'VonCam' with some gear review or experiments on the first and third weeks of the month, 'Serial' for a recap of last month's traditional photography (digital and analog with lots of films, lenses, and sensors) on the second Monday, 'Matnum' for a recap of last month's computational photography (basically image software development and taking pictures with code for my photo apps Camare, Vica, Digital Paula, and Darkcam) the last Monday.
'AIsHit' are now at an irregular frequency, using great photographers of the past and present to assess artificial intelligence.
The Photocollective dialogues will have new episodes in an irregular fashion after more than 50 episodes. If you have someone you'd like me to interview, please reach out!
Visual experiments from analog to computational, are a pretext to talk about digital matter or silver oxide substrate. I use all gear types, from film to software and algorithmic programming.
This is a long shot but, I recently got one of these and I don't think the shutter fires correctly when the shutter release is pressed it the shutter moves but does not open. I do not know why this is as everything else works fine in the camera however, I do not know much about vintage cameras. Do you have any ideas about what might be happening?
There was a point in my life where I was really hard up for cash - I sold my beloved FA (with drive) & an 85mm F2 AI lens - biggest mistake to sell that camera body - now looking to re-purchase. I still have my Nikkormat FTN. All those bodies featured were built like tanks - you could drop them in the mud & they'd still function. Digital is all very nice, but give me an analogue camera everytime - it's the ultimate, functional control. Great overview !
Also, the newer FM2/FE2 is not available for the Non-Ai Lenses due to the absence of the meter coupling lever and simplification of camera building. The Power Check Lamp had also been removed/deleted from the FE due to has lower cost of manufacturing. Therefore, there’s no way to know when the camera will quit on you during a photo shoot. 😢
FM2 used more plastic parts internally comparing to the FM. It’s a lot lighter in weight. The replacement of metal parts was a beginning of cheaper manufacturing process for consumers and profitable for the company. Same goes to the FE/FE2. 🎉
FE2 and FM3a are the GOATs. Aperture priority if you want it. Manual if you prefer to shoot manual. Exposure lock button. 1/3 stop exposure compensation. And in aperture priority the ability to shoot shutter speeds that don't exist on the dial, like 1/325th of a second (or whatever the camera determines the exact shutter speed). With a full manual camera you're sometimes going to be in between shutter speeds so just have to choose to over expose or underexpose. (although the FM2 uses a digital meter in the finder so it just picks whichever one it's closest to... rather the FE2 and the FM3a both have an analog needle to show you precisely the suggested shutter speed even if it's right in between two speeds. You can then choose whether to shoot faster or slower shutter, or throw it in aperture priority and get that exact shutter speed).
I love my Olympus XA! We’re Olympus bros. Yours looks way cleaner than mine. Do you have the flash accessory too? Can't wait to see what you shoot! If you got a minute, check out the pics I got in my Olympus XA POV Photo Walk video I just posted where I shoot some fuji 400 in mine.
There are various flashes available for it, and for its siblings from a9m to a16, but mostly have used the a11, works great! I did a separate more in depth video for the XA. Cheers!
Beautiful camera! I am super jealous! I have subscribed in hopes of living vicariously through you as you shoot your leica because I'll probably never be able to own one. BTW, please don't be upset if you scroll upon my video making fun of leica owners. It was all a joke for internet attention. I don't want to get cancelled by the film community before I get a reel following.
If you’re patient enough and look well you can get some cheap ones once in a while. That’s what I did at the time, but I see some pop up on some non e-bay sites once in a while.
Besides there were only 276 produced and thus that its price is definitely bumped up, not much. I would guess that black paint didn’t feel as much as a protective surface as the silver treatment, that black might have make it look more visible in the environments it was meant for use at the time, and most were really not into it.. But that’s only a guess.
No collaboration with Minolta here on the M5, it was only on R series. This camera was designed and completely developed by leica, like all the others M cameras.
The collaboration was on the Leitz Minolta CL (CL for compact Leica) with a cell-arm that was very similar than the one on the M5, but yes not a collaboration.
As someone who used Pentax back in the 80's, I found this very interesting to see the family traits being extended in the range of these Nikons. Great so see each of the models in hand as well.
The Leica CL is inferior and more prone to break without good repair options. The Minolta CLE has superior exposure metering off the film plane, unlike any other film camera in that generation, let alone rangefinder. The glass, while assembled in Japan, is Leica glass, and the housing is only marginally deeper than the Leica branded version that accompanied the CL, and is more costly. The CL was the better M camera, and Leica couldn't stand that so they killed the CL, prompting the CLE to be made by Minolta. The CLE can still suffer PCB failure, and there are replacement boards out there, but one day there won't be. In which case, you'll be shooting it without the built in metering, which is optional anyway.
The CLE shares the technology with the Minolta XG series, and it is truly hard to default the system into missing an exposure. I do agree apart from the CL being the better M camera, probably the better bang-for-the-buck ratio for sure. The CLE also however doesn’t let you slide in some deeper older classic M lenses (e.g. 21mm f4 super angulon).
it is definitely a gem to work with beyond its quirks, feels literally like one, am planning to do more portraits with it for a series and will post these asap :)
I have a Minox "C" "spy camera". These little cameras can produce reasonably good small prints in b&w or color. If you can find film and processing , it is expensive. Flash cubes are not made anymore. Most prints are somewhat dim, un-sharp and grainy. Film and processing are expensive, substitute batteries and old stock flash cubes are available. Still have my old Minolta SRT-101 lenses and accessories. Also have an old Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T9 submini digital camera that is actually a nice little snapshot camera that does video clips too.
Great review, thanks. I have one of these lenses on my Sony A7IV and the rendering is great with the camera's IBIS, a medium ISO (200-800) and daylight.
Maybe I did not get the concept and idea of this channel, but these informations and pictures about Jan Saudek is absolut bullshit, randomly generated by AI models. Especialy photos have nothing to do with Saudek works. Problem could be, there is another famous czech photographer, Josef SUDEK (Saudek - Sudek, get it?). His name sounds similiar, but it is complete different person and history (lived 1896 - 1976). His work was characteristic for black and white photography, with monumental and sacred atmosphere, like 2:20....
Actually I kind of agree, it was to make a base reference of videos and see in a few month / years how the AI evolves and what comes out of the same process. Yes, good point maybe it’s confusing both, and that would even seem probable..
For me, being in perpetual telephoto mode is a deal breaker for adapting lenses. I have to get a 21mm just to get a normal-ish view. Those lenses can get really long and heavy.
Actually not at current market price… I love it but at the price I originally paid (around 2k). But then there is no real alternative to the experience.
I did use three cameras to test it, mainly the Leica SL2 because of its sensor microprism, but also the M240 and M8. The best outputs are obviously from the SL2 in my opinion.
That's actually a good question, but couldn't find any official info. Some say it is 1/125th of a sec (flash sync speed) but hard to figure out. I have to try filming the shutter in high speed to see if I can figure that out (once I finish my film...).
not everyone is going to get images as good as yours.( your compositions are spot on) I haven't heard of the "range finder couplings" issue? Is this a Leica specific problem?
Thanks a lot! As for the rangefinder, it's basically an issue for all Leica M-mount compatible rangefinders as you don't have the coupled mechanical ring linking focus to the rangefinder position on the camera. You will need a hybrid with live view or go for hyperfocal distance in that case.
Really a nice video! I am looking for how the camera performes and a Lot of people on RU-vid just talk around it. I think analysing the camera by almost only focussing on the images they create, tells so Much more. I at least learned a lot. 😊👍 And your images are also pretty good. Nice to look at.
It’s definitely a different experience. Would be nice to hear about those from Leica who had pushed for the changes amd how this “revolution” actually happened in house.
Happy to hear that. Often I have difficulties judging lenses I’m interested in with reviews that don’t really compare them to something else I can relate to or find info about. Glad to see I’m not the only one. Cheers. :)
The Minox 35 series was excellent, but these digital "replicas" of famous film gear (here Leica M3 mini) have been always craptastic. I laughed about, when it was being released. Minox made other replicas back into the heyday, too.
Fully agree, but i do think, you'd have much better IQ with any old PowerShot, for instance..and also RAW capability, and not that kind of weird colors, artifacts, rendering, all kind of optical flaws. :)@@zand
Oooh yes definitely, these Minox replicas are more of an experimental fun experience I would say. So much more to use from the sensor of the early PowerShots and alike! Will actually try to do a vid about the CMYK CCD sensors of the time, which can give some quirky stuff too.
Sad to see your silver edition is bumped onto the top, and how in hell one could break the viewfinder glass? Love the Minox 35 design, but the 1984 released Contax T boss'd it. The Sonnar 38/2.8 is an excellent lens.
I got it pretty cheap because of the damages, but they are almost purely esthetic, the viefinder still is totally useable interestingly. I might try to rejuvenate it one of these days, but very potent cam to use for sure!
Yes it is. I bought the silver version. The black is more expensive, and preferred...but the thing is, it's a fingerprint magnet, so it'll look always somehow bad & dirty, when being used, because of the fingerprints onto that delicate black paint...but into the end, it's not a dust collector into the drawer, or glass cabinet, but should being used.@@zand
Hhm. From a design point of view, this looks like one of the lesser example of F A Porsche's talents. There's a whole bunch of similar style cameras that combine form and function in a more attractive way..., Minox 35 models, Ricoh FF-1... etc.
