’m not prepared to pay the Leica tax for something like an M6, nor do I have any desire to. The M cameras are fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But the Barnack cameras are iconic, cementing Leica as the manufacturer with the reputation they have today. Sure, shooting a IIIf is slow. But film is expensive, and we can all benefit from slowing down a bit, can’t we?

[runawaydiarys]

Different day different bag, same problem. I want to carry more than I can, but I have to remember to limit myself to what I know I need and can comfortably carry on my shoulder for a few hours

[bykiel]

impresionante, sublime, desgarradora y trascendente

[moregraceful]

having trouble staying silly so made a medium impulse purchase of a slightly higher quality reloadable point and shoot than the one i got a target which had some strange warping i didn't like (like worse than a regular disposable camera, somehow...the shein-ification of target i think) for the roadtrip. i'm so harrowed by losing that entire roll of musty and will smith (shark) that i cannot bring myself to commit to the om-1 so i'm hoping that getting to blow through a roll or two on the roadtrip has promise of enough joy to get me through the next two weeks🥲

[depeshemode]

five and a half minutes of the most beautiful live instrument playing i’ve ever seen

Dirty Ones into the beginning of Eat the Spray

King Dunn tour, 09/01/2024

[bestreviewguy]

Godzilla: Minus One subverted my expectations in a welcoming and refreshing way. While the revolutionary CGI is what upon first glance, you will think is the main focal point of the film. This film actually takes a larger focus on the human stories. While most Godzilla films generally have them, they are always trying to set up the next one because people like money. However, the human tale in this one is a complete story, it has a introduction I don’t think anyone will expect, a mind blowing second act where your heart sinks to your stomach ANYTIME the beast we know as Godzilla is on the screen, and an ending that rivals even Oscar winning films. You come out of this film just feeling good. The characters are very likable. While some stand out more than others, there isn’t a single character with wasted screen time. Visually, Godzilla is the best he’s ever been, simply PUSHING THE LIMITS of any modern day CGI. This attributes to the fear that these people are seeing when viewing this beast. It is directed in a way where you can’t help but just hope it works out, and it’s awesome. There is no super intelligent main character and an unfair advantage the humans have. It is DEFINITELY not last years, Kong v. Godzilla. It takes some getting use to seeing Godzilla in a grounded format, don’t expect this to be visual spectacles and explosions for 2 hours. Speaking of two hours, the run time could have been implemented a bit better, but that being said, I can’t think of a specific scene where I didn’t enjoy watching, so could be just personal nit picking. In the end, I loved the characters, Godzilla is (no pun intended) a beast, and the ending is extremely feel good and satisfying. Check this out for something different than status-quo Hollywood Blockbuster films. This is Godzilla the way he was intended to be portrayed. I’m gonna give “Godzilla Minus-One” a 9 out of 10!

9/10

+Visually pleasing.

+One of a kind story with very interesting characters.

+A final battle that is summarizing and satisfying.

+Near perfect ending.

+Set design is amazing.

-Some pacing issues.

[street-corner-felines]

Zero Day Director commentary - With actor Andre Keuck

[azazel-dreams]

Monster High - Frights, Camera, Action

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

i love how the first 2 series of the league of gentlemen has a lot of ~flirtations~ but by series 3 they're like 'fuck it let's all just make out and fuck' and honestly despite all the flaws i respect them committing to that lol

[br3akfestattiffanys]

I hate watched blonde and this is my take:

- Using this woman’s trauma in an exploitative manner is disgusting.

- Using this woman’s trauma to push your own political agenda is disgusting.

- Depicting this woman as a ditz when she literally wasn’t is disgusting.

- I’m not a director but aside from all of the discourse, it’s literally a garbage film… millions wasted on this film for what?

Let this woman rest.

[coffeebookslovegt]

Creía que Poirot era inmune a la fiebre del amor. Una vez estuve enfermo de eso. Me dejo con suficiente arrepentimiento para toda la vida.

[bromodideuterio]

Camera Review: The Nikon N8008s

Recently I acquired a free Nikon N8008s, an autofocus 35mm film camera from the late 80s. This was, arguably, when Nikon was at their peak. I picked up a cheap lens to go with it (I’m a Canon guy, and I don’t need to dump all my money into two systems). After some hands on experience with the early autofocus system and auto winding mechanisms, as well as a test roll, I’ve got some… opinions…

First off, the camera itself is UGLY. The prism, while from the back looks great, looks absolutely awful from the front. It looks like a giant black wedge of cheese. The Nikon design language didn’t really hit its stride in the autofocus era until the F5 and F6, which really set the stage for their DSLRs. The N8008s has one dial that controls shutter speed as well as ISO (after an extra button press) and this information is displayed on a top LCD. The aperture, unlike Canons of this era, is controlled through an old fashioned aperture ring. This, while not being what I’m used to, felt natural and more tactile, akin to the older 35mm cameras of the 60s and 70s.

First generation autofocus sucks. It always has, it always will. Canon locked down ultrasonic motors early and they nailed it. Nikon struggled with this, and even into the digital era, their autofocus lagged behind Canon. The cheap 28-85mm lens, variable aperture of f/3.5-4.5, is among the slowest focusing lenses ever produced. Or at least I am convinced of that. However, in application, once you are in position and your subject isn’t moving, the focusing begins to feel more natural and is much faster. If you are shooting moving objects, good luck. Manual focus may be your only option. I cannot speak on lens clarity, as my test roll just wrapped up tonight. Results will come soon.

Camera function was surprisingly responsive. The shutter/motor combo is very loud, similar in volume to the Canon EOS-1 that I love and treasure. It doesn’t sound as good, in my opinion, but it’s iconic in its own way. Shutter speed being right there at your thumb’s natural resting position is ideal, as you can keep your finger on the shutter button while adjusting. This cannot be said for the Canon autofocus film system, nor their digital.

The ergonomics of this camera, or any Nikon camera for that matter, will never compare to Canon cameras. Canon grips are iconic and comfortable for hours of use, no matter how heavy the setup is. The Nikon N8008s has a very square grip, and it’s thick on the sideways axis while being too shallow on the front to back axis. It feels like holding a dented soup can.

One thing that Canon can never have, though, is a camera that says “boobs” on the front. The Nikon N8008s has that going for it, at least. My inner 12 year old giggles every time I pick it up.

Overall, I give this camera a 6.5/10. I much prefer my Canon cameras, both manual and autofocus, to this Nikon option. But the N8008s is a perfectly usable option with a high shutter speed and decades of available lenses. To get the best out of this camera, you unfortunately have to use the worst of Nikon’s autofocus lenses.

[writeouswriter]

Saw a movie review that said the director was too self indulgent in filming his scenes, what does that even mean, or the writer was too self indulgent in their writing, like yeah, they're doing this for themselves, to do it how they want, it's really not for you, so of course it's going to be a little self indulgent? I mean, you can not like how a director or writer or artist or whatever did/does something, sure, I dislike plenty of movies and books and styles, and many things just aren't my personal taste, but saying it's too self indulgent? Huh? Wha? Like for some things I get it in a way if it messes with the coherency of a narrative, maybe, but in these other cases? Self indulgence is the point. They're sharing it with you, you get to experience it, but... it's not tailor made for everyone in the audience, it's made for them, the ones making it, and a lot of people don't accept that with any grace anymore. (And this is coming from someone who's one of the toughest critics on media ever lately, like I will hate things quite liberally, I will love things quite liberally, it's okay to not like things and notice flaws or have unaligned tastes or desires for a story, but some criticisms are just bizarre to me.)

[colegove]

Overview of my favorite camera!

My mom used this manual 35mm film slr for family photos, & I learned photography with same camera.

The Fujica ST 701 is a solid reliable camera, and I love it! Do you own a Fujica? What do you think? I want to hear all about your dusty old cameras!

Visit ColeGove.com for more art, photography, & more!

[travishuggett]

I have posted my first (and probably last) camera review!

[shutterfox5555]

Camera Showcase

Olympus OM2 Spot Program

Pictured: Olympus OM2 Spot Programs with all owned OM specific lenses, flash units and motor winder

In the OM series of cameras, double digits such as the OM10 were consumer grade, whereas single digits were professional grade. First manufactured in 1984, the OM2 Spot Program (OM2S in the US) was a thorough overhaul of the OM2 to make it more competitive, meaning it's internals have more in common with the OM4 than it's predecessor.

Personally speaking, this is the most feature-rich, reliable 35mm film camera I have owned, making it my go-to workhorse for 35mm work. It’s compact design was very well-thought out and lightweight compared to other cameras before it.

Pictured: Top view of the OM2 Spot Program highlighting camera controls

One of the really well-thought out designs of this camera is how the shutter speed, aperture and depth of field preview controls are all in the same area on or next to the lens, meaning with one hand you can set all the main exposure controls without looking away from the viewfinder. Instead of a shutter speed selector on top, it’s a combined ISO speed/exposure compensation dial.

The OM2 Spot Program has 3 shooting modes: Program, Auto and Manual/Spot. In Program, the lens is set to the highest/tightest aperture and the camera will set both the aperture and shutter speed according to the light levels. In Auto, the camera shoots in an aperture priority mode where the user sets the aperture and the camera deals with the rest. In both Program and Auto modes, the camera meters centre weighted but in the full manual mode the camera switches to spot metering. This is an extremely useful feature when shooting high contrast images and with light sources behind the subject matter.

Another great thing versus it's predecessors is that it has a mechanical 1/60th shutter speed option, meaning if the batteries are depleted mid-shoot there's still a way to take photos depending on light levels.

Pictured: 3 shots through the viewfinder showing the current focus screen's split centre and microprism centre, the Program/Auto mode metering and the Spot/Manual's digital match needle meter

The viewfinder's light meter is a LCD style display which can be illuminated for 90 seconds for better viewing in low light scenes. In Manual/Spot mode it switches from a bar depicting the shutter speed to a match needle style display. The viewfinder itself (dependant on chosen focus screen) is very clear and bright making composition a lot easier.

Pictured: A selection of various attachments for the OM series of cameras. teleconverters, extension tubes, right-angle viewfinder, motor winder and flash units

The OM series of cameras have a wide range of accessories to further extend the capabilities of this camera. The motor winder allows for shooting up to 3.5 frames a second in continuous mode. The right angle viewfinder is especially useful when shooting at awkward angles or with telephoto lenses on a tripod, and has a toggle switch to add a 2.5x magnification to it for really dialling in the focus. I have a T20 and T32 flash for my cameras, and although the more lightweight and smaller T20 is more portable and uses half the amount of batteries, I prefer the T32 as it allows for bounce flash photography. Both flash units have 3 modes: TTL camera auto, flash unit auto and full manual. I have only really used the TTL camera auto mode but with the lens set to f4 I haven't had any photos with blown out highlights or muddy shadows.

Pictured: three different focus screens and an OM2 Spot Program with no lens and the current focus screen unclipped from the camera

A great thing about the OM2 Spot Program and other single digit OM cameras is the ability to fairly easily switch focus screens. Different lenses and scenarios work better with different screens and the ability to change really increases the versatility of the camera. For example, for general use I tend to use a split centre with microprism focus screen to give me 3 ways to focus, but with a telephoto (especially with teleconverters) the split centre goes black due to the low light levels. At that point, I have the option to switch to a microprism only or ground glass screen to make it easier to focus.

All in all, a fantastic camera with a solid design, accurate light meter and a wide selection of lenses and attachments which if in good condition will be a fantastic addition to any vintage camera collection.