It’s Been Awhile

Good morning you awesome camera freaks and geeks! It’s been awhile 😭

It is quite obvious that I’m not a multitasker! I’ve been spending most of my free time on YouTube or social media and completely neglecting this blog and for that I apologize to you dear friends. I’m sorry.

I’ve been meaning to write so tonight when I remembered this, I stopped everything and forced myself to do it. I have to! For you and for me.

This blog is actually the foundation for everything else. Without this blog, I probably wouldn’t have a YouTube channel or social media.

I recently got a notification that this blog has been viewed in over 150 countries which came as a surprise to me, and I’m grateful!

I’m sure most long running blogs have hit that mark, but it still boggles my mind as far as this site is concerned.

WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE I LAST POSTED

Here’s my latest video “The Camera That SAW The FUTURE” I’m getting better at click bait titles and thumbnails 😂

But actually if you have watched the video, you would know that it accurately describes a camera from 2009, the Yashica EZ F521 that predicted the 2026 viral camera trend with uncanny accuracy.

If you’re a long time reader of this blog, you’ll know that it’s based on a review I first did on the blog years ago.

Mystery Camera: The Yashica EZ-F521

After many years of trying “review” style videos, I am trying to shift to more storytelling type videos which I feel are far more interesting.

Anyway, I want to keep this short, check out the video if you haven’t and you’re interested in a good camera story 😍

COLONOSCOPY

After holding it off for many years, due to my health anxiety, I finally got a colonoscopy!

In the USA, they recommend that everyone 45 and older get a colonoscopy to rule out the possibility of colon cancer, among other things.

Well, I’m in my fifties (I hate talking about age!) now so I’m a decade behind.

I’m happy to report that the results were clear, and although two small polyps were taken out and biopsied, all is good. I thank the Lord for that! 🙏🙏

I got my colonoscopy in February and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. It’s just as everyone says. The prep is the worst part, and honestly it wasn’t even that bad. I actually felt great after being cleaned out 😂

The colonoscopy procedure itself was quick and painless. They put me to sleep and I was up and done before I knew it.

The reason I should have done it sooner is because I have IBS. I was diagnosed with it in 2005. It’s Irritable Bowel Syndrome and in my mind, it’s an umbrella term when doctors don’t know what’s wrong with your guts 😂

The symptoms are something most people can relate to. Bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea. The thing is, you can also have other symptoms too like pencil thin stools and sometimes blood in the stool.

Since my IBS diagnosis in 2005, I can say I’ve had multiple episodes of all of the above.

If I had gotten my colonoscopy sooner, I could have saved myself years of the mental anguish of not knowing.

I feared them telling me the worst, that’s the scariest. But in reality, early detection is your best bet for survival.

So if you’re on the fence about getting a colonoscopy like I was, I say DO IT!! Do it ASAP and save your life today.

Now, it didn’t cure my IBS. I still have symptoms now and then, but at least I’m not sitting in fear thinking what if…

DO IT!!

WHAT’S NEXT?!

I’m not sure. Honestly, I think the camera review circuit, whether it’s blogging or YouTube is somewhat passé. People have short attention spans these days.

I mean cameras and lenses will always be cool and I’m not going to abandon the blog but I feel that the future is really in video.

I’ve been wanting to do more photography related videos but whenever I do something not gear specific, no one watches. I have to figure out a way to get more photography videos in. After all, it’s the reason we all love our cameras and lenses, is it not?

I know there’s still a lot of old schoolers who like to read but I think most of the young folks are getting their information on YouTube.

In fact, many of the cameras I featured on the blog have been a good source of material for some YouTubers.

Sadly, almost none of the young photographers have a clue that some of cool cameras “discovered” on YouTube were brought to light right here on Camera Legend years earlier.

I’ll have more to say about this in future episodes so stay tuned but if you’re running a blog only, just know that some of your stuff could be on YouTube and you wouldn’t even know it.

Anyway, here’s a few more pics to leave you off with. Thanks for reading and hope to be back with you soon! 😎📸❤️👍

I still shoot a mix of film and digital 😍

I still keep up with all the trends in the camera world 😎📸❤️

I did a YouTube review on the Leica CM! 😎

I’m thankful to be around for my family and thankful for you my Camera Legend friends 😍📸❤️

The Beauty & Enigma Of The Nikon DF 😍

Good morning you awesome blog reading camera geeks! I have so much catching up to do! I just came back from a trip about a month ago and I haven’t moved since 😂 I don’t know where to begin so I might as well start with my latest video and it is a video review of Nikon’s legendary and perhaps infamous Retro DSLR…the Nikon DF ❤️

The Nikon DF was introduced in 2013 and even though there was a lot of hype and fanfare around its introduction, the Nikon DF was received with mixed reviews.

Even today, it is a camera that some people love and some people hate.

When it came out in 2013, many people thought of this camera as “SUS” 😂 as the kids today say. That means, we were “suspicious” of its retro looks, I guess the way many people see the new “Yashica” branded retro looking digicams which are dressed up like DSLRs but have tiny sensors.

The Nikon DF however is the real thing! It looks retro but plays the part with a top level, Nikon D4 full frame sensor.

This was a dream camera for me for some time. I’ve only mentioned to a couple of you guys here that I had it 😂

But I’ve had it since 2020 and this review was long overdue.

To me, it is what I call a “Beautiful Monstrosity” 😍 It is a 16mp Full Frame CMOS Sensor camera that seemed like the by product of an experiment in Frankenstein’s lab! It has the body and chassis of a Nikon D600 and the heart or sensor from a Nikon D4.

Even though it shares the parts of these two cameras, it has its own unique features which are the knobs and dials, apparently inspired by the film camera legends the Nikon FE and/or FM.

It is a unique camera as it’s the only “Retro Inspired” DSLR in Nikon’s now discontinued DSLR lineup. The Z mount system however has two retro cameras in the ZFC and the ZF.

In fact, it was my desire to get a ZF, or shall I say my desire to talk myself out of it that inspired this video 😂

In this video I go over all of this as well as give you my opinion on whether or not it’s worth the (still) relatively high prices.

I may update this article with pictures and other information so don’t be surprised if you see that.

Thanks for reading, watching, and I hope to be back with you soon!

Best, Sam

The CONTAX 645 Digital!

Just keeping you guys in the loop with my latest video. It is my digital dream camera come true!

In 2008 I found a great deal on the Contax 645, 80mm f/2 Zeiss Planar, prism, 120 back, the whole outfit. I was a new father with a baby girl of only a few months old and as a Contax super fan, I’ve always wanted a Contax 645. I wanted the best camera to document my daughter’s life. To me, the Contax 645 is among the tops!

The Contax 645 was introduced in 1999 by Kyocera. It is a medium format camera that shoots 6×4.5 120 film. But it can also shoot digital with an appropriate digital back.

It is a highly desirable camera, even today, for its autofocus and ability to take film or digital backs. Something only a few medium format cameras can do.

My dream was to shoot the Contax 645 digitally. The only way to do that is with a digital back.

Now back in the early 2000s medium format digital backs were extremely expensive and they always seem tailor made for the ultra rich and super professional photographers.

Today, their prices have come down but they’re still relatively expensive and are still rather esoteric.

In 2022, quite by random, I came across a Kodak DCS Pro Back for the Contax 645 for only $149! It was listed as a “Parts/Repair” unit. Untested. No battery, no cables, no nothing but the back. But the back is the most important thing and knowing how rare this was, especially as this price, I bought it right away!

Now, I didn’t know if this back would work or not but I had to figure it out for myself and I document this incredible journey on this video.

I was thinking of taking a break from YouTube. The AdSense problem I mentioned a few months ago has worked out and I’m making money but not really enough to make it worth the effort.

I’ll probably be back but I wanted to dedicate this video to my OG Camera Legend watchers and gave them one of my very best. I hope you guys enjoy this video. Thanks in advance for watching and have an awesome day you guys! 😍📸👍

PS: I’m shooting almost all my videos now on this amazing little device, the DJI Pocket 3!

https://amzn.to/3FqEJgq

This awesome little “vlogging” camera can do it all! I was skeptical at first, but now I’m convinced this will be my main YouTube camera for a good while!

The Leica SL Typ 601 In 2025! Or Just Get A Sony Instead?!

Good morning you awesome war torn WordPress camera geeks! Keeping you guys in the loop, as promised. With the sheer amount of gear that I’ve reviewed here over the years, it would be easy to think that I’ve had this camera for a while but no…

Today’s Camera Legend is the Leica SL Typ 601. It is a 24mp Full Frame digital mirrorless camera introduced by Leica in 2015.

With the Leica SL Typ 601 at Photo Plus Expo 2015. Also seen is the big beefy Leica 28-90mm lens.

I first got to play with the SL at the Photo Plus Expo show in NYC in 2015. At the time, I thought it was another cool, overpriced Leica toy. I assumed it had the same 24mp Sony sensor as the then current Sony A7. As it turns out, it’s a different sensor as my video points out.

Leica SL Typ 601 & Mystery Lens ❤️ To be revealed in future episodes!

This is a camera I didn’t expect to get, but as I explain in my video, the best cameras come to me when least expected.

To prevent it from being extraneous or superfluous, it is replacing my Sony A7R as my platform for adapting all my old manual lenses. I only have one AF lens for it. It’s a Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN. Photo samples below. It was one of the cheaper lenses I could get. The native Leica SL lenses are very expensive and I have no money left 😂

Anyway, this is a very cool and interesting camera that I look forward to trying it out! Bear in mind folks, I’m keeping it real. While the SL is fantastic, there’s no reason to think a ten year old camera is any better than your modern equivalent. Just saying! Have a great weekend and thanks guys! 😍❤️👍

How Google Killed My Motivation

Good morning awesome camera geeks! Today’s post is a little bit of a rant but please bear with me as I’ll share some insights and information so that hopefully you won’t run into the same situation. You would think that after getting a (mostly) good response from my last full length video, which is the video about the legend of the Nikon D3, that I would follow it up with something to keep up the momentum right?

Well, today’s article is about how YouTube and specifically mother Google killed my motivation.

Now, before we continue, I’ll admit that I made some mistakes here too, but the majority of the problems came from the YouTube and Google Bots and I’ll explain.

Above you see what my current AdSense situation is. I didn’t know I had two AdSense accounts. I thought that was cleared earlier. So I closed one AdSense account but I have another one that was already linked to the channel but for some reason I am unable to reconnect it to YouTube.

The screenshot that you’re seeing in this posting basically says that I am not currently being monetized. Before we get to the current situation, it’s important to understand the whole situation right from the start.

Ok, so the story goes, in December I was monetized after being accepted into the YouTube Partner Program months earlier. Without making a long story even longer, just know that to be monetized you have to have at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours and I reached the 4000 watch hour threshold so they started to monetized my videos.

This is the message I got in December 2024 upon being finally monetized on YouTube.

Now before you think that this can change you from rags to riches overnight, I’m here to tell you that it won’t. We’re talking about literal cents per video.

But the good thing is that it adds up and I enjoyed looking at those metrics. It helped me to see which videos were doing good and what topics people actually wanted to see.

Flash forward to the end of January. I noticed that my monetization seemed to stop and I didn’t know why. There was no clear reason given, no notifications on YouTube.

Here’s the part where I think I messed up. In messing around trying to figure out the problem, I found that I had a second AdSense account. Now if you’re not aware, you can have multiple channels but only ONE AdSense account. Now I had an AdSense account from like 20 years back, of which I had no idea which email it was linked to and this was supposedly cleared when I started the Camera Legend AdSense account so I don’t know how I had this new account.

It is possible that I my panic mode I may have clicked on something that created another account. I don’t know for sure because I messed with a lot of settings.

The sad reality is this…

Through my own research I found out that the monetization wasn’t actually stopped, it was paused. The reason for that is because at some point Google sends a physical snail mail PIN to verify your home address.

Well, dumb me cause I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!! Had I known they’d be sending me a PIN I wouldn’t have messed with any settings. But nobody tells you this! At least I don’t remember hearing anything about having to wait for Google to send a PIN for me to verify.

So long story short, after numerous chats with tech support, I deleted the second AdSense account and am two weeks into the 32 day wait time that the system requires for me to reapply for AdSense.

I’m sharing this story for anyone who’s been recently monetized or looking to get monetized so that they don’t run into the same issues. You will receive a PIN from Google through snail mail at some point. Wait for it.

My real rant comes from the fact that while Google is seen as the cutting edge when it comes to tech stuff, their AdSense system is ridiculously old and antiquated. Anyone who has run into AdSense problems I think can testify to this. When problems occur, there’s no clear explanations, no clear links to correct things. Most “help” links will send you straight to these outdated pages that seem like they were written in the early 2000s.

It reminds me of the US Postal where you go into the post office and still see antiquated machines being used by the most unenthusiastic workers ever. Sorry if you’re an enthusiastic USPS employee reading this 😂 I admire your hard work, this is not about you.

There’s actually a lot more to this story, but I’ll give you a last and good example. When the Bot found that I supposedly had two AdSense accounts it said “You already have an AdSense account. Use that one or delete your other account.”

Fair enough but there were no links, no way for me to put the channel back on the correct AdSense account, which is still open. Since it was already linked to YouTube, one would think the machine would automatically do it or at least give me a link to do it, but no. Nothing.

So I’ll wait out the 32 days. I have no choice. That’s supposedly for security. Ok I get it. But my fear is if after 32 days, if things don’t go smoothly, I’m afraid I’ll be in this cycle of trying to figure out how to get the AdSense account back to my YouTube channel.

This is a major motivation killer. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t making any real money on YouTube but the potential was there. I didn’t start YouTube with the motivation of making money. If I did, I would have done everything I could to get to monetization much quicker than I did.

However, once the Pandora’s box opened, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it felt good to see a little bit of money growing every day.

Now I already had the monetization paused by YouTube when I posted my latest full length video on the Nikon D3, which was (for me) a well received video, so that video would have earned a little but I put it out anyway because I thought people might get something out of it.

But honestly, making these videos take a lot of time and effort. Not to mention a lot of research and editing. Especially harder for a family man with two growing kids. Without the motivation, what’s the use in putting precious time and effort into this?

If anyone of you guys reading have been in this situation I would love to hear from you. Maybe you could help me in a way the Google customer service reps simply couldn’t or wouldn’t and I’d greatly appreciate it!

Sorry for the rant but thank you all for taking the time to read it! 😍🙏👍

Nikon’s Cheapest PRO Camera May Be Their GREATEST!

Good February morning you awesome camera geeks! Just keeping you guys in the loop with my latest YouTube video.

Today is the story of the camera Nikon said they would never make, the Nikon D3, their first Full Frame Digital SLR.

The Nikon D3 was introduced in 2007 and it was quite a sensation when it came out because for years and years Nikon had insisted that they wouldn’t be going full frame. But they did it with the D3!

Now had the D3 not delivered on image quality then it wouldn’t still be revered today, as it is, because as you’ll see in the video, full frame alone is not enough to guarantee image quality. But the D3 in many ways over delivered with what I consider really amazing image quality. Image quality that stands up amazingly well even with today’s cameras.

The word “legend” gets thrown around a lot, especially on this channel, but when it comes to digital cameras there are really very few legends.

The D3 is one of the rare few. It set a new standard for image quality and gave rebirth to the legend of Nikon. It rejuvenated the company and breathed new life into the company putting it on a strong and steady path forward.

In this video you’ll also see a brief history of the earliest full frame cameras and you’ll see how the D3 changed Nikon’s trajectory and how it changed the game for Nikon.

There was a time in my life when I “tried” to be a professional photographer. I shot weddings, I did stage and concert photography, I got a paparazzi gig. I might be in the minority but I never liked being a “pro” photographer. I didn’t like the pressure of having to “deliver” to clients and magazines. I liked getting paid though 😂

You’ll see some of my rarely posted paid work on this video. I’ll admit, I didn’t like the hustle but it did keep me on my A game!

Thanks for watching, and reading this, and have a wonderful weekend you guys! 😍📸👍

The 2024 Wrap Up! 😍

Good day you awesome YouTube camera geeks! I thought I did all the videos for 2024 but somehow I managed to eek one more out for you guys! 😍

In this #podcast style video, I will share with you guys my thoughts as well as a few photos from the hot new Viltrox 28mm f/4.5 pancake lens. I hesitate to do a full review because there are so many reviews already but if you think I should let me know in the comments!

I recently became monetized! I’ve made enough to buy lunch lol so it’s no road to riches but the potential is there. Thanks to you guys for making this possible 🙏🙏 So as a way of saying #thankyou I will help YOU get monetized with three easy steps.

Learn from my mistakes! You WILL get monetized much faster than I did if you follow these simple guidelines. If you are starting out on YouTube or are struggling with a small channel like I still am, I believe following these simple steps will help you make better videos and get monetized faster than I did!

Lastly in this video, we preview what’s ahead for 2025! 2024 was a great year for this channel thanks to you but it can only get better. I pledge to continue bringing you guys the greatest Camera Legends of all time while being as straight forward and honest as always. Thanks for your support and HAPPY HOLIDAYS you guys! 🙏❤️👍

Items in this video:
1) Viltrox 28mm f/4.5 Pancake Lens https://amzn.to/3Pj6mcI
2) Cheap but good lighting https://amzn.to/3PhPPWJ

Items on my own to do list:
3) Better Lighting https://amzn.to/3PcjTD0
4) A Decent Microphone https://amzn.to/3PeyrSM
5) One of the best Podcast Microphones! Now on sale! https://amzn.to/3DtoSfW

Buying from these links help to support this channel and will not cost you anything extra. Thanks for your support!

The Game Changer: A Look Back At The Amazing Olympus OM-D E-M5

As promised, I am keeping you guys in the loop, even if it’s just a shameless plug for my latest YouTube video 😂 Honestly, anything I could write would be the same as what you’ll see in this video! Thanks for checking it out!

If you have this camera or remember it, I would love to hear your experiences with it, especially the shutter mechanism failure issue. Thank you!

To Be A Content Creator…

Good day you guys! Just keeping you guys in the loop. This may not be what you’re looking forward to on this channel but if you’re not already on YouTube and you’ve been wanting to do it, this is your video.

I started this YouTube channel about six years ago after years of procrastinating. I wish I had done it sooner! I hate the actual making of the videos, the editing, but I love sharing the knowledge I have gained over the years especially from reading here in WordPress, from forums like Rangefinder Forum, Fred Miranda, Photo.net etc, etc, as well as my own discoveries through real world experiences.

Just like many of you middle ages, I started life on film cameras but was young enough at the dawn of digital to love and appreciate it.

This video is directed at a certain and particular group of people but the message applies to anyone young or old or in between! 

The point of this video is that there is so much knowledge out there that’s been hidden from the world. There’s things that YOU know that maybe I should know. There’s things that you and I don’t know about certain cameras and lenses that someone out there knows. They may have had the knowledge for years and years but for some reason or another they never thought to share it.

If you have a passion you should SHARE it with the world. If you have an idea that you CONCEIVED and you actually BELIEVE in it, you can ACHIEVE it!

I’m not making money from YouTube but this channel was not started because of money. I wanted to share my passion for cameras and lenses. If the money comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t but if you need more motivation, the potential for making money on YouTube is there. What have you got to lose?

Thanks to anyone who watched today’s video. I don’t expect a lot of views on this one but maybe you’ll surprise me  Please comment, LIKE & SUBSCRIBE to help keep this channel growing! Thank you for your support! 

Photo Of The Day: Standing Plants 😍 And Latest Updates

This image was taken recently with a Graflex 4×5 RB Series B and 7 1/2 Inch Kodak Anastigmat on Arista EDU 400.

I’m still testing this camera for operations. The one thing I did differently on this shot is that I developed it using stand development.

I’ve done stand development before but not often. It all goes back to first impressions and the first time I did it, I remember ruining that roll of film, thus I was not inclined to do it again.

But this experimental image inspires me to do more of it! Why? Because even though the image is not the greatest, it made me realize that stand development is perfect for someone like me.

Over the years, I have gotten really lazy and dread being in the darkroom even for an hour or less. The stand development process frees up that hour but I want you to understand, it’s not just for the lazy man, but there’s actually a science and reasons why people like the process.

Without getting too long, just search for stand development to see what I mean. Some people find more acuity in their images, some people claim there’s better development for shadow areas.

I find it all fascinating and I’m looking to do more of it! I’m no stand development expert but I want to learn and I enjoy experimenting.

The Panasonic DMC-LC1 is a digital Camera Legend from 2004.

On the digital front, I’ve just completed my video review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 aka Leica Digilux 2.

It should be up on YouTube by this time tomorrow night. If you search my blog you will find a review of this camera from years back so you guys know I’m not just riding the digicam wave. I will share everything I know about this camera and its Leica sibling. Is it just another old digicam? Or is it one of the greats? Stay tuned to find out!

Thanks for reading and have a great day you guys! 😍🙏👍