I had heard good things about the AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5 lens. However, I never set out to buy one—at least not to use. I purchased an “XX” lens from Goodwill but immediately put it on the shelf with the other hard-to-find “XX” items. Perhaps I would have been tempted toContinue Reading
In March 2019, I had just gotten back into film and quickly discovered that developing and scanning costs were much higher than expected. After shooting five or six rolls of color, I decided to try a roll of Tri-X. The Tri-X took eight days to get back, the scans wereContinue Reading
Description: Red camellias blooming in mid-February Background: Before moving to Georgia, I cannot recall ever seeing camellias. I was invited to a party at a colleague’s house the first December after moving south from Washington, DC. Winters for me started in November and lasted until April and always brought grayness and ice.Continue Reading
Just to be clear, I never imagined owning an MC Rokkor-X 58mm f1.2 lens. I always saw it as too exotic, too far beyond my simple needs. Occasionally, I take it out of its storage case, stare at it, and then gently put it back. A bold streak hit meContinue Reading
I like knobs and buttons—so do a lot of people. It would seem that by 1995 Minolta had gotten the message and produced the 600si—YES!!!. Like a lot of gear, I heard about the Minolta 600si reading forums posts. I was focused on buying “7” level Maxxums and, at theContinue Reading
When I got back into film photography in 2019, my knowledge of shooting film was meager. I still remembered the basics of using a camera, but I knew nothing about developing film or the nuances of exposure, metering, using filters, hyperfocal distance, and other essential topics. Naturally, I looked atContinue Reading
The Minolta MD Zoom 35-135mm came to my attention through a forum discussion about zoom lenses. Only one of the discussants had heard of or used the lens. At the time (spring 2019), the only images I could find were the few supplied in the forum discussion and this reviewContinue Reading
I’ve been considering a bird feeder for a couple of years. The idea started with my neighbor across the way who, after installing hummingbird feeders, waxed poetic about the thrill of their visits. Each time I’ve had the urge to try a feeder, a few moments’ reflection was enough toContinue Reading
Description: Church against a perfect blue winter sky Background: Churches are everywhere, so much so that I rarely pay attention to them. This church is on a residential street but is set back about forty yards from the street. The intervening distance with a grassy, meadow-like lawn that dips down from streetContinue Reading
The XG-M entered my life because it was the last model of the XG series—no romance involved. By the time I bought the first copy, the idea of owning one had been percolating for a while. I wasn’t particularly itching to buy one because I had plenty of other camerasContinue Reading
