Good Morning June!

Hello and good morning you awesome war torn camera geeks! It’s been a helluva while hasn’t it? Well, I had a little time so I figured I’d write to keep you guys posted on recent events and what we’re currently doing. I’m going to delve into several topics so forgive me if it sounds like I’m rambling. I will divide the topics into titles for easier digestion 😂

“Coffee Art” 😂 2024. We’re still here! 👍

The Passage Of Time

Last year I took a trip overseas to the Philippines and Thailand. It still feels like I just came back to the States yesterday. But it’s already been ten months! What the?!

Camera fun with baby girl and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 ❤️ 2009.

“I Love L.A.” 😂 Los Angeles, California, 1988. Minolta X-700 & 50mm f/1.7 MD lens. Photo taken by my brother I think!

I don’t want to just talk about myself so if you’re of a certain age, please let me know if you can relate to this…

It seemed not too long ago I was a teenager. Then I became a young man trying to find my way in my twenties. Then I got settled down in my thirties. Then the forties came and went. Now into my fifties, I still feel I haven’t accomplished much of anything. And I wonder how much time do I have left.

Listen, I hate to say this, but at the rate these years have been flying by, we’ll be done before we know it! Fifty years sounds like a long time but when you realize how fast one year goes by, is fifty, eighty, or a hundred even that long in reality?

People say grow old gracefully. I’m trying to do that but I don’t know how to. I mean, I still feel like 35 and sometimes even younger but I know I’m not.

People say the fifties are still young. Maybe in today’s world it is but as a younger man, I remember thinking 50, 60, 70, etc, that’s old! Now I’m in that first spot.

I know I sound like a Debbie Downer but on the positive side, I feel as if I can do almost anything I did at thirty but better ❤️ I’m more sure, I’m not as awkward.

But one profound difference I can see is the people who are younger than me, people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s see me as someone older or maybe even “old” in their eyes.

And it doesn’t help that physically more fine lines have appeared on my face. The skin sags a little more. The hairline is receding. This is aging.

My Mom once said you’ve got two choices. Either you grow old or you’re dead. Wise words! Yet somehow it doesn’t make me any more comfortable with the thought of aging.

To me as one ages, not only are changes in physical appearance inevitable but there’s also a very real, increased chances of some dreaded illness or disease coming your way. In the past four years, we have lost four beloved family members. That’s one a year!

Of course I try to eat healthy, try to get more rest, try not to stress too much. I need to exercise more. But honestly, there’s only so much one can do. When it’s your time it’s your time. But yes, I want to be around to see what my kids do with their lives, to help them whenever I can.

To me aging is like falling into a whirlpool that keeps pulling you towards that center and you can’t escape it.

How do you guys deal with it? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Perhaps it would help me deal with aging better. Thanks in advance 🙏🙏

One thing that’s been with me through all the decades is my love for cameras, lenses, and photography. That is the one singular constant I can think of 😍👍

THE YOUTUBE DILEMMA

As I mentioned to you guys a few years ago, I was writing less here in order to focus on building my YouTube channel. That was in 2018.

I can tell you right now, unless you can commit to doing it consistently, I wouldn’t recommend it.

I’m still not monetized but I’m close to meeting their requirements. I’d probably have gotten there sooner if I were posting more consistently but as a family man who has two growing kids and a day job, I just can’t. Instead, I just post whenever I can put something together. That’s not the formula for YouTube success.

A recent and seemingly popular video about the cameras of Daido Moriyama.

So here’s what I’ve learned from my six years on YouTube. First you need a topic or subject. In this case, I have many! The channel is about cameras, lenses, and photography. I got this covered!

A recent and not so popular video about my very first digital camera and the early days of film vs digital. As a smaller channel, I noticed that some videos get a lot of views and some get very little views. The most interesting part is that some videos “catch on” but much later! Some people say the dreaded “YouTube Algorithm” is responsible for what people see and what they don’t.

Second, you need good video quality. High quality video production counts on YouTube. I have the equipment to make better videos but I’m not a videographer and I’m lazy so I just use my phone most of the time. Count that as a strike against me 😪

Third you need to spend hours editing. This is the part I hate most! As a photography and camera review channel, I have to gather the necessary photos from the cameras/lenses being reviewed. Then I have to put them together and often narrate. Then I try to find some ear pleasing music to keep it flowing. After that, I have to edit all the parts together and make it into one cohesive video.

And the worst part? Sometimes I get decent views but often times I get very little views and since YouTube is not paying me yet, I feel very little motivation to continue but I push forward. I feel I’ve just scratched the surface of all the things I’d like to share with the good camera loving folks out there 😍

Anyway, YouTube and other social media like Instagram and Facebook are what has kept me from this blog for so long. Even though I’m an old school guy, I kinda feel that writing is passe 😂 I know I’m wrong, convince me that I’m wrong!

But yeah, until I can actually see the benefits I can’t really recommend doing YouTube.

RECENT PROJECTS

I’m pretty much doing the same thing I’ve been doing for years, that is I’m shooting with film and digital gear ❤️

I’ve been focusing a lot of my YouTube videos on digicams because that’s been a favorite of viewers of my channel and it so happens that I’ve been collecting old vintage digital cameras for a long time so it works out.

There’s a lot of film stuff I want to cover, but I feel that the channel doesn’t have enough traction yet to make these videos worth the effort.

Here’s a recent project I’m working on. It’s the original Rolleiflex from 1929. When I got it, the camera had only one working shutter speed which is 1/500, the rest were sticking. I fixed it up to where only the slowest speeds stick and I’m able to use the camera in the range I need. But today’s posting is not about the Rolleiflex, as fascinating as it is. I’ll keep you guys posted on my progress with this legendary camera

And here’s some recent film images…

Pool Party 2023 ❤️ Leica M6 & 50mm f/2 Summicron on CineStill BWXX ISO 250 developed in HC-110

Manila Traffic 2023. Leica M6 & 50mm f/2 Summicron-M on CineStill BWXX

Oldest Lady In The Village. Sa Kaeo Village, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Leica M6 and 50mm f/2 Summicron-M on CineStill BWXX ISO 250. Image was very underexposed but I was able to recover the gist of it and I don’t mind the grit!

My most recent project photo ❤️ Test shot with a Graflex RB Series B 4×5, Kodak No. 33 f/4.5 Anastigmat and Arista EDU 400 film developed in HC-110.

The nearly one hundred year old Graflex RB Series B is a “portable” 4×5 camera that can be had around $300. I think this will be a great portrait camera! 😍

Thank you guys so much for reading this today! If you made it this far I just wanted to thank you ❤️🙏❤️ The reason this post is so long is because we’ve got some catching up to do and I’m making up for lost time! Appreciate you guys, thank you!

Hello Again Hello

Good morning you awesome camera geeks! An old song once said “Hello stranger, it seems like a mighty long time!” Well today it’s more like Neil Diamond with “Hello Again” Hello 😂

I would like to thank my friend Frank B. from upstate NY for this post because he reminded me that I haven’t posted anything on the blog since last October! Wow, has it been that long?

I spent the last month traveling in the Philippines and Thailand. On this trip I decided to bring less gear but really focus on a few key Camera Legend cameras, some of which you’ll see in this post.

Multi-Tasking in Bangkok with the Minolta TC-1. I don’t multitask well but somehow I did it for this shot 😅

The trip may explain my inactivity for last month but what about the rest of the year you might ask? 😂

Well first of all let me apologize to all the great bloggers who I follow, who I haven’t dropped by to leave a comment or two. I have come to realize that I simply cannot multitask! And it gets worse the older I get.

It originally started out with me wanting to concentrate on my YouTube channel. Then my phone filled up and it automatically offloaded some key apps like WordPress and since I wasn’t posting much anyway, I very nearly forgot about it! I suck I know! 😂

Anyway with my regular day job, with Instagram and Facebook and YouTube I simply got burnt out. I apologize and I have the deepest respect for you guys who do this on a daily basis 🙏🙏

I got to a thousand subscribers on YouTube but I’m still not making any money off it. They keep upping the ante like you need a certain amount of watch time, certain amount of subs, etc. Honestly I hate making videos and I don’t really recommend it unless you’re a video-centric person.

But among the legendary cameras I took on this trip, my two most used were the Minolta TC-1 and the Leica M9.

The Minolta TC-1 and CatLabs X Film 320.

Classic car spotted in Manila, Philippines. Anyone know what make/model this is? Shot with the Minolta TC-1 and CatLabs X Film 320 developed in HC-110 developer

I found myself using the TC-1 a lot on this trip. Its tiny diminutive size was a plus! I’ve written about the TC-1 here before but have yet to do a full review either here or on YouTube. I hope to once I get all my film developed.

The Leica M9 is a legendary digital Leica introduced in 2009. I actually picked up mine in 2020. I got a great deal on the camera and I used the extra money I made during the COVID-19 pandemic to pay for it.

As a user of the older M8 since 2010, I felt right at home with the M9. Even though the M8 is APS-H (1.3x Crop Factor) and the M9 is full frame, they produce (mostly) similar looking files.

“Chillin'” 2023. Leica M9 and 40mm f/2 Summicron-C.

“Pa Jian” A 91 year old lady in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. She reveals her secret to long life in my latest video. Shot with a Leica M9 and 40mm f/2 Summicron-C.

Kodakchrome like colors are one of the hallmarks of the Leica M9.

Does anyone besides me miss those cute COVID masks? 😍 Shot in the fall of 2020 with the Leica M9 and 35mm f/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton

Halloween 2022. Is it almost time for Halloween again? Time moves fast my friends and I’m making up for lost time! Leica M9 and Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 Nokton.

The Leica M9 is a fantastic image maker even in 2023 but is it worth the risk? To me it is but only you can decide whether a camera from 2009 is still worth buying.

I’ve heard people describe the M9 as having an upscaled version of the M8 sensor and they indeed produce similar looking images for the most part. Although I’m not anywhere ready to write a full M9 review what I can say is imagine all the things you like about the M8 but make them better. That’s what the M9 is. Better color correction, better resolution, plus making full use of your lenses with the full frame sensor. But it has one major flaw. Sensor Corrosion!

Here’s my latest YouTube video which is part travel, part review. It’s not a complete M9 review but I think you’ll find out almost everything you need if you’re considering buying an M9.

I dedicate this video to the memory of Anthony Bourdain whose food and travel videos were an inspiration to me. In fact, although I don’t advocate smoking, I included the smoking scenes as a tribute to him, particularly the early Bourdain. I think that rawness was part of his charm.

I have been watching his shows since he was on the Travel Channel with “No Reservations.” Then he moved to CNN and did “Parts Unknown” for many years. Then seemingly at the height of his fame, he took his own life in 2018. A sad ending for a man who brought a lot of joy to many many people.

Anyway that’s it for today! I just wanted to say hi and try to get a post in. I appreciate anyone reading this. Thank you very much!

Hello from…

Good morning you guys! I know I have been away far too long this time even by my standards but I was gone for about a month and took the opportunity to not only take photos but also to take a digital detox. Didn’t sign on to WordPress once during my trip, sorry to say!

I went to Thailand and the Philippines. Two very colorful countries that appear similar on the surface but couldn’t be more different culturally. The one thing that ties them together really are the wonderful, friendly people.

I was almost always on the move. But on the positive side, I got a lot of rest at night. More sleep than I’ve had in months! On the negative side, I now have bad jet lag and my whole system is all messed up.

On this trip, I brought with me the Hasselblad X-Pan that you saw on the most recent video review. Just because I reviewed a camera doesn’t mean I stop using it! I also brought a couple other film cameras, including an Olympus Stylus Epic and Contax cameras. But which Contax? 😀👍🏻

On the digital side I brought my Ricoh GR 16mp. I’ve never really warmed up to this camera simply because I’ve always been partial to my beloved original GRD 8.1mp but I took the GR to “break it in” even though I’ve had it for a few years.

A crab found on the beach in Marinduque Island, Philippines. Of course, it was set free afterwards 🙂

Well, I don’t have any of the film developed yet so it will take some time. All of these photos are either from my iPhone or Ricoh. I just haven’t had the time to sort them out.

Guardians at one of the many spectacular temples in Thailand’s Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The amazingly funky Mahanakhon building in Bangkok.

I searched for film cameras and film and found them in the Quiapo section of Manila, one of the very few places where you can find film or film cameras in the Philippines!

A simple and undeveloped, unspoiled beach on Marinduque Island, Philippines.

No need for a title, but if I were to give this photo a title, I guess you could figure out what it would be 🙂

Surely there’s a lot of work left to do but I hope these photos give you a glimpse of where I’ve been and hopefully there’s more to come. And definitely, there’s a lot of catching up to do!

Hope you all are doing well, and catch you guys again soon! 😎📸👍🏻

Photo Of The Day: “Quiet Town” Contax T3

“Quiet Town” 2018. Incheon, Seoul, South Korea. Contax T3, Kodak Gold 200

The businesses and buildings of Incheon are amazingly colorful. Yet, for some reason this part of town was very quiet even during midday. I believe this was a Saturday, though I’m not 100 percent on it. All I know is that most restaurants were closed and it was already past noon. Very few people were out. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone! 🙂

If any of you guys out there know exactly where this area and why it was so quiet here, feel free to drop a comment. I’d love to hear about it!

This was shot last July as I wandered through this outskirt of Seoul, South Korea, on an unplanned layover due to airline delays. The camera in my hand was the Contax T3, loaded with Kodak Gold 200.

It’s funny, whenever I’m here in the States my preferred film stock is usually at ISO 400 or above but whenever I’m on an overseas trip, I prefer a film like Kodak Gold 200. The main reason is that I anticipate doing a lot of outdoor shooting in hot and sunny weather whenever I’m in Asia. In New York, I prefer shooting indoors or when the Sun goes down. It all makes sense!

I’d love to explore Seoul again, this time for an extended period. I want to try more of the food and photograph more of the sites, especially at night.

On the camera side of this article, which I know you guys have come to expect… 🙂

You guys know how I feel about the Contax T2 especially in light of the dramatic price increases. I used to recommend the T2 over the T3 because only three years ago you could find the T2 for $300-500 but today, the prices for the T2 have gone so sky high that it is approaching T3 prices which is anywhere from $1500-1900.

At these prices I no longer recommend either. That’s mostly due to the potential electronic issues these cameras have demonstrated, both personally on my copies and from other accounts. The prices are too high now for such a risky buy!

But, if you have your heart set on a T2 or T3, today I will say that if you could find a T3 for not much more than a T2, get the T3! Why? Much sharper optics. Less finicky focusing.

Sure, I remember in my 2016 review, I stated that I liked the T2 better because even though the lens is softer than the T3, it was sharp enough and has “character.” Yes, I said that but it was more charming when the camera was like $300-500! 🙂

At the prices the T2 commands these days, you might as well go for broke and get the T3 if you must have one of these Contax cult cameras.

Happy shooting folks!

Manila In B&W With The Ricoh GR-1 Film Camera

“Hotel City” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. There are so many hotels in this city! And so many beautiful hotels at that. This one is the Rizal Hotel near Manila Bay. I was very close to the building and despite having the GR-1 with its 28mm lens, I wish I had a wider lens. Yes, there is such a thing as not wide enough! 🙂

Manila, the bustling capital of the Philippines, is a fascinating, lively, and colorful place that in my opinion is better suited to color photography than it is for black and white photography.

“Mall Town” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. Mall culture is alive and well in the Philippines. They love their malls! I hate to admit it, but I frequented many malls during my visit and they were all great. They take their malls seriously in Manila! 😊[[[[[[[[[[[[

However, as a B&W fanatic, you and I both know that everything looks good in B&W anyway 😀

With that in mind, I couldn’t help but take my Ricoh GR1 along for this recent trip.

Now you may or may not recall, but in the last post I mentioned bringing along two of the greatest point and shoot film cameras along for this trip.

I used those cameras with color film so that means the GR-1 was NOT one of those two cameras, despite the fact that it could easily be in that same list of “greatest.” So what does this mean? It means I hope you’ll stay tuned as I have more goodies and surprises coming your way!

This article will show some photos taken with the GR-1 and Kentmere 400 B&W film. I developed this roll in D76.

Looking back on the photos, I wished I had shot more than one roll with the GR-1. That’s the problem with taking too many cameras 😊 In fact, I could’ve easily used it as my only film camera and I would’ve been happy with that.

Here are just some photos from the trip. Not meant to be an artistic showcase, just the things I saw in Manila and some thoughts on them. Where I can, I will try to give you some commentary.

“Intramuros” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. This is the famous walled city at the heart of old historic Manila. I shot this through a dirty window using both the iPhone X and the Ricoh GR1. I was surprised at how much detail came through from both! The detail here is really limited mostly due to the film grain when compared to the iPhone photos.

“SALE” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. I love fashion photography but mannequins are as close as I usually get to fashion models 🙂

“BGC” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. A scene from Manila’s vibrant “BGC” district, a hip financial and social center.

“Manila Floods” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. It rained nearly every day of the two and a half weeks I spent there. They don’t call it the “rainy season” for nothing.

“OOMA Sushi” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. Had a good meal here. Not sure why the man is smiling, but I certainly don’t know him! I just took a quick grab shot 🙂

“Lucban Church” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 Developer. Heading out a couple of hours southeast from Manila, I visited the small municipality of Lucban in the province of Quezon where I saw this beautiful and historic church that dates back hundreds of years. This is the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church otherwise know as “Lucban Church.”

“Free Fall” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76. Youngsters having fun at this man made waterfall at the Vila Escudero, a resort about an hour away from Metro Manila.

“Night Lights” 2018. Ricoh GR1, Kentmere 400 developed in D76 developer. The lights on the open air rooftop at the SM Aura mall in Manila. Considering this is ISO 400 film, I think the Ricoh GR1 did pretty good with this shot.

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The Extended Trip

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“Sisters Sa Kaeo” 2016. iPhone 6s Plus. The girls found themselves on a lovely, but lonely local unpopulated, undeveloped beach in the tiny village of Ban Sa Kaeo in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

Where the heck in the world are we?! I’m not sure many out there care, but based on the stats there are at least some who do. And I do appreciate that. I know we have been away for long periods before, but this is by far the worst and I do apologize. Some of you have left comments and messages and I promise to get back to all of you.

I have been away vacationing as well as visiting elderly relatives in SE Asia. While the trip is primarily to pay homage to relatives who are not in the best of health, any trip to SE Asia is a potential gold mine for photography. Not to mention a chance to actually use the gear I review here 🙂

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“The Mean Lady” 2016. Olympus OM-D EM-5, Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

One thing while overseas is that I always get minimal use of my phone and the internet due to lack of good wifi access and the high roaming charges I incur from my provider. As such I was barely on the internet, but the good thing is I finally know what it feels like to get a good night’s sleep 🙂

On this trip, as opposed to previous trips, I kept my camera gear at a minimal. I kept it light. Two digital cameras, two film cameras and a phone camera. While it may still seem like a lot for some, it’s not for me as I’ve lugged medium format gear and large lenses on my overseas trips in the past. Not this time. A sign that I’m getting old? Perhaps. Or maybe I’ve just learned to maximize from minimal gear? Maybe a combination of both.

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“Cool Blue Pool” 2016. Kids enjoying a splash in a small but cool, blue pool. Olympus OM-D EM-5, Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 in Paranaque, Philippines.

Above are just a few shots from the trip. I haven’t developed the film yet so we’ll see how those came out, fingers crossed. Anyway, just saying Hi! and thanks to all who still visit this site, I appreciate you, I really do!

Best, Sam

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