40mm Compacts: From ancient to modern with the Rollei 35 and Ricoh GR IIIx
The film-loading Rollei 35 from 1966 and the digital Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) have more on common that it seems. For example, a 40mm (equiv.) lens and a design that puts smallness over all. Read here a comparing review of these two cameras.
At the sign of the rubber gloves: Fridges mended here
Q: What do rubber gloves on sticks mean in Zambia. A: Advertisements for plumbers among others. Richard spotted this exciting "billboard".
For Kyiv, with love: A rich photographic tradition in Ukraine’s capital
The city of Kyiv has a rich photographic tradition. There are also international relationships between cameras from Kyiv and German and Swedish manufacturers such as Carl Zeiss Jena, Pentacon and Hasselblad. Roland Zwiers covers the cameras from Kyiv and homes in on the Salyut-S from the 1970s...
The M Files (17): Attachable viewfinders over almost a century
Over almost a century, Voigtländer, Zeiss, Ricoh, Olympus made attachable viewfinders. This review (The M Files, ep. 17) shows which are recommendable for your Leica or other rangefinder camera.
Miss Silverstone meets Signorina Monza, disappointment
John made an unscheduled visit to Monza in 1981 and encountered some interesting seating arrangements on the plane and in the stadium....
Modern features: Konica Hexar RF with Konica 50/2
Jörg-Peter Rau continues his exploration of film cameras with the M-mount that are not quite Leicas. The M Files turns to the remarkable Konica Hexar RF rangefinder...
The M Files Encore: five particularly recommendable M-Mount lenses
One of the major attractions of Leica's venerable M system is the astonishingly wide range of lenses, not just from Leica but from some of the best-known names in the history of lens technology...
But Why? A brief ride through time in search of purpose
Unduly influenced by black & white movies (from the Marx Brothers to Jimmy Cagney), and longing for a gaberdine to mimic the understated swagger of Humphrey Bogart, I was thoroughly preoccupied with being, by my own definition, cool. “Why photography?” you might have asked. “Because I can,” would have been my surly reply.
Kostas Balafas and his Greece: Philosophy and inspiration
Dragan Novakovic's evocative images from Northern England published two days ago reminded me of this article by Spiros Skaidopoulos which first appeared on Macfilos just two years ago. Since then our readership has grown significantly and there must be many who have not seen the wonderful work of Kostas Balafas.....
A gift for a photographer: Ten ideas to delight someone (or yourself)
Looking of a gift for a photographer among your familiy or friends? In this article, we suggest ten presents that might delight many photographers.
In a Pickle: Developing a taste for photography in south London
Opposite the house where Charlie Chaplin once lived is the pickle factory where Chaplin Senior laboured to support his family. And that...
To You I Follow: An unknown British couple’s journey through Switzerland in 1935
A chance purchase of an old photograph album led David Killeen on a quest to replicate the travels of an unknown British couple through Switzerland in the mid-1930s.
The new Leica film camera: Classic M6 or grown-up M6TTL?
The forthcoming Leica film camera is likely to be a remake of the original late-century M6 in its "classic" form. But Mike believes the more user-friendly M6TTL would be a better choice as a template for the new model...
Retro Style: Rollei 35 RF with Sonnar 40/2.8
The M Files, Part 4: Jörg-Peter's journey into the past continues with the Rollei RF, another non-Leica camera which featured the Leica M Mount.
What did you do before the war, Daddy?
William revisits the photographs his father took, at the age of 23, immediately before the start of World War II. The remarkable thing, he says, is now life was continuing absolutely as normal, despite the impending doom.
