Serge’s Photo Safari
Why do I have so many film cameras?
I own nearly a dozen film cameras. What is it about film cameras that makes people like me want to collect them? Do I actually use all of them, or are they just decorations sitting on a shelf? What does each of these cameras bring to the table that not only makes me want to own it, but shoot with it as well?
On “Standard” Frame Sizes
Except for a very few dedicated souls perpetuating the art, photographers have not used 8”x10” or 4”x5” large format cameras for at least half a century. So why are the vast majority of off-the-shelf frames made for that aspect ratio?
The Godox Lux Jr. Made Me Love Manual Exposure Again
When I first started photography as a serious hobby after buying a Nikon DSLR, I shot almost exclusively in manual mode. All that changed when I got into Fujifilm mirrorless cameras. But having to pay more attention to exposure settings when shooting with the Lux Jr. has done something special: it has rekindled my love for shooting in full manual mode.
Review: TTArtisan Meter
If you’re into film photography like me, you most likely have at least one vintage camera that either doesn’t have a built-in light meter, or it has one that doesn’t work properly. Here I review the TTArtisan light meter as an alternative to the Sunny 16 rule or handheld light meters.
Wherefore Film?
Two decades after Canon released its last professional film camera, film photography is anything but dead; in fact, it’s experiencing a renaissance. The used market in vintage cameras and lenses is vibrant, and although a few beloved film emulsions are now sadly extinct, many other favorites are still in production. So what is driving this revival of what many consider an inferior and obsolete technology?
What is street photography?
Few things are more ambiguous or hotly contested than the definition of street photography. Do all pictures have to be taken on a street? Do they have to have people in them? Do they have to be candid? Should you ask people's permission to take their picture before you take it, after you take it, or not at all? Should you shoot stealthily from a distance or get right in people's faces?
Fun with the Zonlai 22mm f/1.8
The 35mm focal length is supposed to be the sweet spot for street photography. Fujifilm has a compact 23mm f/2 (35mm full-frame equivalent) prime lens that gets rave reviews, has almost instant autofocus, and is weather resistant to boot. But what if you don’t need autofocus, or you don’t have $450 burning a hole in your pocket? Third-party manual focus primes can be a great low-cost alternative, and depending on your needs, the Zonlai 22mm f/1.8 might just fit the bill.