Every Article We’ve Ever Written – by Date

Exploded Views – Nikon F3

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After 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,…

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How to Develop Black and White Film at Home – Part Two: Developing The Negative + Video Guide

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We’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…

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Contax 139 Quartz – Camera Review

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I 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…

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Not Everyone Needs a Leica

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I 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…

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How To Process Black and White Film at Home – Part One: What You’ll Need

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There’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…

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Five Best Cameras for Photography Students

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There’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…

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Canon AE-1 – Video Review

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After 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…

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Minolta XE-5 – Camera Review

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I 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…

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10 Holiday Gifts for Photo Geeks

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The 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…

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Argus C3 – Camera Review

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I 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…

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Canon FD 24mm F/2.8 S.S.C. – Lens Review

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Not 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…

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Artisan Origin Leather Camera Straps – Product Spotlight

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A 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…

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Polaroid Snap – Camera Review

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Polaroid 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…

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Why Everyone Should Shoot a Wide Angle Lens

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One 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,…

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Pentax – A SMC 35mm F/2.8 – Lens Review

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I’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…

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Pentax ME – Camera Review

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Well, 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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What’s a Prime Lens and Why You Need One

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Prime lenses are lenses that use a single fixed focal length, as opposed to zoom lenses which offer a range of variable focal lengths. It’s simple,…

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The Best First Film Camera for Any Shooter

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It’s one of the questions we’re asked most often here at CP, across our social media accounts, and through our online shop. Every day, new shooters and…

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Jay Tsujimura Soft Release Buttons – Product Spotlight

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Today’s product spotlight is firmly fixed on the exquisitely crafted hot shoe covers and shutter release buttons made by Jay Tsujimura. Based in Japan, Jay meticulously carves, shapes, and…

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Canon AE-1 Program vs AE-1 – Camera Review

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If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. A good philosophy, and one that Canon kept in mind when designing the follow-up to their massively successful AE-1…

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Minolta’s MD 50mm F/1.4 Might Be The Ultimate Standard Legacy Lens

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Along with the runaway success of today’s mirrorless digital cameras, another segment of the photo gear market has seen a big rise. And while the products…

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Leica Minilux – Camera Review

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There are few cameras that elicit the kind of lustful ogling as those made by Leica. For many photophiles, Leica’s machines are the holy grail of…

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Kodak BW400CN – Film Profile

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We’re back with another film profile to help you decide which film is right for you. In the past we’ve profiled two Kodak films that are still…

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The Ultimate Camera Battery Compendium

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We field a lot of questions here at CP. Whether they come by way of post comments, our online shop, our social networks, or via direct…

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5 Best Point and Shoot Film Cameras – Part 2

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A while back, we published a rather popular list of some of our favorite point-and-shoot film cameras. We made it pretty clear that our list was just a…

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Olympus Zuiko Auto-W 28mm F/2.8 – Lens Review

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We’re back with another lens review, and this time we’re taking a look at a sleeper lens from Olympus. The OM-System Zuiko Auto-W 28mm F/2.8 doesn’t…

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Minolta X-700 – Camera Review

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I’ve long been a fan of Minolta’s cameras and lenses. The boys and girls working in Osaka were always among the most innovative, forward-thinking, and truly…

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Kodak Ektar 100 – Film Profile

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We’re back with another film profile to help you decide which film is right for you. Last time, we talked about Kodak’s Portra 400, a warm and…

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Exploded Views – Olympus OM2

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We’re back with another Exploded View, and this time we’ve dissected a fan-favorite SLR. It’s Olympus’ OM-2, one of the smallest and most technologically advanced cameras of the film…

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Nikon Nikkor 105mm F/2.5 – Nikon’s Most Famous Portrait Lens

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We’re back with another noteworthy lens, and this one’s a real legend for Nikon photographers of a certain age. If you were shooting film during the…

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Zeiss Ikon Contina II (524/24) – Camera Review

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When shooting vintage cameras there exists something of a sweet spot- a kind of “Goldilocks zone” that only a certain number of cameras occupy. For most photo geeks,…

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What is Depth of Field (DOF)

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We’re back with more photography tips to help new (and experienced) shooters better understand this fantastic hobby of ours. In the past we’ve covered things like ISO, zone…

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Should We Photograph the Homeless?

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It’s my belief that a writer’s job is to ask questions. As the owner of a camera shop and the founder of CP, I spend a lot…

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Kodak Portra 400 – Film Profile

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There’s no such thing as a “perfect” film. Let’s just get that out of the way. Every shooter has different tastes regarding tone, color, grain, etc.,…

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Nikon N8008 / F-801 – Camera Review

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Shooting classic cameras often brings compromise. Sometimes your camera lacks auto-focus, other times it’s got no light meter, or maybe your camera can’t auto-expose. I love…

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5 Best Japanese 35mm Film SLR Cameras

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The last time we compiled a “Top Five” list we were focused on the simple joy of point-and-shoot cameras. The automated nature of the five cameras we…

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Minolta MC Macro Rokkor QF 50mm F/3.5 Lens Review

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The Minolta MC Macro Rokkor QF 50mm F/3.5 is a truly versatile lens. It provides one of the easiest and most affordable ways to get into macro photography…

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CP Book Club – Leica : The First Fifty Years by G. Rogliatti

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There are few pleasures as easy to attain as the simple act of sitting and relaxing for a few moments with a good book. And for…

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A Letter to Our Readers

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To Our Readers, For those of you who follow CASUAL PHOTOPHILE’s social media pages (Ello, Facebook, and Instagram, specifically), you’ll have already seen my post regarding the noted absence…

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Exploded Views – Canon AF35M

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It seems we’ve been on something of a Canon binge lately. We’ve reviewed the classic A-1, put a wide FD lens through its paces, and just…

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Canon FD 28mm F/2.8 – Lens Review

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For a lens to be remarkable it doesn’t always have to be exceptionally gorgeous, have the highest specification, or cost as much as a small, used…

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Canon A-1 Camera Review – Canon’s Greatest Gadget

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Were CP the kind of website to give our reviews catchy taglines, the Canon A-1’s review might pose a problem. I could title it The Forgotten…

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4 Reasons Why the Leica M2 is Better Than the M3

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[Editor’s Note : Someone read this article and sent me a message that, in part, told me to kill myself. Pretty ridiculous, but I wanted to clarify…

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Five Great Point and Shoot Film Cameras Organized by Budget and Capability

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Here are five excellent point and shoot film cameras organized by price and capability. Find your best fit and have fun shooting!

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Exploded Views – Minolta MC Rokkor 50mm F/2

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Here’s another installment in our Exploded Views feature. Last time we featured the Canon AE-1, and this week we’re showcasing something that’s admittedly simpler, less jaw-dropping,…

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Leica M2 Vulcanite / Leather Replacement (How To Video)

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I’ve had a Leica M2 with cracked and missing vulcanite sitting on a shelf for over two months. It was sad, ugly, and wasting away. So this…

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Exploded Views – Canon AE-1

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Casual Photophile was born from an appreciation that cameras are amazing, tiny machines. What better way to illustrate the intricacy and wonder of these little devices than…

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Olympus OM2 (OM2n) – Camera Review

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The Olympus OM system has a long history of both exceptional and under appreciated machines. While the OM1 was received by professional photogs, the press, and…

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What is Cross Processing (X-Pro) ?

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Quick Tips, our continuing series explaining elements of photography in simple terms, is back. In past articles we’ve explained things like ISO, how to load film, and unraveled…

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Why Everyone Should Shoot Manual … Sometimes

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Much has been written about the technical benefits of shooting in Manual mode, and while these articles do well to explain why shooting this way can…

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