Blog
Loose notes from Konica Pearl II repair
I finally got a folder. Konica Pearl II, or going by initials to the horror of all office workers, KPI(I). Rangefinder was not accurate…
My frustrations with Nikon Zf
Since corporations get bigger and bigger, technical support gets abstracted away. Or offloaded. Or just doesn't exist anymore and it's a…
Developing film on a budget
First of all: you don't need a darkroom. And also first of all: you don't need a "kit". Developing black and white film can be very cheap…
Traveling to Vietnam
Still having some annual leave left, I decided to go for a weeklong trip to Vietnam. That's one destination I've heard great things about…
Quo vadis, Fujifilm? One month with Nikon Zf
I went to North America again. To escape work, to escape myself, my circumstances. Well, for work-related reasons first and foremost, but I…
One roll with... Olympus Flex 2.8A
Or when you learn that Rolleiflex was not the only TLR with a f2.8 lens. Most camera manufacturers that hung around long enough had a TLR in…
One roll with... Rollei 35
There's a bit of a drama recently, with the newly released Rollei 35AF; the original one came into spotlight again. It never really left it…
One box of Instax square with... Mamiya RB67
This is not a review of the RB67. This article is about the joys of instant photography, and exploring potential outlets of your own art…
One year without C41... and Harman Phoenix review
"C-41 is digital with extra steps". If you look hard enough, you'll probably see me somewhere saying that. To prove my point, I decided that…
One roll with... Agfa Optima 1535
Rangefinder. Red dot. Made in Germany. I present to you... the Agfa Optima 1535. The odd one out, and fairly rare camera, the advanced…
Traveling to Phillippines
At the end of March I have gone on a small trip to Palawan, Phillippines - a place of beautiful water, beaches, landscapes. Although it was…
Focus On The Negative: LLL 'Summicron' 8 element collapsible
The lens that started out Light Lens Lab. Rare 8 element Summicron. Remade by the Chinese. I'm not a huge fan of 35mm, but I decided to give…
Agat 18(K) English manual
Press Read More to get to the links. A while back I have translated the manual. However, Dropbox did a thing where it suddenly cut my…
Salt with black and white film...?
I saw a post on Facebook a while ago claiming that adding 30g/1L of salt to BW developer would help with contrast and base fog. I looked a…
Can you make a bracket for RX100V for DJI Osmo Mobile 6?
Osmo Mobile 6 is a light gimbal dedicated mainly for cellphones. And I got one for free. But you know what? I don't like my phone that much…
What I got in 2023
Like in the last year, I have decided to catalogue what I got in the last year. And there has been... Maybe less than I thought it would be…
One roll with... Konica Hexar RF
BRO. GET A RANGEFINDER. BRO. What for? SLRs are superior which has been proven how Lieca was begging Minolta to get them out of bankrupcy in…
One roll with... Konica MG/D
Run. Point. Shoot. Live. Then complain about Portra 400 prices. That's how an average film point and shooter thinks his life looks like, and…
One roll with... Minolta Repo
When I first heard of half frame cameras, I thought they're a great idea. 72 pictures! Can save so much on film! And the cameras are usually…
Focus on the negative: AstrHori vs TTArtisan light meters
As fun as fully manual cameras can be, and Sunny 16 as true as it can be (although it's more like Overcast 4 in Poland), a small and light…
A delayed gweilo's perspective: Double Ducks
Front page news: two massive inflated ducks, docked in front of Admiralty, for people to see. They're indeed massive - easily visible from…
A delayed gweilo's perspective: Nostalgia Fair in Victoria Park, early June
A bright, sunny Sunday. A welcome change of pace after a rainy week. Yes, it is hot and humid, and without sunscreen it may be dangerous to…
A delayed gweilo's perspective: Cheung Chau Bun Festival
After three years of Kung Flu reign, Cheung Chau Bun Festival has returned onto the regular schedule. I haven't had the opportunity to see…
Focus On The Negative: Light Lens Lab Elcan 50mm f/2 LTM
From China with love, without any snark. And a little middle finger towards the red dot, too. The story of the 4-element Elcan has been…
Loose notes from Fuji GS645S repair
As much as you say you care about your equipment, accidents may still happen. So yeah, I dropped my beloved GS645S, from about half a meter…
Another guide to scanning film
Nobody asked, but I'll say it anyway. And everyone has their own method, too, and frankly no method can be considered straight up bad*, as…
What I got in 2022 - an overview
Wow, last year was gassy. As if I had a bean soup for a week straight. Despite me writing about the void, I still was hungry for more - more…
TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 Fuji X pancake review
I'm cheap. I'll get it out of the way first. I'm not loyal to anyone, except for low taxes, low prices. TTArtisan did a quick release…
One roll with... Canon EOS 30
I mentioned something about the opportunities. Through an incredible stroke of bad and good luck, you may meet good people; and the good…
One roll with... Kodak Tri-X disposable
Reduce, reuse, recycle. All of that in a capitalist society, where you're constantly bombarded with advertisements; where companies with…
One roll with... Minolta 505si
I had an opportunity. Multiple opportunities, actually, and sometimes you just have to act on them, remembering about the risks. I've been…
Salt Paper Prints
Salt paper prints were discovered in 1830s, and were the method of making positive prints from negatives. The process has been widely…
Pergear 60mm f2.8 2:1 macro lens - review
A Chinese manufacturer releases a new, cheap lens. Their optics have been getting better and better recently, but you're still skeptical…
Minolta XG-1: A budget option that gets you 99% the way there
The moment I got my hands on my end-all 35mm camera, a black Minolta XD, I decided to sell off the XG-1 to a friend for a decent price. I…
Black and white developer recipes
The infromation is slowly disappearing from the net. The other day I realized I cannot find the recipe for D-76d I've been using! So there's…
Dealing with expired slide
We all know how to deal with expired color and black and white negative already. Overexpose one stop per d- I mean, bracket, test…
The Void
During my first steps in photography, it seemed to me like the gear used was super important. Lenses, bodies. I mean, I had a Zenit ET for…
Gallery launched
This was a pain. Mostly because of the technology I chose. CV-driven development requires some dedication, and sacrifice. Getting out of the…
Finally bought a domain!
This is it. Hello, world. (world: Helloo, spaqin) It's working, and it's quite a spectacle. But I'm sure it took less work than this…
