The Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII was a fixed lens 35mm rangefinder produced in 1977. It's a super compact metal body camera, equipped with the sharp and pretty fast Rokkor 40mm f/1.7 lens and a Copal shutter up to 1/500. This was a time when Leitz and Minolta were working in cooperation with each other, manufacturing Leica products out of the Minolta factory in Japan. This is when the Leica CL series and the Minolta CLE were manufactured. I am a firm believer that the quality of the lens on this 7SII is largely attributed to that. But more of that to come.
Read MoreGear
Gear Upgrade! Rolleiflex 2.8E - Test Roll /
Sometimes I have to stop and say to myself, "Ray, don't you think you have enough old crusty cameras?" Short answer is Yes, I do probably have too many. But at least I shoot with most of them in my rotation. With replacing carpet, refurnishing my house, and other miscellaneous expenses that have come up over the last few months, I have indeed been really good lately about not buying unnecessary stuff. But I came across a deal I couldn't refuse.
Read MoreAnsco Agfa 5x7 Restoration Project - Part 1 /
I like working with my hands. To tinker. Perhaps it can be attributed to a primal instinct to build and create. Or maybe because I had quite an elaborate set of Legos growing up. Or maybe it's a trait I get from my mom, the most inspirational tinkerer I know. While it's sometimes a fun trait, it often times leads me to break things, or to make things even more broken than they already are. But luckily, instead of breaking the nice things that I have, I found a nice woodworking project to work on this winter to keep my hands and mind busy as I wait for longer days and drier weather.
Read MoreLinhof Technika III Restoration /
I have been interested in trying out 4x5 photography for a while. I think it's the natural progression of film photography - 35mm is easy and accessible, and then you get the itch for trying bigger and bigger negatives. Then, add the fact that all the cameras look vintage and cool. I mean who doesn't want to be the guy hiding under a dark cloth to take photos with a 60 year old camera?
Read MoreRolleiflex Automat MX-EVS TLR - Test Roll /
After scouring Ebay for a couple weeks, I eventually found a Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS with a Carl Zeiss Tessar 75mm f/3.5 lens. It was in pretty amazing condition. This particular model was made between 1952 and 1956, and was the first model to couple the shutter speed and aperture dial according to Exposure Value (hence EVS). Rolleiflex's in particular are built like tanks, and are a thing of mechanical beauty. The way everything perfectly fits together and the smooth, solid movements of the knobs and switches are just spectacular.
Read More