YouTube Shorts Playlist

Good morning you awesome camera geeks! Today for your Throwback Thursday I’m just sharing with you a YouTube “Shorts” playlist.

Now in case you don’t know, YouTube recently rolled out a feature called “Shorts” in which users can put out videos that are 60 seconds or less, in vertical format.

I’m not sure if YouTube ever mentioned this but it seems obvious that this was done to counter videos by rival Tik-Tok.

Anyway, I started using it for fun and also as a way to give a little spotlight to cameras and lenses I own or have owned, but have yet to fully review.

If you haven’t seen these already, the items spotlighted so far are: the Leica R8, Minolta TC-1, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L which I referred to as my “most unused lens,” Topcon Super D, Canon Dream Lens and EOS RP, and my famous or “infamous” $20 dollar Vivitar PS-20 point and shoot and maybe others I don’t remember off the top of my head!

Why don’t just make full video reviews of these items? Well, I’d love to, and some are half done but time constraints from work and family prevents me from finishing these projects sooner. I don’t make any money on YouTube yet so I need to give priority to my real job 😍

Plus, now with a little YouTube experience, I can sense that while a camera like the Topcon Super D or Graflex Norita may appeal to a small cult, they will be largely ignored by my viewers until I have a larger subscription base so I’ll save them until they can be properly appreciated.

Nothing worse than putting a lot of time into videos that will get little views! But yes, I know it’s better to post something than nothing at all so I’ll keep trying 😎😍😎👍🏻

FUNNY PHOTO OF THE DAY

I love an app called Snapchat! The girls think I’m getting old because it’s an “old” app. Is time moving so fast that a five or six year old app is old?! All I can say is…I still love it! 😍❤️😍

Photo Of The Day: “High Rise” Nikon DF

Good morning you awesome and beautiful camera geeks! Well 2020 will go down as the year Covid-19 came into the world and left a path of death and destruction.

Therefore I hate to say that, by God’s good grace, I prospered during that year.

As many of you know, my other job besides Camera Legend is in health care where I work as a physical therapist.

This photo was shot with a Nikon DF and 50mm f/1.8 Special Edition Nikkor. It’s a dream camera I’ve wanted since its introduction in 2013.

Just like many of you, my first thoughts during the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was that I wasn’t going to buy any more cameras and lenses.

I saw what the virus did to people and to the economy and it scared the heck out of me.

When I saw my first Covid-19 patients last year, I have to admit I was scared shitless! I seriously thought of quitting. But I didn’t.

The more patients I saw, the more I realized these people needed me. In those early days a COVID patient was almost like a leper. I remember that same attitude towards HIV patients.

So I took on more hours as my coworkers had to quarantine from contracting COVID. Some even quit and were enjoying life on unemployment.

It got to a point where I said you know what, if I’m going to die from this thing I might as well go out with a bang!

I am grateful and really very lucky to have not tested positive for COVID thus far 🙏🏻🙏🏻

So with the extra money I made I picked up a few of the cameras and lenses on my bucket list and the Nikon DF was one of them. It also helped that prices on high end cameras were unusually low at the start of the pandemic.

Anyway I’ll tell you guys more about my experiences with the DF in future articles and videos!

I know of the negative economic impact COVID has made on so many people so I am not writing this article to brag about getting a cool camera. In fact, my sensitivity to this point is why I’ve waited so long to reveal it to you.

And even though I feel guilty for treating myself, please remember that I did WORK for it! I went into those rooms with COVID patients while some took off, quit, or enjoyed that extra $600 in unemployment money.

Anyway the Nikon DF is a fantastic camera but there are some things that I didn’t like about it. But hey that’s a topic for another day! Stay safe, stay healthy. That virus is still raging even with the vaccines. Have a blessed day my fellow camera geeks! 😍📸👍🏻

Photo Of The Day: “Fourteen” 😍 Rolleiflex 2.8F

Good morning you awesome war torn camera geeks! Recently I found this photo and it’s quite timely because this week, the little baby in the photo is turning fourteen! I can hardly believe it!

This image was a self portrait taken in 2007 with a Rolleiflex 2.8F with the 80mm f/2.8 Planar lens. Film unrecorded but I’d bet it’s either Tri-X or T-Max. When it comes to film choices, I’m nothing if predictable 😍

I don’t think I’ve used a self timer before or since on a TLR!! Have you?

Friend, as you know there’s always a healthy dose of nostalgia on my pages and it’s not without reason. This weekend the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks came to pass. Twenty years in the blink of an eye.

Same here with this photo. 2007 was a year that changed my life and yet every year it is seemingly passing by ever faster, becoming a fading memory. I’m not sure how other people deal with the passage of time but I’m just a sentimental fool I guess. My Dad was like that, I guess it runs in the family!

I cannot stop time but I can record it through photographs. I suggest you do the same because in the end memories are all we’ve got. Have a beautiful week good peeps! And thanks😍🙏🏻👍🏻

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Photo Of The Day: “Twenty Years Later”

Good morning you awesome and beautiful war torn camera geeks! Well even though I started on an upbeat note, today’s topic is anything but upbeat.

The Freedom Tower, 2019. Yashica Electro 35CC, Kentmere 400 developed in Xtol.

As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th 2001 terror attacks that changed America forever it is bittersweet to see how the world today, specifically Afghanistan, is seemingly back to its pre 9/11 state.

As a New Yorker, I remember the events of that day very well. I remember the sadness afterwards. I remember the unity of the country. And I remember the pledge to “Never Forget.” Sadly, it seems like a lot of people have forgotten and/or have already moved on.

Just like many of you, the events of last month, August 2021, caught me a little off guard. Looking at it now it’s clear that while certain events may have taken the US government off guard, the bigger picture is no surprise to them.

That “bigger picture” is having the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan.

Now I do not wish to make this a political column. If there is any blame, I would say all administrations, all the US presidents of the past twenty years are to blame.

You could blame George W. Bush for bringing us into Afghanistan by taking Osama Bin Laden’s bait. But then again, after your country has been attacked in such a dramatic fashion what else could he have done?

You could blame Barack Obama for doing pretty much nothing that I can remember with Afghanistan during his tenure. Oh wait, during his tenure he did get Osama Bin Laden so I gotta give him some credit for that.

You could blame Donald Trump for making a deal with the Taliban (supposedly we don’t deal with terrorists) in the first place and you could blame Joe Biden for not taking presidential leadership to change some of Trump’s plans when he got the data that the Taliban were making substantial gains.

You could also say that Afghanistan is, sadly, a war torn country in every sense of the word. A country with beautiful and tough people but with a very complex mix of religious and cultural influences that could never be overcome by the influences of another country. Russia tried for ten years. They failed. Now the USA has left after twenty years with really nothing to show for it.

What irks me is the notion given by the media, who ultimately got their information from the government that everything was going great in Afghanistan and thus the world felt safer for a while.

Today the same people who sheltered Al Quaeda in 2001, the Taliban, are back in power.

Apparently in their agreement with the US government, the Taliban pledged not to harbor terrorists. The problem is they have shown time and again that their word means almost nothing. Whether or not they keep their word remains to be seen.

On one hand maybe we should have stayed and reshaped the country for the better. On the other hand, Afghanistan is not our country to reshape. And for the US government, there is no oil, no treasures to be had. If there were I’d bet the plans would be different.

Anyway this is not the forum for politics so I’ll leave it at that but as you can see Afghanistan is complicated! It’s not an easy topic.

Oh by the way, the above photo was taken with a Yashica Electro 35CC and Kentmere 400 film.

What is your opinion? I’d love to hear it! Keep it civil though. As I said this is not the place for politics.

My Latest YouTube Shorts!

YouTube now has a feature called “Shorts” and it’s perfect for me because while I enjoy sharing with my fellow camera lovers, I don’t necessarily enjoy making long videos that nobody watches 🙂

I’ve done a few of them already and they are lots of fun! And perhaps they may lead to full length videos in the future, who knows. Anyway, today’s shorts features is a sort of “old Canon meets new Canon.” It’s the EOS RP with the vintage Canon 50mm f/0.95 Dream Lens. Check it out!

Photo Of The Day: “Hello Sunday” 😍

Just a quick photo to start your Sunday. This was shot with a Yashica 35CC. Film was Kentmere 400 and developed with Kodak Xtol.

The Yashica 35CC is a 35mm rangefinder from the 1970s and has an impressively fast 35mm f/1.8 lens as opposed to the 45mm f/1.7 lens on many Yashicas from that era.

A review is likely to follow yes but here’s the funny (and maybe sad) thing. This photo was shot two years ago in 2019 and I’m only posting it now! That’s how behind I am with everything 😩

Work, family, the 2020 and beyond COVID 19 pandemic, my scanner dying, concentrating on building the YouTube channel…all these factors contributed to me being behind.

Recently I heard an old song by Don Henley called “The Last Worthless Evening” and there’s a line in which he sang “There’s just so many summers babe and just so many springs” 😀

I said Samster you war torn sumbitch you ain’t getting no younger so you better get moving! Hopefully I’ll be here more frequently. Happy Sunday good peeps! 😍📸👍🏻

The 1985 Method For 35mm Film Beginners 😎

Good morning you awesome camera geeks! Over the years, I’ve catered to camera and photography lovers of every kind.

Perhaps because I’m a collector myself, I’ve written a lot for camera collectors. I’ve tried to do both film and digital reviews because I love both but there’s one group I’ve not done a lot for. That group are the humble beginners.

I actually did a video on YouTube a couple of years ago called “The Benefits Of A Cheap Camera” in which I talked about the Vivitar V3800n, a cheap and affordable 35mm slr and although I tried to give some useful advice in the video, I don’t think a lot of people liked or understood my lighthearted approach and humor 😀

So today I will try to be more gentle and serious (if that’s possible!) in my approach

YouTube Video

The bulk of my advice today will be on my YouTube video. The young film beginner today is more likely to watch a video rather than read an article. For the rest of this article I will concentrate more on things I didn’t touch on in the video.

People can be funny sometimes. I’m sure a some people might say “Ah he’s just pushing his video!”

And the funny thing is, if the video is on Camera Legend YouTube and this is the Camera Legend blog, shouldn’t I be doing that?! It would be unwise of me not to 😍

But as you’ll see, this article touches on a lot that’s not on the video so consider it an addendum to the video.

Big Beginner Mistake

As beginners we all make mistakes. Heck even when not a beginner we make mistakes! At least I do still today 😀

To me though one of the biggest mistakes I see the beginner in 35mm film photography make is the notion that they have to be an expert camera operator first.

It’s not the beginners fault really. It’s perhaps all the “super photographers” they read about or see on YouTube but it seems to me they feel the need to learn aperture, shutter speeds, lighting, flash, everything all at once!

And yes it IS important to learn those fundamentals of photography but the truth of the matter is mastering these things take time and lots of practice.

Obsessing about learning camera function so much can make you overlook perhaps the most important aspect of photography: the actual picture. Taking the picture. Learning to focus the lens. Learning to compose. Developing an eye for a good picture.

So you say Sam, if I don’t know how to operate the aperture and shutter speeds then how am I going to take good pictures?!

Fear not! Let me introduce to something I call “The 1985 Method” 😀

The 1985 Method

No this isn’t actually a “method” I came up with but it’s how I developed a love for photography.

Back in the 80s as a youngster starting out, I usually shot sight unseen. Before I really got into photography, the camera was just a way of capturing my family, my friends, my world.

All I did was shoot and shoot. I knew nothing about aperture or shutter speeds. I knew nothing about composition or the rules of photography. I learned by discovery. And that still shapes a lot of how I approach things today.

Circa 1986. A selfie of two wannabe rockstars 😂 Shot with a Minolta X-700 and 50mm f/1.7 MD lens. I knew nothing about aperture and shutter speeds but those early days of photography experimentation are the ones I cherish most.

The knowledge of light, aperture, shutter speeds, composition, that came later as I started buying books and magazines. You could say I started out photography the wrong way! Yet, some of those early photographs are the ones I cherish most.

It was photography in its purest form in my opinion before it became the “game.” A game of “you should do it this way or that way.” You should use this camera, buy this lens, etc, etc. I guess you could liken the experience to the innocence of a child before the realities of the world corrupts them.

As mentioned on these pages before, I dabbled in photography in the early 80s with my parents cameras with mixed results. It wasn’t until 1985 when Mom bought us a Minolta X-700 that I started getting (to me) great results, certainly better than I was getting previously. I’ve always considered the Minolta X-700 that I got in 1985 my first “serious” camera.

The Minolta X-700 was my first “serious” camera and served me well as my only SLR from 1985-1994 by giving me consistently well exposed images.

Even as a teen, I was getting roll after roll of consistently good results. As I got older, many of the photographers I met encouraged me to go back to all manual camera like the Pentax K1000, Nikon FM or Olympus OM-1. They told me I should do more “serious” photography. I did try those cameras and I loved them but I didn’t always get consistently good results like I got with my old Minolta.

This photo from 2009 is probably my last shot taken on my original X-700. The lens used is the 50mm f/1.7 Minolta MD lens and the film was Kodak T-Max 400 developed in T-Max Developer. Twelve years already?! My how time flies.

With time and a lot of practice, I started getting results as good or better than the Minolta. I found out why…

It was because I often used the X-700 in the green P or Program mode. In this mode, the camera figured out the exposures for me and it mostly got it right most of the time! The Minolta was doing most of the hard work for me!

I was getting good pictures consistently and that inspired me to continue doing photography. And I have the Minolta X-700 and its great Program mode to thank for it!

Doing It The “Wrong” Way!

You see it all the time. Many photographers recommending a beginner start out with an all manual camera such as the Pentax K1000 or Olympus OM-1. Heck I’m a big pusher of that “hardcore” method 😂

So it may be a surprise to hear me say that for the beginning 35mm film photographer today I am not recommending they start out with an all manual camera any more. Even though in this YouTube generation things are easier than ever, I now advocate the beginner to start with a little bit of automation.

If you’re a beginner at 35mm film photography, I recommend you get a camera with a Program mode like the Minolta X-700 and I want you to use it! In addition, your first camera should also have an aperture priority or manual mode. I’ll explain more later.

My dusty and war torn Minolta X-700 from 1985 with its legendary Program mode.

I’m not the first person to advocate using the Program mode and I won’t be the last. And although the old “hardcore” method of having the beginner start out with an all manual camera is still near and dear to my heart, I realize it is actually a little bit of a “cruel” thing to do to a beginner 😍

A True Story

As a good example, back in the late 1970s my parents had a good friend who was really into photography. He had the great cameras like the Canon F-1 and A-1.

He was especially fond of his multimode A-1 and always got these great shots. He was always showing us slides and projections of his work.

I think I’ve mentioned before that this family friend was probably more responsible than anyone else for my interest in photography, cameras and lenses!

Anyway seeing all his great work, my parents asked his advice on getting a camera. He helped them choose the Canon AT-1. That’s right folks. Not the AE-1 or AE-1 Program but the no frills, manual mode only AT-1.

Guess what? My parents knowing nothing about aperture and shutter speeds, never bothered to shoot with the camera. It was never used until it was stolen from our apartment in 1982.

To this day, I wonder why our dear family friend, God Bless his soul, I wonder why he would recommend this camera to them and not proactively try to help them use it?

But as I said that was then. Today, young beginners can find everything they need to know online!

And since I’m in a kinder “ask what I can do for you” mood I am not going to be cruel and have them start on an all manual camera the way our friend did to my parents 😍

That may change though! 😂 And yes, it will change once we get into medium and large format cameras where automation is much less available.

The World Has Changed For 35mm Film Beginners

The main reason though why I no longer recommended the all manual camera “hardcore” method is because many different dynamics have changed. But one factor above all is a game changer. I’ll explain…

Back in the late 80s and all throughout the 1990s until perhaps the mid 2000s, I had one distinct advantage that film photography beginners today don’t. And that is something we took for granted called the “One Hour Photo.”

One Hour Photo?

What is a one hour photo? There was a movie starring Robin Williams called “One Hour Photo” but that’s not what I’m talking about 😀

I’m talking about the places that develop your film in about an hour. At its climax, they were everywhere in nearly every country. You remember, don’t you? Well old school photographers will remember it well but kids born after the year 2000 may have no clue.

Basically, before digital came around and shattered everything, film photography had developed to its highest point of convenience where in the USA stores like Costco, CVS, Walgreens, and even local camera shops and pharmacies offered to develop your color print films in about an hour or so. Many times it took longer than the advertised “hour” but you’d still get your prints back rather quickly.

Companies like Fujifilm and Konica often supplied the machines necessary to do this.

So if I were trying out a manual camera, I could theoretically finish the roll and get the results back the same day and I did so, often!

But as digital began to put a stranglehold on film in the mid 2000s, these one hour photo labs began to fold. Many were gone years earlier when they saw the writing on the wall.

Today, you would have to send your film to a dedicated lab. The usual time for you to get your results back is around two to three weeks for most labs. Costco stopped developing or sending out film for most of their stores but CVS and Walgreens will still send your film out for development. Sadly, a few years ago they began this bizarre policy of not returning your negatives so if you have them send out your film, the negatives are gone forever.

The disappearance of the one hour photo labs is perhaps the main reason I relearned to do my own black and white development. I couldn’t stand the wait!

For the budding beginner in 35mm film photography, it is unlikely that they would be developing their own photos and so they must wait.

Why Great Results Fast?

We live in a world where we want and usually get everything fast. I can’t just blame today’s kids for being impatient because I myself have been spoiled by the convenience of it all.

Before the internet, and even as recently as the late 1990s when there was some internet, you’d sometimes have to wait weeks for an order to arrive. Today, I get most of my online orders in two days! That’s a game changer and no one wants to go back.

But in the world of film photography, sadly 35mm film development (as far as the wait goes) has gone back to something worse than it was when it was at its best in the late 90s and early 2000s.

It is my feeling that waiting two to three weeks just to get back lousy results from that first roll of film will do nothing but curb the enthusiasm of all but the most determined beginner photographers.

So I recommend the beginner start out with the much maligned Program mode, get some good maybe even great results right away and get excited about 35mm film photography.

Yes you should know the Program mode is not foolproof. Most old cameras have center weighted metering that can be easily fooled by bright light sources. However I’m willing to bet that the Program mode is going to yield a better percentage of results than if one were going in blind or trying to remember what they read or saw in a tutorial.

Shoot in Program mode. At the same time watch some good YouTube tutorials, read a book and take notes. After a few rolls in Program mode, then start experimenting by gently going out of the Program mode.

Recommendations

In my video I recommend and do a mini review on three cameras; the Nikon FG, the Ricoh XRX 3PF, and the Minolta X-700.

All three I have used and they all have a Program mode as well as manual mode.

I went into a lot of detail in the video so for the sake of time, I’ll just leave the details there for those interested. I also make recommendations on what to get for your first lens and also recommendations for film.

The photos below are extra samples from the humble 50mm lenses that I recommend a beginner start with.

By “humble” I’m talking about the 50mm f/1.8 or f/2 from any manufacturer and 50mm f/1.7 from some manufacturers.

The first shot was scanned with an Epson flatbed in 2010. The other two were crude iPhone X scans so they may not show the true nature of the images.

My Epson flatbed has gone caput and I’m trying to decide whether to go with a mid level scanner or a high end one. In addition to devoting time to YouTube, this one of the reasons you haven’t seen my work here. I’d really hate to continue giving you guys low quality scans! Y’all deserve the best 😍

This shot from 2010 was taken with a Nikon F3HP and 50mm f/1.8 Series E Nikkor. I am a big advocate for the good old and cheap nifty fifty. Scanned with Epson flatbed scanner in 2010.

“Dark Horse” 😀 Circa 2010. Nikon FG, 50mm f/1.8 Series E Nikkor. Film unrecorded. Scanned using iPhone X.

This image was shot with the Ricoh XRX 3PF and 50mm f/2 Rikenon stopped down to roughly f/4-5.6 With the humble 50mm you could shoot wide open to blur the background or stop down mid aperture for more subtle bokeh such as this. Scanned with an iPhone X.

As mentioned this article is an addendum to the YouTube video. Most of what’s on the video is not here and most of what’s here is not on the video. I’m not pushing you to the video for the sake of views. If that were the case I’d be making videos like crazy but I’m not. Note how long this article already is! 😀👍🏻

I figure those interested will check it out and those who don’t won’t.

Another point I didn’t touch on enough in the video is that it doesn’t have to be Nikon, Ricoh, or Minolta. You could get a Pentax Super Program if you like Pentax or Canon AE-1 Program if you like Canon. Any camera with a Program mode and a manual mode will do!

The main point is to get a camera with a good Program mode to start getting good results right away.

No Autofocus!

I however am NOT recommending that the beginner gets an autofocus film slr for their first film camera at this time. If you start with an autofocus camera and autofocus lenses then in my opinion you’re probably better off shooting with a DSLR.

I want you to have the Program mode for automatic exposures because exposures are probably the trickiest part for a beginner to understand, but I’d still want you to learn the “art” or the craft by learning to focus and compose. Get great results, get excited, and the rest will come to you with time, practice, and experience!

Conclusion

I can’t believe it took me all that space and time to basically say: Start out in the Program mode, get good to great results, get pumped about photography and work your way through the rest! You’ll be more interested in learning the camera when you start getting good results! 😀

Anyway this was the most I could put in one article but in future articles and videos we’ll work our way out of the Program mode so that you can work the camera and feel like a “real” photographer even though the Program mode will deliver 80-90 percent of the time! 😎

What is your opinion? Do you agree? Disagree? How did you learn 35mm photography? Leave a comment I’d love to hear it! In the end though, it’s just one man’s view so take it with a grain of salt and have a great day folks! 😍📸👍🏻

Contax G1 & 16mm f/8 Hologon Impressions & Images

Good day you awesome and war torn camera geeks! If you have seen any of my YouTube videos you will hear me often say that the reason you don’t know what the next Camera Legend will be is because I don’t know and that is no truer than today!

In this posting I will give you my images and impressions on the Contax G1 and the legendary 16mm f/8 Carl Zeiss Hologon ultra-wide angle lens. But first a little bit of my experiences…

THE CONTAX G1

The Contax G1 is the original Contax G legend introduced by Kyocera in 1994. It is a high end rangefinder-styled (not a true rangefinder) autofocus, interchangeable lens camera. The camera is handsomely finished in titanium and oozed appeal from nearly all camera lovers for its luxurious looks as well as for the superb line up of Carl Zeiss lenses made for it.

The G1 was followed up in 1996 by the Contax G2 which improvements and refinements such as a higher top shutter speed. The G1’s top shutter speed is 1/2000 while the G2 is 1/6000 but the most noticeable difference between the two cameras is the improved autofocus performance of the G2.

MY EXPERIENCES WITH THE G1

I lusted for the Contax G1 the first time I saw it in the photography magazines in the 1990s but I did not get my first copy till 2005. As with most people, my first lens for it was the superb 45mm f/2 Planar. I used that combo for about a year and loved the results. However, as I do too often, I sold the outfit to buy other equipment. Don’t forget the mid 2000’s were an incredible time for digital camera development and I was bit hard by the digital bug then!

I eventually got another G1 and also a G2, and I got these when the tide was low and prices were super low on film bodies.

While the main complaint about the G1 seemed to be on its autofocus performance, I never really felt it was an issue for me. Yes, the G2 has better AF but I could live with the G1 mostly adequate autofocus and its smaller size. I mostly used the G1 with the 28mm f/2.8 Biogon and the 35mm f/2 Planar.

The 16mm Hologon was never a consideration really due to its price and rather restrictive specs. It really seemed like a specialty lens.

YouTube Video

For those of you who prefer a more dynamic experience here it is! As I’ve mentioned many times, I’m not a videographer but I’m trying to improve the video production as you’ll see. It’s still low budget, don’t get me wrong, but I’m trying! 😍

The “Mystery” Of The Hologon

The 16mm f/8 Hologon is no mystery really. It’s out there and every hardcore Contax G user knows about it.

Where it is a “mystery” is the fact that while it’s a lens Contax G users know, it’s also the lens that few G users own. At least in my circles!

None of the Contax G users that I know personally has one. And if you go online in the forums you can also decipher that not many G users there have them either.

Why? Perhaps the same reasons I had. As mentioned before, it is the most expensive G lens and it’s also got a very specific and restrictive specs. That is, it’s very wide at 16mm and it has a fixed aperture of f/8.

That slow fixed aperture is not only hard on night photography but as I learned in my YouTube video, it’s also restrictive for bright daylight. As a person used to fast lenses and low light, I found myself overexposing shots. Trying to master this lens I feel will help me become a better photographer!

I bet most hardcore Contax G users had these same thoughts: They probably said to themselves (like I did) hmmm, I sure would love to get my hands on the Hologon! Then reason sets in and they might have said…well it’s too expensive and/or what am I going to do with a 16mm f/8 lens?

The Contax G users I know as well as the ones online usually stick with the popular and affordable G lenses such as the 45mm f/2 Planar and if they want wide they usually go for either the 28mm f/2.8 or 21mm f/2.8 Biogon. Both faster and more affordable lenses. Plus all three lenses I mentioned are much more suitable to traditional street photography.

So why did I get this lens? Because I got it for an insane deal at half price!!

Yes once in a while you find a rare deal and if you see it, and you got the funds, don’t forget as I always say in my videos (which I got from Steve Winwood!) “While You See A Chance…Take it!” 😎👍🏻

Sample Pics On Film

Here are some samples from my first roll. The film was Tri-X 400 and the developer was X-Tol. Keep in mind that this was the first time I ever used this lens so these photos are not going to be the best Hologon pics ever! I also just finished another roll but knowing the way I work, it would take another month for me to complete the video if I added those pics in. Plus it would make the video too insanely long! I’ll do another post here with those pics 😎📸👍🏻

Samples On Digital

Here are some samples taken with a Sony A7s and adapter. Be careful to make sure you do not damage your camera should you want to try this as the protruding rear element of the Hologon may hit the sensor in some camera models. As always, do your research! For comparison, I’ve also included images from the iPhone X which is around 28mm at its widest.

Price & Availability

The Carl Zeiss 16mm f/8 Hologon is still relatively easy to find and the prices are trending from $1000-1400.

It is the most expensive lens in the Contax G line, the only G lens made in Germany and the showpiece of the Contax G lens system.

The prices are very much dependent on whether or not the lens comes with the finder and/or the 4x Gradation Filter. I found both necessary but at the very least get the finder if you plan to use it on film.

Bottom Line

What can I say? The 16mm f/8 Hologon is one of finest, most legendary lenses I’ve ever had the honor of using. I am a mere mortal. This lens is a Legend!

The 16mm Hologon is one of the few lenses that I really get excited about! Yet at the same time, it also proved to be one of the hardest lenses for me to master. Because of its wideness I had to change the way I think when it came to composing. I also had to learn how to deal with the fixed f/8 aperture.

This lens is not your every day lens! However after using it for the past few months I’ve come to appreciate even more what Contax and Carl Zeiss gave us in the 1990s and that is superb optics at the very highest levels.

If you like wide angles and think you can live with its limitations then I can recommend the Carl Zeiss 16mm f/8 Hologon as a Legend of a lens that you will cherish to have in your collection and better yet, as a lens you’ll really want to shoot!

Alternatives

If you can’t find the 16mm f/8 Hologon for a price you like, you are fortunate today to live in a world with many great alternatives! Here are some. Buying from these links help support this site and helps me to create more content for you. Thank you!

Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 Wide Heliar
The Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 is a spectacular ultra wide angle that I have personally used. Not only is it sharp but it is also marginally wider and a lot faster than the 16mm f/8 Hologon. You can get the lens in Leica M or Leica screwmount so there’s no need for mount coversion like the Hologon.

Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar

Going even wider is the 12mm f/5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar. I have not used this lens but have always lusted for it. Images I have seen are stunning.

Voightlander 10mm f/5.6 Hyper-Wide
If you are REALLY a wide angle freak the 10mm f/5.6 Hyper-Wide has your ticket! This might be my next wide angle!

Continue reading →

A Look Back At The Original Ricoh GR Digital In 2021

Good day you war torn hardcore camera geeks! My apologies for the long transit time between reviews. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am concentrating on building up our YouTube channel. I think if and when I hit 1000 subscribers I will return to posting articles here full time 🙂

Hopefully, the length of this article will make it up to you somewhat. Hopefully, it’s all the information you will need on this classic digital camera.

If I may, I’d like to ask you a few questions before I begin. Do you still listen to CDs in your CD player? Is John Paul II still the Pope? Is George W. Bush still President of the United States? Do you still use your original Ricoh GR Digital? Yes, I’m asking you about the GRD 8.1 megapixels!

This reminds me of those comments people leave for old music videos which might go something like this: “Anyone still paying attention in 2021?”

Is it just me or does time seem to be flying by at a breakneck pace? Man, in my mind 2005 wasn’t all that long ago and yet here we are 16 years later in 2021!

Where is this all leading to? Let’s get to it!

THE RICOH GR DIGITAL

The Ricoh GR Digital is an 8.1 megapixel compact digital camera introduced by Ricoh Corporation of Japan in 2005. It sports a 5.9mm (28mm in 35mm equivalent) f/2.4 GR lens with a 1/1.8″ CCD sensor. It is the first direct digital descendant of the Ricoh GR1 film camera.

In subsequent years, Ricoh introduced the GR Digital II 10mp, GR Digital III 10mp, and GR Digital IV 10mp. All had incremental advances.

In 2013 Ricoh released the Ricoh GR, dropping the “Digital” from the name. This camera offered significant advances, most notably the inclusion of a new 16 megapixel APS-C sized sensor. The latest of which is the GR III introduced in 2019. This model sports a 24mp APS-C sensor.

While I will make some references to newer models, please note that this review’s primary focus will be on the original 8.1mp Ricoh GR Digital model.

IN RETROSPECT

Hindsight is an invaluable thing. So in hindsight, when I wrote my first review on the GR Digital I called it a point and shoot camera, and even though one can use it as such, it may be more accurate to call it an advanced compact camera because you can do more with the camera than just point and shoot. You have control over the aperture and shutter speed and various other settings. And even though the lens is fixed, you can increase its versatility through the addition of add on lenses.

I also implied that its color images were just ok. In reality, the camera takes very good color images particularly at low ISO values. But the reason I said that was because it was and still is my opinion that the black and white files from this camera overshadows its color output.

The GR Digital was and still is very popular with its cult of fanatics, but it’s not all that popular or well known to the masses so when I wrote my article in 2014 I sought to take a fresh look at this digital classic. Prior to this, the only real review on this camera was the DPReview article way back in 2006.

I like to proudly and humbly say that in 2014 we brought this camera and its filmic b&w back into the spotlight. Continue reading, I have some facts to back this up!

YOUTUBE VIDEO

It took me many years to write this review update as well as put up a video on this camera, despite the fact that it remains one of the most consistently popular articles on Camera Legend and a camera people have asked me to do a video on. Why did it take so long?

Here’s the GR Digital 8.1mp Video :

In this video, not only do we look back on the GR Digital 8.1mp in hindsight, we also look at a compressed view of fifteen years of the original GRD, and I give you my settings to help you get the best black and white images out of this digital camera classic!

WHY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO MAKE THE VIDEO

Well, I apologize for the delay but here’s why I took my sweet time with this! Ok, so in 2014 when I wrote my original article I had no idea that the camera was still as popular as it was. I mean, this is a cult camera in that it has a loyal following among its fans but the vast majority of the general public probably has no clue about it.

So I wrote my article and thought nothing more of it. The problem came when I was looking around to buy another one. Keep in mind I already had three, yes three, because I liked them so much! The first one I got back in 2006 in which I paid several hundred dollars, but the other two were bought at really low prices like $30-50! At that time I think the prices were trending at $50-80 USD.

Ok so a few weeks after I wrote my article, I looked for another one and I was dismayed to see the prices of the camera going for around $150-200. I said, hey what’s going on?!

So I took to Google to do a search and see if there was anything causing this spike. To my surprise, MY review showed up in the top spot of the Google search! At the same time, I noticed through the stats that WordPress provides me, that the GR Digital article was my most viewed article. I started putting two and two together…

Ok ok, before I get ahead of myself I just want to say I take no credit for the price increases on the original GRD! I’ve read criticisms of other reviewers from geeks on places like the DPReview forums with people saying stuff like: “Oh this guy must think he’s hot shit if he thinks that he can raise the prices based on his reviews” or “This guy must be an arrogant son of a bitch!” Those were actually comments on other camera reviewers about other cameras but I don’t want that kind of ire.

I personally think it was just coincidence, but…what a coincidence! 🙂

Anyway, I stopped doing articles on this camera because, and I’m making a confession here: I was HOARDING them! Yes that’s right. By 2017, I had about five of them! All of them were the same 8.1mp model. I love the camera that much!

I figure, if I helped raise the prices in any way through my article then I don’t want to do it again. Not just for me but for my fellow GRD 8.1mp lovers!

Today, I’m down to three. I have one for color, one for black and white with the wide angle attachment making it a poor man’s GR21 in digital form. And I keep one in the drawer in case one or both of the other two break.

As I recall, my original GR Digital article was in the Google top spot for a couple of years then fell down the list as others started to review this camera. However, as of tonight the Camera Legend article appears to be back in the top spot. It sounds great but it doesn’t really matter much. Remember, this is a cult camera. It’s not like a Sony A7III or Nikon Z7 or EOS R where the whole world is looking for reviews.

SAMPLE PICS

Below are selected photos from fifteen years of GR Digital images, all from the Original 8.1mp model.

“Dirty Laundry” 2006. Ricoh GR Digital 8.1mp

TIMELESS BUT DATED

Personally, for me the original Ricoh GR Digital’s b&w implementation is timeless. It looked great in 2005 and it looks great today. It has been said by me and many others that the b&w files from this camera have a look that resembles Tri-X film. But one of the reasons I am doing this article now is because I believe that finally, its time has come and gone for most except for its hardest of hardcore fanatics like me.

Why? Because in 2005 and indeed even in 2014 when I wrote my first article, its digital b&w files were uncommon and hard to emulate in-camera by any other camera save for the Leica Monochrom. Today, in 2021, many more cameras are able to produce similar film-like digital b&w files.

Another factor for the decreased interest in this camera is that today we live in a 20-50mp world. Eight megapixels just seem way too low for the modern crowd, let alone an eight megapixel camera with a tiny sensor. But that’s fine, let them think that way!

To me, one of the ingredients in the original GRD’s secret sauce is its “low” 8.1mp count! Yes, just as I mentioned in my Contax N Digital 6mp review, I find that cameras with lower not higher megapixels produces files more reminiscent of scanned 35mm film.

While its siblings like the 16 or 24mp GR cameras produce sharper, more noise free images, those qualities also make the files from those cameras more digital in appearance, in my opinion. I have the 16mp GR and I still to this day prefer the b&w files from the 8.1mp original because its files are noisier, grittier, grainier. That’s what gives it that “film-like” look.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY

If you’re seeking the original 8.1mp GR Digital, the good news is that the camera is still easily found but mostly on eBay and usually from dealers in Japan. The prices are trending at $100-150 which to any point and shoot from the 2005 era would seem really high but for the GRD I think it’s a fair price for an amazing camera for black and white photography.

BOTTOM LINE

The original Ricoh GR Digital 8.1mp has remained one of my favorite cameras since I got my first copy in 2006. And it also remains one of my most frequently used. Coming from a dedicated gear head who has gone through countless cameras I think that says a lot about how much I love this camera!

However, I concede that it’s not for everyone. If you’re not a fan of black and white photography, this camera is not for you. If you are anti digital and will accept only black and white images from film then this camera is not for you.

But for anyone who loves black and white photography, especially black and white street photography the original GRD remains a compelling and low cost choice for b&w work.

Today in 2021, the original GR Digital may seem very basic in comparison to its 16 and 24 megapixel GR siblings but in my opinion its black and white files will still give the newer cameras a run for their money while putting more money in your pocket!

The original Ricoh GR Digital 8.1mp has been a constant companion during the last 16 years and it is one of my most loved Camera Legend cameras of all time. If you love black and white photography, get it!

ALTERNATIVES Ricoh GR III Leica M10 Monochrom Fuji X-T4 Olympus Pen F

Mystery Camera: The Yashica EZ-F521

Good morning you beautiful awesome hardcore, war-torn camera geeks! We haven’t had one of these “mystery cameras” in a while so today I present you with another Mystery Camera for your Flashback Friday and the camera we have today is the Yashica EZ-F521. Now what is a Yashica EZ-F521?! 😎😍😎📸👍🏻

INTRODUCTION

The Yashica EZ-F521 is a five megapixel point and shoot digital camera introduced in 2009. While it bears the “Yashica” brand name, this is NOT the Yashica of yore. This camera was manufactured in China apparently by a company in Hong Kong that had bought the rights to use the Yashica name after Kyocera closed out the Contax/Yashica brand in 2005.

SPECS

The Yashica EZ-F521 was sold as a 5mp digital camera although some I’ve read people saying the camera is closer to 3 or 4 megapixels. There is a 12mp interpolated resolution mode within its menu. The sensor is said to be a 1/2.5 inch sensor.

The lens is a 42.5mm fixed plastic lens. The aperture appears to be either f/2.8 or f/3.2 and nothing else. There is no way to focus the camera other than the infinity/macro setting which is done by twisting the lens to either one of those positions. Shutter speed range is unknown. I found something on the web that says 1/2 sec to 1/2000th but I’ve read others saying they never hit 1/1000th on this camera.

In any event you really don’t have much control over this as the camera chooses the shutter speed as well as the aperture. The ISO appears to be fixed at ISO 100. There is a low resolution 640/480 VGA video mode which can be shot at 30/15fps.

There is also a hidden RAW mode which can be accessed through a sequence of buttons and dials. I forgot what it is now, but I will update this article later to include it. But don’t get too excited though. RAW on a camera like this is overkill. Just sayin’! 🙂

YOUTUBE VIDEO

For those of you who prefer a more “dynamic” experience, here it is! 🙂

PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS AND THOUGHTS ON THE YASHICA EZ F521

This camera caused a bit of a buzz on internet photo forums back in 2009 and as a former lurker in those forums, I caught the bug too!

Now despite the horribly limiting specs, with this camera I must admit I was very shallow lol and I was probably most attracted by that eye-catching orange/reddish coating on the fixed lens which in hindsight looks like something from a security camera. I admit, I’m a sucker for a pretty face. Well, in this case, maybe not a pretty face but a strange and interesting face!

I bought the camera back in 2009 or 2010 from a cool guy named Dirk at a site called JapanExposures and yes it came all the way from Japan. I think I paid less than $100 for it.

In hindsight, I really wonder what attracted so many people to this camera back in 2009. I mean, the specs are really uninspiring, the camera body and lens are plastic and there’s not much in the way of control (at least outwardly).

It was probably, in addition to that luscious orange tinted lens, it was probably due to the fact that someone dubbed it the “Digital Holga” that gave the camera its appeal. I’ve seen some great work by Holga film camera users though I myself had never really been a huge Holga/Lomography fan. I mean, soft fuzzy images, vignetting, blurry images can be “artistic” but it’s generally not my thing.

That said, I get it. I know what the appeal of Holga is to people. It offers an alternate reality for people who tire of perfectly sharp, perfectly exposed images. It is a different kind of photographic art. Now even if you’re not a Holga/Lomography fan but you shoot film then you have more in common with the Holga crowd than you might think.

Why do you continue to shoot film with all its inherent grain, its limiting ISO range, its susceptibility to dust, scratches when you have digital cameras today that can blow up sharp images to the size of the side of a large building? It’s because you want something different from the razor sharp images you get from these digital cameras. You want film grain, grit, and imperfections to give your images some personality, etc, etc. Get it now?

When I first got the camera, I thought it was the coolest thing! It was light, plasticky, but at the same time small and pretty cute! No I wasn’t disappointed because I already knew what it was supposed to be. I did not have any expectations of it being a high quality camera and true to form, it was/is not.

This camera is considered to be a toy camera. What is a toy camera? According to Wikipedia: “Within the field of photography, a toy camera is a simple, inexpensive film camera. Despite the name, they are in fact always fully functional and capable of taking photographs, though with optical abberations due to the limitations of the simple lenses.”

This can apply to the Yashica EZ F521 with the exception of “film camera” as it is not a film camera but a digital camera, and even that might be too high a description especially if you’re thinking of today’s digital cameras. It’s almost reminiscent of the early 2mp digicams or early cell phone cameras.

IMAGE QUALITY

The Yashica EZ F521 takes interesting images! “Interesting” is subjective and for me, what I liked about it is an interesting color palette, fun filters, and surprisingly sharp images. Take a look at my YouTube video to see sample images of some of the in camera effects.

Some people have complained that the plastic lens produced images “too sharp” to be Holga-esque but I say you can always take a sharp image and soften it, but you can’t really sharpen up an inherently soft image so I’m ok with its “sharp” images. Keep in mind that “sharp” for this camera is not Canon L lens sharp. It’s more like “I didn’t expect it to be sharp” sharp 🙂

I will say that in general images appear sharper than what you would normally get from a plastic lens Holga or Lomography camera. I guess that’s what they mean by “too sharp” but again, the sharpness is fine for my purposes.

SAMPLE PICS

Here are a few sample pics from this camera over the years. I probably have a ton more but they’re pretty much gone as the one card I used on this camera became corrupted. I probably could invest in some software that might help me recover them but why bother? I’ll make new memories! Anyway, take a look:

ISSUES

My first and main issue with this camera is that it seems to eat up the three AAA batteries pretty fast. Make sure you have extras laying around.

Secondly, I’ve had two copies of this camera. One I bought brand new, and the other a couple of years ago, around 2017 or 2018. My first one bought around 2009-2010 lasted many years of sporadic usage. Towards the end, it developed a couple of problems. First, the locking mechanism for the battery compartment broke. And then, the SD card slot suddenly refused to hold the card in place. The battery compartment was remedied with tape but the SD card issue could not be remedied. I used the camera’s internal memory which gave me, I think, about ten shots. Though incredibly inconvenient, I used the camera like a film camera for a while until I found my other copy a couple years ago.

The one I am currently using is not without flaws. It seems to eat through batteries faster than my first copy. Every now and then, the LCD monitor shows lines like it’s going to conk out.

I’ve seen some of this before with the Contax N Digital so I’m not expecting this one to last much longer. To be fair though, the Contax N Digital costs a lot more than the Yashica EZ-F521 but reliability wise they seem on par with each other.

In the end, the Yashica EZ F521 should be seen in the same light as the Nishika N8000 and Nimslo 3D cameras in that it is a CRAP CAMERA, as I said about the 3D cameras 🙂

Now don’t be offended if you love these cameras, I do too! I’m just making that statement based on their flimsy build quality. plastic lenses, and their low reliability rates. All these cameras have a high FUN factor which makes up for their negatives but it comes with the caveat of HANDLE WITH CARE.

PRICE & AVAILABILTY

This is a hard one simply because, as of this writing, there’s no copies of the Yashica EZ-F521 to be found. I checked eBay, I checked all over the web. None. And perhaps, there are really not many people looking for this camera but I could be wrong.

I can only base my price estimates based on the average of the two copies I bought. One was brand new in 2009-2010 for $89 USD and one for $40 used. So I’d say if you could find one, a fair price would probably be $40-50 tops.

To aid in your search for this camera, it was also sold and rebranded as the Takashi FX 521 and perhaps rebranded as something else too, but I’m not sure about that last part. I have seen pics of the Takashi so I’m sure about that one.

BOTTOM LINE

The Yashica EZ F521 is NOT a Camera Legend and probably never will be. Nevertheless, it was probably the last digital “toy camera” that had such a buzz around it and for the most part, it delivers on its “Digital Holga” images and fun factor.

It was/is a fun camera to use, not for serious work, but if you consider it an extra “artistic brush” in your camera arsenal you certainly can get interesting results out of it.

Above all, see this camera as a testament to the fact that you will never know what you see on Camera Legend because I love ALL cameras but…I only write about the ones I found interesting!

Wow, I didn’t expect this article to be this long! If you’re reading this till the end, I say THANK YOU! 🙂

Pandemic Shooting 2020

Good morning war torn Camera Geeks! A late start for the blog this year as I have been continuing to put my efforts into our YouTube channel but the blog is never forgotten! So this week I will spend more time here.

In our first post of 2021, I’d like to take a look at some photos taken last year during the 2020 Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Some people might also call this “quarantine” or “lockdown” shooting but I think “pandemic” shooting is more accurate in my case, as quarantine shooting would mean I had to be in quarantine for the virus which I fortunately was not. And a lockdown would mean I never left the house which I did many times.

Looking back on 2020, I have to say it was perhaps my least productive year photographically. Because of the restrictions in NYC due to the pandemic and because of a new work schedule, I was rarely ever in Manhattan in 2020. And it was perhaps for the better, not only because of the virus, but because of the empty streets.

New York City is known for its vibrant and bustling streets full of life and flavor, but last year, especially during the first lockdown in March and April, the streets were eerily empty. It was surreal to see places like Times Square empty.

Take heart however that I have been downtown recently and life appears to be coming back to the Big Apple. Even though we are now on the second and perhaps even more deadly wave of the virus, there were a lot of people in various areas of the city during the 2020 Holiday season.

“Calm Before The Storm” with the Funky Bunch in New York City in late December 2019.

Perhaps it’s virus fatigue or just crazy tourists or a combination of both, people appear more willing to venture out.

Say what you will about New Yorkers but one thing I can say is, based on my observations, New Yorkers take Covid-19 very seriously. They, for the most part, adhere to social distancing guidelines and wearing masks.

This is perhaps due to New York being hit very hard by the virus at the beginning of the pandemic in the USA. New York was at one time the epicenter of coronavirus in the U.S., a sad and scary place that California is unfortunately in right now.

I spent a lot of my free time in 2020 going up to the woods in upstate New York.

CAMERA GEAR 2020

While 2020 might have been a bust for me photographically, it was actually a boon for me camera wise! Working long hours during the coronavirus pandemic as a healthcare worker gave me sufficient funds to pick up some stuff that I had been waiting a long time to get.

Now I want to make it clear that a pandemic was not an excuse for me to buy new gear. In fact, in the beginning, it had the opposite effect. Thinking about life and death made me not want to waste money on material things.

However, as time went on, working closely with coronavirus patients and surprisingly (and luckily) not catching the bug gave me the confidence to put in even more time at work. To be fair, let’s say it was not just luck because I did pay attention to all of my coronavirus precautions.

Eventually, it got to a point where I said, you know what you only live once! I was bored at home because of the lockdowns and store closures so without breaking the bank, I picked up some new used gear. Boredom can be a dangerous thing!

So here are my two most used cameras in 2020…

MAMIYA 7 & 80mm f/4 LENS

I’ve had the Mamiya 7 since 2014. I have never given it a proper review. Why? I’m not the guy who rushes out with a review of every camera I have although if there was ever a camera to review it would be the Mamiya 7! At the same time, the Mamiya 7 is almost universally known as a great camera system. What am I going to add to that?

I’ve been using the Mamiya 7 with the 50mm f/4.5 during most of my time with it. The 50mm is not the lens most people start with in this system and that wasn’t my plan either, but as usual I only got it first because I got it very cheap, like $250 in 2014! It should be stated that even then, that was quite a bit under its worth.

A view of the George Washington Bridge from the New Jersey side with my Mamiya 7 and 80mm f/4 in hand.

Fast forward to 2020 and I finally got the lens I wanted for it, which is the 80mm f/4 which is considered the standard lens for the Mamiya 7. I waited so long because I was quite happy with the 50mm and because the 80mm was always more expensive than I wanted to spend on it.

Not that I wouldn’t have bought one if I had the money, but being busy with other camera systems kept it in the back of my mind. In 2020, I was able to get one for around $400. Not exactly cheap for a standard lens, but it is a cheap price for the Mamiya 7 system!

I’ve been impressed with its performance so far. It is sharp and contrasty, just as I expected. I don’t anticipate getting another lens for the Mamiya 7 for a long time unless I find the 150mm or the 43mm at a very good price.

“Snow 2020” Mamiya 7, 80mm f/4 L lens, Ilford HP5 Plus developed in Ilfosol 3. The first and last snowstorm of 2020 in December. This was basically a quick snapshot but check the crop below to see the amazing quality of the Mamiya 7 80mm f/4 lens. This image was shot wide open.

It’s not often that I get this kind of clarity when blowing up 35mm negatives so the 6×7 negative of the Mamiya 7 really offers enlargement potential. In fact, I believe it is only limited by the film itself.

Olympus Pen F Digital

The Olympus Pen F Digital was the last camera I saw myself getting in 2020. While I’ve always liked its looks and while I’ve read positive comments about the camera, I myself have always seen it as somewhat of a glorified Pen Digital camera.

Having used the digital Pen cameras since 2009 with the original E-P1, I worked my way to other models like the E-M5 and E-M1. One great thing about the Pen series is the “art” filters Olympus provides. Their “grainy film” filter has been highly praised and I was quite happy with it.

Yet, I kept reading over and over again about the “Mono 2” setting on the Pen F. To make a long story short, I will say that my observation is…yes, it is an amazing Monochrome simulation! It definitely is more “film-like” than what I have seen from my E-M5 or E-M1 and it is not easy to emulate the same thing in-camera with other cameras. I’ve even tried the b&w simulation in Fuji cameras and in my opinion, the Pen F beats the Fuji hands down, at least when it comes to in-camera processing.

“Social Distancing” 2020. Olympus Pen-F Digital, LUMIX 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical G lens.

To my eyes, the Pen F provides a really nice mix of sharpness, grain, grit, and softness (yes, softness!) that makes the images in Mono 2 mode more film-like to my eyes. This is apparent even with a very sharp lens like my Lumix 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical lens.

“Animal Barn” 2020. Olympus Pen-F, Mono 2 mode, 20mm f/1.7 LUMIX G lens. Note the wonderful range of tones.

“Summer Of 2020” Olympus Pen-F Digital, Mono 2 mode, 20mm f/1.7 LUMIX lens. The year 2020 will be remembered as the year the world stood still.

Back in 2006 I either used film or a camera like the original Ricoh GR Digital to get black and white files like this. Today, we are lucky to have cameras like the Pen-F Digital that can emulate monochrome images the way I like them!

LATEST YOUTUBE VIDEO

In case you’re interested here’s my latest YouTube video. The topic is why I believe you need to buy the Leica M4-P right NOW if you’re looking for one. As I said in the video, if you’ve ever wondered how I got the Contax T2 for $300 or another camera for $200 when it’s worth $1000 now, it’s all about timing and the time is now to buy the M4-P! This is not the time to be cheap! Have a great day camera geeks! 😎😍📸👍🏻

Leica M4-P Sale At Amazon!<!–>>