Entering Pentax SLR territory: My Pentax ME Super, with a K1000 detour

Man, do I love film cameras. Since I got back into film 3 1/2 years ago, many a camera has passed through my hands. The amount that I let go dwarfs the amount I still have. I like to keep things in check and limit my collection to "a reasonable number". That number, of course,...

Goodbye, old friend: The departure of the Minolta Hi-Matic 7s

Yes, I realize the irony: Just a little while ago I talked about taking out the Minolta Hi-Matic 7s camera again and how it felt like old times. And now I've gone ahead and passed it along to someone else. What gives, Shawn? I thought you loved this camera, your re-introduction to the world of...

On old favorites, new scanners, and darkroom time: An April film photography update

Allison Inn, Newberg Oregon, 14 April 2022. Minolta SR-T 101/MC Rokkor PG 50mm f/1.4 lens/Fujicolor 200 It seems like forever ago, and having a pandemic in between makes it feel even longer, but it was just a little over three years ago that I got my hands on my Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, my first film...

A wrap-up of my life in film photography: 2022

Trunk sleeps three. The Cully, 2 Dec 2022 Camera: Minolta XD5 Lens: Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 Film: Ilford HP5+ I'm just finishing up the third year that I've been back into film. It's been a fun adventure, so far. This year I bought a few more cameras, sold or got rid of a few, and...

When to keep, and when to let go

Self-portrait in the boudoir, 6 Nov 2022. Minolta Hi-Matic 7s/Ilford HP5 In the almost three years of my film photography obsession, I've tried out a bunch of different cameras and built a small collection. My stable hovers at under ten--more than a minimalist collection, but paling in size to some other people's assemblage. I don't...

A visit to the mausoleum, 29 May 2022

Wilhelm Mausoleum, 29 May 2022. Minolta Hi-Matic 7s/Ilford HP5+/Ilfosol 3 1:9 at 5:30 in Rondinax 35U Down in the Sellwood neighborhood of SE is Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home and Mausoleum. According to Wikipedia it is the first and oldest crematorium west of the Mississippi River, and the largest privately-managed indoor burial site in the Pacific Northwest. It's big,...

Photography as therapy

One thing that many of us have needed, especially over these past two years, is some form of therapy. It could come in the form of an actual professional therapist, or more likely from activities that make you feel good. While feeling good doesn't negate all the problems in our life or the world at...

In praise of the (n)ever-ready case

If you hang around a particular community or subculture long enough, you get hip to its lingo. Getting back into film photography, the term "Never-Ready Case" comes up frequently. It's the sometimes-leather, sometimes-not case that came with certain cameras. The point of the Ever-Ready Case, as it's technically called, is to protect the camera in...