A plump, chunky camera stares at me from across the room. I avert my eyes and glance back at the computer screen, my stomach growing queasy…
read moreAfter nearly three years of running this website, I’ve finally discerned the characteristics that make up my ideal camera. I like versatility and affordability, so interchangeable…
read moreWe’re back and spotlighting another excellent, non-professional shooter in our latest Featured Photophile. I can’t remember where I first came across the photos made by La Fille…
read moreTravel tripods are notoriously bad. Flimsy and cheap, they’re disposable products destined to be discarded and replaced by something better. Or at least, that’s the perception.…
read moreThe decade that brought us Dunkaroos and the Macarena also brought with it a scourge in the form of plastic-fantastic, homogeneous camera design that manufacturers would…
read moreLenses are expensive. But used lenses are cheap. And thanks to their adaptability to today’s amazing mirror-less cameras, legacy lenses are becoming an ever more popular…
read moreAs enthralling as photography can be, long days, months, and years spent shooting can wear you out. In the worst case, it can lead to a…
read moreFeatured Photophile, our recurring segment showcasing talented amateur photographers, is back. Today we’re spotlighting a nice guy named Alex who’s managed to create some amazing photos in a…
read moreAre you at work? Do you hate your job? Then why not stick it to your awful boss by spending eleven minutes watching vintage Nikon commercials? We’ve scoured…
read moreI walk east down Boylston Street as the early morning sun continues its slow ascent ahead of me. Knife-edged shadows cut into the gleaming, white marble of the…
read moreLiving in Los Angeles is a bit different than outsiders think. In the popular imagination, LA is a sprawling, steamy city teeming with lawyers, writers, and…
read moreToday is the beginning of a new Feature here on CP. It’s called Featured Photophile, and here we’ll showcase the photography of a talented amateur shooter, and give…
read moreI spent this past weekend shooting an instant camera like no other. Mint’s InstantFlex TL70 is a twin lens reflex in the vein of Rollei and…
read moreEvery photo geek has their Holy Grail. We all dream of having the perfect machine, and more than most of us spend lots of time and cash…
read moreSuper wide-angle lenses are unique. By their very nature, they’re specialized, uncommon, and expensive. So to go searching for a capable, versatile, and inexpensive super-wide seems…
read moreDocumentarian and filmmaker Werner Herzog once said, “If you don’t read, you will never be a filmmaker.” The same is true for any aspiring creator, whether…
read moreIt was after climbing 2,000 feet above sea level, with several hundred more to hike, that I decided to hate Minolta’s XK. I stood hunched and…
read moreIn my last article, I mentioned a shiny, little Nikon FG. The FG happened to be my very first 35mm film camera and remains one of my…
read more[Editor’s Note : One of the most common questions I’m asked is one that’s very difficult to answer. People who’ve never shot film want to know where…
read moreWe’ve all been there; spent too long staring at a famous photograph shot on film, handled a friend or relative’s classic camera a little too covetously,…
read moreI shoot a lot of old cameras, archaic machines that in some cases recall a time when the United States was comprised of only forty-eight such…
read moreIt’s no secret that we love our gear here at Casual Photophile. A quick glance through the archives is enough to illustrate our undying love for…
read moreMy eyes flitted from one glittering storefront to the next, unsure of which to enter. For weeks I’d been craving a cannolo, a Sicilian pastry with a…
read moreLife has a way of giving you exactly what you need when you least expect it to. So when I came across a Pentax SV for…
read moreThe end of a tiresome week found me weary, disheartened, and worn out. It also found me stuffed into a small, German sedan with my wife,…
read moreWhat can we say about Leica that hasn’t already been said? The subject of countless articles and blog posts, every inch of every Leica ever made…
read moreThe best 35mm film cameras in the world are Leicas. This is a known fact, right? And the best of the best is surely the M series,…
read moreGuitarists have the Fender Stratocaster, soldiers the AK-47, and handymen the world over have WD-40. These products have become the standard bearers in their fields; tools…
read moreSpend any amount of time on photography forums and you’ll learn pretty quickly that photographers will argue about anything. Analog versus digital, slides versus C-41, Nikon…
read moreThe Minolta MD W Rokkor X 25mm F/2.8 is a classic film-era wide angle lens that performs beautifully on today’s mirror-less digital cameras.
read moreJames reviews the Olympus OM1, one of the smallest and greatest all-mechanical meter-assisted 35mm SLR film cameras ever made.
read moreThere are rare objects in this world that have the power to stop people in their tracks. Works of art so beautiful that they demand a lingering gaze;…
read moreWe’re back with another film profile, and since we’re smack in the middle of a series on home-developing black-and-white film we’ve decided to spotlight, you guessed…
read moreIt happens to the best of us. At some point in the photographic journey, every photo geek is going to run into a wall. Things get stale.…
read moreAfter an extended hiatus, our Exploded Views feature is back, and I’ve brought to bear my most ambitious effort yet! I’ve chosen a truly legendary camera, Nikon’s F3,…
read moreWe’re back with the second installment in our continuing feature on developing black-and-white film at home, and it’s time to get down to business. Are you…
read moreI recently found myself the reluctant owner of a Contax 139 Quartz 35mm SLR, a camera about which I knew little and for which I cared…
read moreI recently overheard a teenage customer asking the clerk of a local camera shop about some gear. He wanted to replace his kit lens, but he…
read moreThere’s no better way to connect with the very essence of the medium than by shooting black-and-white film, and while the C-41 process B&W films are…
read moreThere’s a certain question that I get asked virtually every single day. People need to know what camera they should buy for their upcoming high school or…
read moreAfter much filming, lots of trial and error, and countless hours of editing, we’ve finally finished our very first video review. We’ve started with a camera…
read moreI began my photographic journey with a Minolta DSLR, the rather fantastic-in-its-day Maxxum 5D, so when I felt the urge to try some film shooting more…
read moreThe holidays are here, and you’ve got a photographer on your shopping list. At the best of times, this can be a daunting task; camera enthusiasts are seriously picky…
read moreI love film cameras. But the idea that film will ever again be the dominant medium in photography is unthinkable. The technical mastery and convenience of today’s…
read moreNot long ago, I penned an opinion that every photo geek should own a wide-angle lens. In case you missed it, I talked about the incredible ability of wide-angle lenses…
read moreA few months ago I was contacted by an enterprising photographer, Myron Hensel of Artisan Origin, regarding the possibility of carrying his line of leather camera…
read morePolaroid is back with a brand-new instant film camera. Good stuff! But wait, what year is it? Did we slip backwards through a wormhole? Did the…
read moreOne of the simplest ways to increase the dynamism and visual interest of our images is by using a wide-angle lens. By widening our angle of view,…
read moreI’m back from a brief vacation and I’ve brought with me a treasure trove of material for my photophile friends! First on the docket is a review of a…
read moreWell, it’s finally happening. We’re reviewing a Pentax. It’s the Pentax ME, an entry-level 35mm film SLR that entices with its promises of creative photographic controls,…
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