From a young age I was fascinated with the way stuff worked. I would carry around keys and old cell phones, and by 12 I was repairing peoples phones and computers. So it's no surprise really that when I got into film photography that I became obsessed with different cameras and features. So if you want some nerd talk, below will be a few of the cameras in my collection and maybe some other ones I'm interested in.
Yashica Electro 35 GSN
I got this camera in the summer of 2021 from my grandfather. Now it's my favorite camera I own to shoot. Equipped with a fixed 45mm lens this rangefinder is quite fun to shoot. This was the first all electronically controlled camera to be released, and the first version came out in 1966. Unless you are using it alongside a flash, the only option is to shoot in "Auto" aperture-priority mode. The metering is determined by a red or yellow light. The red indicates that at the electronically selected shutter speed the shutter is too slow for handheld, meaning below 1/30. They yellow "over" light indicates that at the selected aperture, the shutter is going as fast as it can, 1/500, and the shot is still overexposed. This metering makes it very fun and simple to shoot. And your bound to get compliments on the looks wherever you go!
Obligatory Yashica mirror selfie.
Minolta Vectis 300
This extremely small, metal bodied, 24mm APS film camera is a ton of fun to shoot. The button clicks feel nice, it has a super cool pop up flash, a zoom lens, and pictures resulting in tons of grain, or maybe that was the expired film. I would love to be able to source a bunch of APS film, or maybe some day I will get to cutting, bulk-loading, and developing my own APS film. Who knows.
One of my favorite pictures taken on the Minolta Vectis 300, taken driving through Center City Philadelphia after class at Temple.
Konica Pop
This point and shoot throws off some cool vibes. You set the ISO to either 100, 200, or 400, but it's actually really just an aperture dial, and the shutter is automatically set, it has a flash, and a light that appears to be a metering system, but I've yet to shoot it enough to really figure out. The pictures came out pretty clear, and I was happy with this little plastic camera. Somehow at $25 at a thrift store it's the camera I've paid the most for so far.
Konica Pop, Minolta Vectis 300, and Canon SureShot 80u
Mamiya 645 Pro TL
One day I was researching different cameras, as one does in their endless free time, and went down the rabbit hole and discovered medium format. Right away I fell in love and become obsessed with this camera. I spent around 3 weeks with this camera back in November and it was a joy to shoot. I have recently purchased it, with it’s glorious 80mm 1.9 and still love shooting it every bit as before.
Mamiya 645 Pro with 80mm 1.9.
Nikon F5
Recently I picked up a Nikon F5. I've had my eyes on Nikon F series cameras for awhile now, as I have Nikon DSLR's as well as a multitude of lens, so to be able to use those modern lenses on a film camera would be a a dream. After shooting a few rolls, I'm very pleased with the results, the autofocus was nailed almost every time and the images are fairly sharp. I've also recently purchased a Nikon F3 for my fiancé, so almost all of my main shooters are Nikon now.
8mm and 16mm Cine Cameras
I currently have 3 cine film cameras. I have had 2 Sears brand cameras, a Sears Tower Varizoom 16mm camera and a Sears C/130 Super 8 Camera. The Sears Tower Varizoom was the model of camera that JFK's assassination was partially recorded on. I've yet to shoot the 16mm camera, but, my first and likely last roll shot on the Sears C/130 can be found on the Cine tab. Recently I have been looking to add to this, and finally found what I was looking for. The Nikon R10 Super. It’s a beautiful camera, and I cannot wait to get the results back. In the future I'd love to shoot and direct a short film on Super 8.
Loading the Nikon R10 Super with some Kodak Vision3 500T. Shot on Mamiya 645 Pro 80mm 1.9 with Kodak Portra 400.
Canon P
Along with most of the other camera's on this list, this one started out as a Google search. I was researching different 35mm rangefinders, and this is the one I fell in love with. After getting one in early 2023 and putting a roll through it, I'm as pleased as I could have hoped to be. Focusing is a joy, and everything about the manual shooting experience is just pleasing.
Canon P