Weston Master V

I love vintage light meters. Over the years, I have picked up a few old Gossen and Kodalux meters, but I think the Weston meters are my favorite.

The Weston Company was founded in 1888 by Edward Weston (not the famous photographer) and began designing and building electrical measuring devices. The earliest Weston light meters date back to 1932. The Weston Master series was made from 1939 to the early 1980s. My Weston Master V dates from around 1972. I also have an earlier Master III and IV. All of these meters use selenium photovoltaic cells—no battery required. And all of my old Westons still work and are pretty darn accurate when compared to my modern Sekonic meter or the on board meter in my Nikon F100. I found one of my Westons in an antique shop for $20 and paid about the same for the others on eBay.

When old photo gear survives years of use and still works, I enjoy pampering these devices a bit. Most of the cameras in my collection have been or are scheduled for service. I sent my handheld Pentax Spotmeter V to Richard Ritter for calibration some years ago and it came back like new. This Weston meter, from the looks of the sticker on the back of the case, was calibrated in 1996 by Quality Light Metric Company in Hollywood, CA.

A quick Google check shows that Quality Light Metric is still in business, still in Hollywood and still repairing and recalibrating light meters for still photographers and cinematographers. George Milton is the owner and even the phone number is still the same, albeit with a 323 area code rather than 213.

Since my old Weston was in George’s shop 23 years ago, it’ll be fun to send her back in for a check up. I’ll report back with the before and after numbers.

20 Best Film SLRs for 2020

I get more email comments on my blog posts about recommended cameras than anything else I write about here. Seems there are a lot of people searching the internet these days for suggestions about the best film cameras to buy and try. After ten years of success and failure, here are my top 20 single lens reflex film cameras for 2020:

Canon A-1

Multiple shooting modes available in this lightweight and affordable SLR. Plenty of Canon FD lenses available.

Tip: The Canon squeak is common with the A-1 and AE-1 models. It’s annoying but doesn’t affect operation. A CLA solves the issue.

Canon F-1 New

The final evolution of the F-1 series features a cool matte black finish, aperture-priority auto exposure and a sweet sounding shutter!

Contax RX

I have tried several Contax SLRs from this era and like the RX the best. Big viewfinder, electronic focus assist and wow…those Carl Zeiss lenses!

Tip: Shop carefully. Contax cameras are complicated electronic devices and the technology hasn't aged well.I bought my body from B&H Photo which offers returns if not satisfied.

Hasselblad 500cm

Beautiful medium format SLR that is completely modular allowing you to build a camera to fit your personal style.

Tip: The 500c is less expensive but doesn’t offer the option of changing out the focus screen. I upgraded to an Acute-Matte screen in my 500cm. It’s much brighter.

Leicaflex SL2

The cost of building this SLR nearly put Leica out of business. One of the nicest vintage cameras I have ever used.

Tip: Shop carefully…the prisms in these tend to de-silver with age but are easily repairable. DAG Camera Repair is the go to shop for Leicaflex.

Leica R4s

After fighting electronic gremlins in the R3, Leica got it right with the R4. The last version of the R4, the R4s MOD-P is the most dependable and nicest to shoot.

Leica R6

This is the SLR version of the M6 rangefinder. All mechanical, simple and accurate TTL metering and one of the most affordable ways to try Leica lenses.

Tip: The R6.2 is the same camera but with a top shutter speed of 1/2000th.

Minolta XD

I have tried lots of Minolta SLRs and I like the XD best. Also called the XD-7 and XD-11, this camera is a result of a Minolta/Leica collaboration.

Nikon F2

A wonderful mechanical professional level SLR! The interchangeable prisms on the F2 make it a F2 Photomic, F2S, F2SB, F2A or F2AS. The AS is the final version with the most accurate meter. It’s also the most expensive.

Tip: Every F2 I have bought needed new seals and mirror bumper foams. Most will benefit from a complete CLA. Sover Wong is the go to guy for that.

Nikon FM2n

All mechanical with built-in center weighted metering, the FM2 was the dependable back-up camera to whatever pro body working photographers were shooting at the time. You can’t go wrong buying one of these great Nikons and oh…those fabulous NIkkors!

Nikon FE2

The FE2 was the first film camera I bought when I got back into photography in late 2009. This camera is the electronic version of the FM2 with aperture priority auto exposure and one of the best viewfinder displays of any classic SLR!

Nikon F3HP

It took three tries before I finally warmed up to the Nikon F3. Some cameras are better appreciated with experience. I’m at peace with my F3 now…it is a joy to shoot!

Nikon F4

I know there are a lot of haters out there, but I just love my big, heavy Nikon F4. This was an expensive and revolutionary camera when it came out. Whenever I shoot my F4 someone will come up and say “Wow, what kind of camera is that?”

Nikon F100

The newest camera I own and one of film photography’s best values! These cameras are amazing and they sell for cheap! I remember when the F100 came out, there was a waiting list to buy one.

Tip: Nikon used a kind of rubber on the outside of this camera that gets sticky over time. I find that handling the camera often takes care of that issue. Not sure why, but it works!

Olympus OM-1 and OM-1n

Gorgeous, jewel-like little cameras with amazing lenses! These cameras used now banned mercury batteries but can be adjusted to use modern photo cells. Love this camera!

Tip: John Titterington sells serviced OM-1 cameras on eBay. I have purchased all my Olympus cameras from John.

Pentax Spotmatic

The Spotmatics are well made cameras that use amazing Pentax Takumar lenses. You’ll have to learn stop down metering to use a Spotmatic, but that’s easy. Buy a Spotmatic F and you’ll get open aperture metering.

Tip: You can find a nice Spotmatic for around $30. Then, immediately send it to Eric Hendrickson for CLA and battery upgrade. You’ll have around $100 total invested and own a great picture taking machine!

Pentax LX

Pentax’s professional grade SLR. The LX is a system camera with interchangeable prisms and loads of accessories. Perfect size, super accurate metering and a wide range of SMC lenses.

Tip: The LX is expensive to buy and own. A CLA on this camera is $200-$300, but when you shoot it, you don’t mind :-)

Pentax MX

Manual, mechanical and mighty small. The Pentax MX was the professional grade camera in the M line up.

Pentax ME

Wonderful and affordable platform for Pentax SMC lenses. Offers aperture-priority auto exposure only.

Pentax K2

Before the LX came out, the K2 was the flagship Pentax camera. Aperture-priority or manual exposure and a sexy sounding shutter!

Tip: Many K2 cameras came with plain matte focusing screens. I sent mine to Eric Hendrickson for upgrade to split image focusing.

Runners up: Pentax 645n, Nikon F, Olympus OM-2n, Minolta XE-7, Pentax ME Super, Nikon N90s, Pentax K1000, Nikon F5.

Sharing what I have learned over the years, here are some of my tips on buying old film cameras.

1. Buy from an established retailer if you can. Places like KEH Camera, B&H, Adorama, Tamarkin Camera, Blue Moon, The Leica Store, etc. stand behind their cameras and offer returns.

2. If you buy from eBay, try and buy from a seller that has 100% good feedback. When I have followed that rule I’ve not been burned. The few times I have not followed that rule, I’ve ended up with issues.

3. Expect that any vintage camera you buy will need a service at some point. These cameras are decades old and their history is mostly unknown. Try and find the best example you can afford and set aside some funds for service. There are very good service techs out there that work on most every kind of camera. After a good service, most vintage cameras will outlive their owners.

4. Watch out for fungus. Many old film cameras were stored improperly and fungus can grow on internal foams, metal and glass surfaces. Fungus is white or light grey colored, is difficult and expensive to remove and can spread from camera to lens. Look carefully at the photos of any old camera you are going to buy for signs of fungus.

5. If you buy camera and lens separately, make sure you do your research on lens compatibility. Many camera manufacturers changed lens mounts over time and just because you buy a Canon lens for a Canon camera, it may not fit. Google is your friend here.

6. Same is true for batteries. Some older cameras take batteries that are no longer available. Good news is that most of these cameras can be adapted to use modern batteries. Again, do your research.

Happy camera shopping!

Expired Plus-X

Over the years, whenever I have had the opportunity and the funds, I have tried to buy up rolls of Kodak’s now discontinued Plus-X 125 black and white film because I like shooting it. A roll here, a roll there. Even a cold-stored brick or two from photo stores clearing out inventory. My oldest rolls expired in 2008 and I have a few from the final batches that expired in 2016.

I decided to shoot a roll from a brick with a 2008 expiry date and see what developed. This particular batch came from a photographer who could not guarantee the film was stored properly its entire life. I loaded my Canon F-1 and shot it at the box speed. Even with unknown storage conditions, I think this film has held up nicely…certainly a credit to the folks in Rochester.

To my eye, Plus-X has a creamy vintage look that I have been unable to duplicate with any currently available film. It gives me pleasing results and I will be sorry when the last of my stock is gone.

In Search of Fall Color with the Pentax K2

I had my Pentax K2 loaded up with Kodak Portra 400 color film early in October with big plans to capture the spectacular colors of fall in the Wine Country. There are some excellent hiking trails not far from where I live and wanted to head out after the first frost, get some fresh air, a bit of exercise and capture the changing leaves.

Mother Nature had other plans though. The early part of the month was warmer than usual, that frost never came. Then, around the third week, the humidity dropped into single digits, an ominous Diablo wind blew hard out of the Sierras and an aging PG&E transmission line sparked a wildfire that would scorch nearly 78,000 acres before firefighters heroically beat it down.

My Pentax K2, ready for fall colors that never came.

It was early November before the fire was completely under control and things began to return to normal. The overnight lows barely kissed the freezing mark by the time I got a free weekend to hike some trails up near Mt. St. Helena. The ground was covered with leaves…muted browns and grays. Some of the trees hadn't even turned yet. I decided to make the most of the day, searching for color wherever I could find it.

Manzanita trees are plentiful in Arizona. I was surprised to find a grove of them along this trail. I love their red trunks against the blue sky.

I came across this barn on the trail. I think there may have been an old homestead on this site.

As I write this, the fire season is officially over in California. The rains have begun with earnest and what little color remained on the trees has been washed to the ground. The rain will mean lots of new growth…new fuel for fires. I used to welcome October. Now, I sort of fear it.

I’ve started a serious effort to reduce my collection of old film cameras, selling or giving away duplicates or cameras I don’t use often. The Pentax K2 will stay. Since I have had it serviced and modified with a split image focus screen, it’s a camera I really enjoy using.

Cameras As Therapy

I wouldn’t say my job is stressful. “Often frustrating” is a better way to describe it. I manage the marketing and communications department of a large company that owns and operates retail automotive dealerships and auto collision centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of my time is spent overseeing the customer-facing digital infrastructure that we depend on. And almost on a daily basis, there are gremlins that get into the system and disrupt this function or that one. Many of them are easy to diagnose and resolve. Others leave my team, vendors and me scratching our heads.

After a day of high tech madness, I often find myself retreating deep into my world of old cameras, lenses and light meters for a bit of solace. Yesterday was one of those days. I spent much of the day on the phone with various vendor’s support teams, opening tickets, asking questions and not getting many answers. Pricing on our inventory of new vehicles was not showing correctly on our websites and no one knew how to fix it. Showing correct prices is a pretty big deal in retail, so the frustration level was running pretty high on my team. We finally put a band-aid on the problem and I headed home for the day.

On my front porch, I found a package from DAG Camera. It was my Leicaflex SL2 that had been in Don Goldberg’s capable hands for the past few weeks. I sent the SL2 in for a CLA as well as a new prism finder (the old one had begun to desilver), and recalibration of the TTL meter to work with modern batteries. Seeing the DAG label on the box immediately made me feel better. I changed into some comfortable clothes, poured myself a glass of wine and opened the box.

DAG refreshed Leicaflex SL2 with 50mm 3-Cam Summicron from Tamarkin Camera

Don has worked on several of my Leica SLRs. He is a master and his work on my Leicaflex was no exception. All of the controls now worked with buttery smoothness, the new prism made the viewfinder bright and clear and the metering system was now powered by an easy to find 625A battery. As I sat there running the Leica’s shutter through its range of speeds, hearing the sound of a 44 year old machine operating flawlessly without any dependance on battery power, I felt a calmness come over me.

Most of my photography takes place on the weekends, but I often find myself fiddling with one of my old cameras weeknights after dinner. There’s something about an old film camera that just settles me. Perhaps it’s a connection to my youth and simpler times. I’m not sure, but it is a satisfying part of the hobby for me.

I guess it’s the same reason I enjoy using my Hasselblad 500cm. Loading up a Hassey film back and going through the various steps involved in shooting a frame with one of these cameras is not something you can do quickly. The whole process slows you down, way down in a wonderfully analog calming way. I like it. It makes me feel good.

The Hasselblad 500cm…slow, simple and satisfying

There are so many advantages to all of the digital wonders that have made our life easier and more efficient in 2019, but it sure is nice to be able to escape the modern world when you want to and click the shutter on an old film camera, take a deep breath and relax a bit.

A Fall That Hasn't Been

As most of you might know, California has been under siege by wildfires this fall. The first responders have done an amazing job protecting life and property. The fires, power outages, air quality alerts…it’s been a time of stress and anxiety for all of us who live here.

Typically, I am out with my cameras and color film documenting the changing landscape as winter approaches, but there’s been little time for it this year. So, in the spirit of the season, I’ll share some of my favorite shots from falls gone by.

These first few were taken with my Mamiya 645Pro with a 110mm f/2.8 Mamiya-Sekor C lens and Kodak Portra 400 film.

And a few using my Nikon FM2n, 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor and again on Portra 400.

I love October. It’s my favorite month of the year. I hope we can soon get to a place here in the West where this time of year is a little less stressful, dangerous and life threatening.

Fuji Industrial in the Nikon FE2

A recent Sunday afternoon stroll with my Nikon FE2 reminded me why I love this camera so much. It’s light, compact and has just the best ever viewfinder display. While there’s something to be said for LED and LCD readouts in camera viewfinders, I really like the FE2’s analog needle display. Simple, clean, pure.

I am liking the results I am getting with Fujicolor 100 speed Industrial film too. I shot these with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens.

I wouldn’t mind having an old pickup truck. This one has just the right amount of patina.

This old Dodge Dart was parked on a side street. It didn’t appear as if it had been moved in a long time.

Many of the benches around town have little plaques that dedicate the bench “In Memory” of someone. This one just had a simple invitation.

I buy my Fuiicolor Industrial at The Shot On Film Store. I had my Nikon FE2 CLA’d at Blue Moon Camera & Machine.

Pelicans on Portra

I used to be able to walk to the beach. It takes me about an hour to drive there now.

I made some time a few Sundays ago and drove out to Sonoma Coast State Park. Found a nice quiet place and sat awhile, eating some sliced cheese and Italian dry salami. Some pelicans riding the thermals near lands end kept me company.

I shot these with my Leica R5 with a 60mm f/2.8 Macro-Elmarit R lens on expired Kodak Portra 400 film. My R5’s meter has been giving me some fits lately. I think a trip to DAG is in order.

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 Nikon F-Mount on Kodak Ektar 100

I am not always rational when it comes to feeding my photography hobby and once in a while, I buy a camera or lens for no good reason other than “I want one of those!” Such was the case with the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 lens for Nikon F-mount. This is a brand new lens made to look like the classic pre-Ai Nikkors. And that’s precisely why I bought it…I thought it looked cool. And I do think it looks mighty nice on my F3. It would probably look even better on one of my chrome body F2s.

I had a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 near the bottom of my film stash, so I loaded it into the F3 and fired off some test shots with the Voigtlander lens.

Yes, it really was over 100 degrees the day I shot these!

Not sure about the 40mm focal length, but this lens has nice fit and finish, clicky f/stops and very smooth focus. It’s a well made lens, renders colors nicely and is reasonably sharp. I’ll shoot it again on a day when it isn’t over 100 degrees.

1901 Eggleston Camera Straps

A bad camera strap can really foul an otherwise wonderful day of photography. There’s nothing worse than having your strap constantly sliding off of your shoulder or getting in the way of your film advance lever. Or straps that make your camera hang in some weird, out of balance way.

I have tried loads…and I mean loads…of different kinds of camera straps and there is one that I keep coming back to time and time again: The 1901 Eggleston camera strap from 1901 fotografi. Owner Mark Lewis is an award-winning portrait photographer based in the UK and for years he searched for a comfortable, long lasting and good looking camera strap. Unsatisfied with what he found on the market, he began to make his own out of top quality Italian leather and only the best metal hardware.

Unboxing a new Eggleseton leather strap is such joy!

Mark makes several different styles of straps, but I first discovered his simple fixed length Egglestons when I was looking for a nice leather strap for my Leica M2. I didn’t want a big, wide bulky strap on the graceful little Leica rangefinder and the Eggleston was perfect.

These straps are so nice and comfortable, so well made and good looking, that they quickly found their way onto my larger and heavier SLR bodies. Even with the size and weight of say…my Canon F-1, the Eggleston is just perfect!

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And here is the best part of Mark’s great camera straps…the split rings. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I really struggle with camera strap split rings. Many are just so hard to pry open that after moving a strap from one camera to another, my finger tips end up hurting. Not with the 1901 straps. Mark told me he spent a lot of time searching for just the right ring and the time spent was worth it. These splits are so easy to open!

The 1901 Eggleston straps cost about $30 USD plus shipping. They come in a wide variety of colors. Mark makes these straps by hand, responds to email inquiries promptly and ships quickly. And unwrapping a new Eggleston and taking it out of its box and little pouch is a sublime experience. The leather is so soft and the smell is just fabulous!

I love supporting photographers who create products for other photographers. If you are looking for a high quality, reasonably priced strap for your camera, take a look at the wonderful leather straps from 1901 fotografi.

Analog on Analog

I love macro lenses, especially those that are close to the normal 50mm focal length. It’s great to have a walk around lens on your camera that has the added capability of allowing you to get in close if necessary. I have three macros I just adore; the Leica 60mm f/2.8 Macro-Elmarit-R, Pentax 50mm f/4 Super Macro Takumar and the 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor. I think every lens manufacturer offers some sort of macro/micro lens. They are a versatile and fun to use addition to any kit.

On a recent Sunday, I was organizing my photo man cave and got the grand idea to shoot some close ups of some of my gear. I exposed these shots hand held with available light using my Nikon FM2n, 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor and some Kodak T-Max 400 film. I could have gotten in tighter and increased sharpness if I had taken the time to use a tripod, but these are still satisfying.

I am not sure why, but my Nikon F4 body attracts dust even when stored in a Pelican case.

My end-of-roll self-portrait, which reminds me which camera and lens I was using. The 55 Micro-Nikkor is a great lens for everyday shooting. It’s fast, small and light. And if you want to blow an afternoon shooting close-ups of your camera gear—it’s the perfect co-conspirator!

Fogdog Blog Fall Preview

Back in the day, the three major television networks made a big deal about all of the new TV shows that debuted each Fall. There would be an official premier week, heavily promoted and much anticipated. I don’t think they do this anymore. In fact, I don’t even know where to find many of the new shows…Hulu? Netflix?

While certainly not as exciting as premier week used to be, here in my little corner of the internet, I present some of the things I’ve got coming up as the seasons change…my Fogdog Blog Fall Preview!

LEICAFLEX SL2: I’ve been on the lookout for a nice Leicaflex SL2 for years now and and finally found one at an affordable price. Affordable because, while cosmetically and mechanically near mint, the meter in this one is inoperative. Don Goldberg of DAG Camera Repair is going to service my SL2 and assures me that the meter will function as designed and with modern batteries. The Leica will get a good cleaning, lubrication and alignment as well.

Leicaflex SL2 with 35-70 f/3.5 Vario-Elmar-R

The SL2 was the last Leicaflex before Leica’s collaboration with Minolta and the R series of SLRs. Some people say the SL2 was the best mechanical SLR ever. “Best” is subjective, but as I played around with this camera before packing it up to send to DAG, I will say that it feels sublime, has a very sweet sounding shutter and an amazing viewfinder! Full review and pictures once Don works his magic.

OLYMPUS ZUIKO 100mm f/2.8: I came across this little OM lens in a camera shop for $25. Couldn’t resist. I don’t think I have ever shot the 100mm focal length before, but I love using my 85s, so this should be fun. All of my OM bodies are now serviced and good to go, so expect to see some shots from this lens soon.

ROLLEIFLEX SL35 E: Several years ago, I picked up a Rollei 50mm f/1.4 Planar QBM mount lens. This lens was designed to work on one of the Rolleiflex SL bodies. I know it’s weird to buy a lens when you don’t have a camera body to mount it on, but the Zeiss designed Rollei Planar is well reviewed and I got it for a steal. I figured eventually I’d find a decent SL body. Decent has been hard to come by. I’ve purchased two off of eBay and neither one worked right. I sold them for parts cameras and came out of both deals pretty good, but it’s kept the lens sitting on the shelf. Recently, I found a decent looking SL35 E on eBay from a trusted seller for under a hundred bucks. The ad says this camera works perfectly. Even if it doesn’t, I know enough camera repair techs now that someone can probably get it working good enough to take the Planar for a test drive.

Rolleiflex SL35 E from the eBay listing.

HASSLEBLAD 500C/M: I enjoy surfing You Tube for film camera experience reports. I came across this young lady with her Hasselblad and it has motivated me to get mine out and do some medium format shooting. I haven’t shot medium format since moving last last year, so it will be fun. I think I’ll shoot black and white.

LEICA R4S MOD-P: I’ve been so busy that I have not had a chance to shoot my Leica R4s MOD-P camera since Sherry Krauter serviced it for me. As I was getting ready to load some film into it awhile back, I noticed that whenever I pushed the shutter release halfway to activate the metering system, the little +/- warning LED would flash like crazy in the viewfinder. The Leica R3 and early production runs of the R4 were known for electronic gremlins. Was this the beginning of the end for my R4? And so soon after a competent CLA?

Leica R4s MOD-P with 50 Summicron

I set the camera aside for a few weeks, frustrated that I’d never be able to shoot the thing. Now, I’ve been fiddling around with old cameras long enough to hardly ever read an owner’s manual, but since this camera came with one, I figured I’d thumb through the pages and see if I could find out what the blinking LED was all about. DUH! If you use exposure compensation, either plus or minus, the +/- LED blinks like mad reminding you that it’s not set to zero! I feel like an idiot. Now, on to shooting this great old Leica!

My Fall preview certainly isn’t Must See TV, but it gives you an idea of what I’ll be up to photographically as the year winds down.

Self Portraits: Volume 2

I started taking mirror self portraits several years ago as a way of keeping track of which camera I was using when I received a roll of film back from the lab. I have never liked photographs of myself, but don’t mind hiding behind a classic film camera.

Olympus OM-2n

Nikon F3HP

Pentax Spotmatic SP

Nikon F100

Leica R6

Canon A-1

Nikon F3HP

Even though I can easily flip my images in post processing, I rarely do. Whenever I post one of these selfies to Facebook, someone will invariably flip the image for me.

Leica R5

Habits are hard to break…even when I shoot digital.

Everything You Need & Nothing You Don't

My collection of old film cameras has settled in at around 30 or 35 I think. Some of those are duplicates. I have at least a half dozen different Pentax Spotmatic cameras, two Pentax MX bodies, a black and chrome Olympus OM-2n and four or five Nikon F2s. My oldest cameras are from the early 1950s and my newest was built in early 2000. The technology represented in my collection ranges from a simple, fixed focus, pre-set aperture box Brownie to the auto-focus, matrix-metered Nikon F100. In between these two, there are cameras with aperture-priority auto exposure, LED readouts in the viewfinder and focus assist.

It’s fun having all of these different cameras on the shelf because I can grab whichever fits my mood for a day of shooting. Lately though, I find myself going back more often to my simple, mechanical cameras. Dials, levers, gears. Lots of metal and glass. And battery power only for the camera’s on board light meter, if there is one. As I look through my images from the past ten years, some of my most satisfying shots have been taken with these simple cameras.

There is something quite wonderful about the feel and sound of mechanical cameras. I think all of us analog shooters geek out over the sound of a nice shutter mechanism, and nothing sounds quite as sublime as the shutters on these old mechanical wonders. 125th of a second seems to resonate best for me—something only a true camera geek would say!

And while I have had several of my electronic film cameras hiccup on me out in the field, none of my mechanical bodies have ever let me down.

If you’re shooting a Canon AE-1 Program, Minolta X-700, Nikon FA or some other auto most everything film camera, you owe it to yourself to try one of these minimalist mechanical wonders. Here are some of my favorites.

Nikon F2

Built by hand and nearly indestructible, the Nikon F2 is a mechanical wonder. The camera offers several metering options by changing prism finders. If you really want to treat yourself, send your F2 over to Sover Wong in the UK for a service and it will come back just like new!

Pentax Spotmatic

The first SLR to offer through the lens metering. These Spotmatics require you to learn stop down metering unless you opt for the F models. And those Takumar lenses are to die for! I had all of my Spotmatics modified with split image focusing screens.

Leica M2

Leica introduced the M2 as a less expensive M3. I’ve owned both and I really prefer the M2’s clean, simple lines. Unless you buy a serviced M2, count on getting it CLA’d at some point. Once that is done, you can shoot this camera forever and ever! Every film photographer should shoot at least one roll in a Leica M.

Minolta SRT303

All of the SRT models are simple mechanical cameras that mount very nice and affordable Rokkor lenses.

Kodak Retina IIc

Besides Instamatics and Brownies, Kodak did make some very fine and very expensive 35mm rangefinders. Even though these Retinas are over 60 years old, they still make amazing pictures. And they feel so good in the hand!

Leica R6

Yes, Leica made SLR cameras too! The R6 and R6.2 were the only full mechanical ones though—think of the R6 as the big brother to the Leica M6TTL. The R system is a very affordable way to try Leica glass

Canon P

One of the biggest surprises in my film camera journey has been this Canon rangefinder. The P is well made, fun to shoot and the Canon screw mount lenses are just awesome! You’ll need a handheld light meter or learn Sunny 16.

Olympus OM-1

Olympus turned heads in 1972 when they introduced the little OM-1. Exceptional build quality and amazing Zuiko lenses make the OM-1 and 1979’s OM-1n must try mechanical cameras. Affordable adapters make batteries a non issue or have it CLA’d and converted to 1.5v.

Nikon FM2n

A mechanical camera with shutter speeds to 1/4000th of second! FM, FM2 and FM2n cameras were back-up bodies for many Nikon pro film photographers because they just keep on shooting no matter what! That’s my prized 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor out front!

Leica M6

Think if it as the M2 with a light meter. I sold this to buy a digital Leica. This is one camera I truly wish I didn't sell. I will have another someday.

Hasselblad 500/cm

Superb build quality and tack sharp Zeiss glass makes the Hassey a mechanical medium format camera you must try. Note: carrying one around all day is a workout! These are big, heavy cameras!

Canon F-1

Besides having one of the sweetest sounding shutters of any 35mm SLR I’ve tried, the Canon F-1’s analog meter display in the viewfinder is pretty cool. And those FD lenses!!

Pentax MX

The MX is the pro model of all of the little M series Pentax bodies (ME, ME Super). Huge viewfinder with a very logical analog display. Fun to shoot, bullet-proof camera with a great selection of K-mount lenses.

Those are my favorite mechanical film cameras. What are yours?

My First Roll of Ilford HP5 Plus

I love F Stop Camera’s Film of The Month Club, because it has pushed me out of my film comfort zone a few times since I’ve joined and also provided me with a bit of a creative nudge when I am in a rut. And so it was a few months ago when I received my monthly roll and discovered a film I have never tried: Ilford HP5 Plus.

With the abundant sunshine where I live, I’m usually shooting much slower black and white film, but I thought I’d give this 400 ISO film a try with a little photo walk around my new town. I loaded my Nikon F3HP, fitted the 50mm Nikkor f/1.4 and headed out.

I wish I could have backed up a bit more to get the entirety of this interesting sign in the shot, but the Napa River was right behind me. Next time, I’ll bring a wider lens.

There are quite a few interesting homes around the downtown area. I am going to devote a blog post to some of the more interesting ones soon.

A downtown tasting room, ready for Sunday wine pours.

You can see the railing behind me that kept me from backing up to get the restaurant sign shot. I think the 50mm worked well enough here though.

There are a number of interesting antique shops scattered around the downtown area. It’s nice to have 400 speed film when you find an interesting subject indoors.

And in the same antique shop, I found a good mirror to get my end of roll selfie.

HP5 Plus is less grainy than Kodak’s Tri-X I think. I like the way it renders the blacks and I need to experiment more to get the whites where I like them. It might be helpful to shoot this film with one of my Leica R bodies that offers spot metering or bring my handheld Pentax Spotmeter to summon up a little Ansel Adams.

Overall, I liked HP5 better than I thought I would and am going to include a roll or two in my next order from B&H.

A Day with the Olympus OM-1n

Throughout my “return to film photography” odessey, a properly functioning Olympus OM-1 has eluded me. I have purchased a couple off of eBay over the years with any number of issues—stuck shutter speed dials, grindy film advance levers and de-silvered prisms. And all of my previous OM-1 bodies still used the 1.35 volt and unavailable mercury batteries.

It would not be a complete journey for me if I didn’t try this legendary camera with everything functioning as Yoshihisa Maitani intended when he debuted the OM-1 in 1972. So I reached out to one of my favorite camera repair guys, John Titterington who often has refurbished OM-1 and OM-2 bodies for sale on his eBay page and asked him to keep his eyes open for a nice OM-1n for me. The OM-1n was released a few years after the original OM-1 and has a few refinements, including a redesigned film advance lever.

Within a week of my request, John emailed that he had received an Excellent++ body and if I wanted it, he would do a complete CLA and convert it for available 1.5 volt photo cells.

Olympus OM-1n fitted with the 50mm f/1.8 Zuiko kit lens

I am always amazed at how wonderful an old film camera can feel after a proper cleaning, lubrication and adjustment. I often read film camera reviews online where the photographer dismisses a camera because something was just not functioning as designed. I too had been guilty of that with the OM-1n, judging this camera only on the bad examples I’ve owned. The camera I received from John arrived clean and shiny with a bright and beautiful viewfinder, silky smooth film advance, calibrated shutter speeds and responsive light meter. And it uses 1.5 volt batteries!

While I was waiting for my OM-1n to arrive, I went looking for a period correct chrome-nosed 50mm f/1.4 Zuiko lens to round out the shooting experience. I found one from a seller in Japan.

Camera and lens in hand, I loaded up some Portra 400 film and headed out for a day of fun.

Grapes on the vine at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, CA

Castello di Amorosa castle detail.

The Bale Grist Mill in Napa Valley

The water wheel at the Bale Grist Mill

Another shot of the water wheel at Bale Grist Mill. The Mill is a historic site, but they grind every day!

I stopped by one of my favorite wineries…Markham Vineyards

It was over 100 outside, but 65 in the cellar!

I stopped by Darioush Vineyards to photograph the Water Lilies.

And once back home, my roses.

I am discovering that the more I shoot these old film cameras, the more I appreciate simple, minimalist, mechanical ones. The OM-1n is one of the purest of all the mechanical SLRs. The meter is very accurate and it’s quite easy to frame, meter, adjust and shoot. These little Olympus cameras are so well built, almost jewel-like or similar to a fine watch. They feel so good in the hand and you can carry one around all day, like I did on this wonderful Northern California day, and hardly notice it.

I am glad I didn't judge the OM-1n on my earlier experiences with unserviced examples. This camera is an absolute joy!

To make my OM-1n even more of a pleasure to use, I picked up a nice leather half case.

More Fun with the Leica 60mm Macro-Elmarit-R f/2.8

The Leica 60mm Macro-Elmarit-R f/2.8 lens I picked up from Ken Hansen late last year has quickly become my favorite walk around lens when I shoot my Leica R4s MOD-P, Leica R5 or Leica R6 bodies. The 60mm focal length is close enough to a 50 to make it a nice normal lens. It’s pretty fast at f/2.8, not overly large or heavy and having macro capability gives me the option to get in and up close on interesting subjects I come across.

Here are some shots from a recent photo walk I took with my Leica R6 in St. Helena, CA. I shot Kodak’s Portra 400 film and overexposed by a stop.

Of course, there is always the mirror selfie at the end of the roll so I can remember which camera I was using at the time.

Eastman 5222 Double-X

Hoo boy, have I been in a fair bit of a slump. Six months into my new job and new town and I just can’t seem to get both oars squarely into the water. Everything seems out of balance and my photography has taken a hit too.

In an effort to find my center, I went rummaging in my film stash for an emulsion that might inspire me and decided to spool up some Eastman 5222 Double-X black and white in my recently CLA’d Leica R6. My subject matter was mostly mundane—just some stuff around the house. I used my 60mm f/2.8 Macro-Elmarit-R lens.

It has been quite a while since I’ve shot any Double-X and I had forgotten the wonderful cinematic signature this film has. Moody, nostalgic, somewhat stark but always satisfying.

I really do need to figure out why I am all out of sorts and what I need to do to regain balance. Perhaps it’s just more time. And more film.

Servicing the Leica R4s MOD-P

When I first began collecting and using classic film cameras ten years ago, I discovered pretty quickly that these vintage machines would, at some point, need service. At the very least, a camera that is decades old will probably need new internal light seals.

At that time, the analog film community was much smaller than it is today. There were only a handful of film photography blogs and scant few online reviews of camera repairers. That is why today, I always try and do a quick little review whenever I use a new camera repair shop so others might benefit from my firsthand experiences.

I bought my Leica R4s MOD-P camera body from a member of the Film Photo Gear group on Facebook. I have bought and sold several times to members of this group and have found everyone there honest and nice to deal with. The R4 completes a trilogy of Leica reflex bodies that I have wanted, the other two being the R5 and R6.

Leica R4s MOD-P black body with 35-70mm f/3.5 Vario-Elmar-R

The Leica R4 was introduced in 1980 as the first multi-mode Leica SLR. It featured program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure modes. The early R4 bodies suffered from a number of electronic gremlins which gave Leica SLRs a bad name. Electronic issues were resolved later in the production run and those later cameras are very reliable. All of the Leica SLRs were insanely expensive, so a dumbed down R4 was introduced in 1983 to beef up sales; the Leica R4s, which offered only aperture priority and manual exposure modes and no shutter speed indication in the viewfinder. In 1985, the R4s MOD-P was introduced which added shutter speed indication to the viewfinder and some nice ergonomic touches. The MOD-P has the later reliable electronics and the fabulous benefit of both spot and average exposure metering.

My R4s MOD-P arrived in nice cosmetic shape and everything seemed to function as designed. When I opened the camera back though, I found the foam seals very questionable, especially the thicker seal around the little window that allows you to see the type of film you have loaded in the camera. Replacing seals in an SLR is not difficult, but with my fumble fingers and aging eyes, I prefer to leave it to a professional. And while the tech is re-doing the seals, it’s a great time to give a classic camera a good multi-point inspection.

Some years ago, when I was having an affair with Leica M rangefinders, I had considered sending my M3 to Sherry Krauter for a CLA. I ended up trading in the M3 on another Leica, so it never ended up in her shop. With my R4s needing some work and seeing that Sherry is one of the few techs left who work on Leica reflexes, I emailed her to ask if she would work on my R4.

I had read some reviews that said that Sherry has a unique personality—straight and to the point. I sent her a very long email request and she answered with “Call me. 1PM-3AM. Best, Sherry.” So I called her and she was…delightful! First, she tried to convince me that I could do the foams myself, it isn’t rocket science she told me. And a nice conversation about Leica SLR cameras followed with an invitation to send mine in. She did warn me that she was very busy and it might take a while.

A month later, my R4s MOD-P came back from the shop, new seals and everything else checked out fine. Sherry’s prices are very reasonable and her work is top notch. Don’t expect long email responses. Do expect you might be asked to call her. And if you need work on your Leica R or M, she comes with my recommendation. She also has some very nice Leica cameras, lenses, enlargers and accessories for sale on her website.

Leica R6 Post Script

A few posts back, I wrote about the passing of legendary New York City Leica dealer and good friend Ken Hansen at the end of April. I still can’t believe I can no longer shoot him an email with a Leica question or browse and drool at the items in his eBay store.

My last purchase from Ken was a used Leica R6. The R6 is one of the most desirable of the R-series cameras because it is a dependable, purely mechanical camera with spot and center-weighted metering. Like most of the used Leicas Ken had for sale, the R6 he sold me last August appeared to have been kept in a time capsule. This is one of the photos of the camera Ken sent me pre-purchase…

Leica R6 (Ken Hansen photo)

The camera still had the protective foil on the baseplate…

(Ken Hansen Photo)

Like every transaction with Ken, the camera was in a box on its way to me before I sent him any money for it. When it arrived, it was as described, cosmetically great and functioning as designed.

I shot a few rolls with the camera and noticed that the meter was off a bit, not much more than a half a stop or so, but enough to require some fiddling in Lightroom. And while the light seals were still pretty good, after nearly 30 years, it was time to replace them. Since this was my last ever Ken Hansen camera and I intend to keep it forever, a proper service was in order.

While there are many places to have Leica M bodies serviced, there are only a few options for service on Leica SLRs. One of those is DAG Camera Repair. Don Goldberg is well known as a master Leica service technician with great reviews and I have always wanted to try him. Seemed a perfect fit for this camera with so much sentimental value.

I contacted Don via email and he responded promptly with instructions and anticipated wait time. It’s always nice when a repair shop lets you know in advance how long it will take to get your camera back. I sent my camera off and had it back exactly as he promised.

The seals did need replacing including the one around the little window on the film door that show what kind of film you have loaded in the camera. This is a common source of light leaks in Leica R bodies. My R6 came with a weird grid matte focusing screen, so I also asked him to change out that screen for a split image one. Don also calibrated shutter speeds and meter, bringing the camera back to factory specs.

Very pleased with the service from DAG Camera and it’s nice to have my R6 back home. I’ve made a lot of nice analog photography friends over the past decade and my serviced R6 will always remind me of one of the best.

Leica R6 with 50 Summicron lens