
Way back in the early days of the Camerosity Podcast, we did a show with Canon historian and author Peter Kitchingman, and recently as the gang looked back at what topics were worth revisiting we decided to come back to Canon rangefinders. But what expert would we get this time? As it turned out, Peter was available and willing to come back so we decided to retread this bountiful topic and deliver a "Part Deux" to Canon rangefinders.
Joining Peter and the regular hosts were Greg Harp, another excellent resource for these cameras who has a great deal of knowledge, plus listeners A.J. Gentile, Ben Ryerson, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Joan, John Roberts, Norris Liu, William Smith, and Will Pinkham.
We start off with some brief history and then get into some of the earliest Canon rangefinders like the original Canon and the slightly later Canon J and JII. Moving onto the historically significant S, SII, and IIBs and eventually covering the II, III, and IV series. We move along to the back loaders like the V, VI, P, and 7 series, covering various lenses, including the 0.95 Dream lens, a very rare original Canon mount wide angle lens, and others. Greg and Peter even share a bit of knowledge about Canon's X-Ray cameras which they made during and after the war.
Although a majority of you probably wanted to hear the most about the interchangeable lens models, we give some love to the fixed lens Canonet models like the trigger wind Canonet, the Canonet QL17 G-III, and even some of the more economically priced models.
Unusual to a Camerosity episode, we largely stayed on topic for this only only slightly veering into one Argus lens (blame Mike for that), but we answer a bunch of questions such as why is having different magnification ratios for the rangefinder useful, why is having separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows better, and what role did Nippon Kogaku play in Canon's history.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
Our next episode will be number 110, and we listened to you all for a topic and you chose 110 "Pocket Instamatic" cameras. This means the Pentax and Minolta 110 SLRs will definitely make an appearance, but in the event we can't fill a whole episode about 110 cameras, we are opening up the discussion to all 16mm subminiature cameras. We will record Episode 110 on Monday, June 8th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Peter Kitchingman is Back / Peter Still has Hundreds of Copies of His Book for Sale
A Show Listener Recently Picked up a Canon JII and Asked What it Was
The Origins of Canon's Early Models / Rangefinder Less Canon J
Nippon Kogaku's Role with the Early Canon Cameras / Serial Numbers are Difficult to Track
Canon J-Mount vs Leica Thread Mount (24 tpi vs 26 tpi) / The Canon SII Was the First LTM Canon
Canon Remained Profitable During the War Making X-Ray Cameras
Mike Thinks the Rotating Prism Was One of Canon's Best Features
Which Canon is Good for
Jun 7
1 hr 38 min

Episode 108 is all about a topic we've touched upon in a large number of Camerosity Podcast episodes, but after reviewing our show notes, we realized we had never covered thoroughly in a single show. Since you've probably already read the title of this post, I can't really hide that I'm talking about TLRs, or Twin Lens Reflexes for those of you who are acronym-adverse.
Theo was absent for this one because he only likes cameras that involve 7 of something, but joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike are callers A.J. Gentile, Brian MacDomhnail, Chris Sherlock, Ethan, Joao Gomes, Howard Sandler, Jeremy Scott, Norris Liu, Robert Rotoloni, Sarah Davis, and Will Pinkham.
We quickly get started with some TLR history and then introduce a couple of our first time callers. One such caller for the show was long time listener/first time caller, Sarah Davis who repairs cameras and specializes in TLRs. What Sarah lacks in gray hairs she more than makes up for in experience. Studying under some well respected camera technicians, Sarah has learned from the best and can now tear down most mechanical TLRs and Nikon film cameras, bringing them back up to life. We regularly hear of long time technicians retiring or passing away and it is refreshing to have a new option for your camera repair needs.
As you should expect, we cover a tremendous amount of GAS including some of our favorite models medium format, 35mm, and subminiature TLRs. In the roughly hour and forty minutes runtime, we cover the gamut from some of the most popular Rollei and Yashica TLRs to some really wild and rare models like the Welta Superfekta, the Tessina 35, AGFA Flexilette, and we even take the opportunity to talk about our beloved Chuzhao (which isn't actually a TLR). Mike discusses the closest he'll ever come to shooting a Nikon TLR, why he hates the label "Pseudo TLR", and shares some trivia about interchangeable lens TLRs.
If you were to assume that an entire episode about TLRs would attract everyone who loves shooting TLRs, you'd be mistaken as we hear from a couple callers who aren't fond of the design, especially the horizontally flipped viewfinder, and why it can be difficult to get perfectly straight horizons.
In addition to TLRs, we cover topics that are TLR-adjacent such as some of the different designs of focusing screens, why Rick Oleson's screens are better, and some fascinating pros and cons to leaf shutters, including why most of them can't actually move any faster than 1/500th of a second.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we will be revisiting Canon rangefinders (again). We tried to do this for Episode 108 but had to push it back due to a scheduling conflict, but we're giving it another go! The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 109 on Monday, May 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator an
May 11
1 hr 44 min

For over a year, one of my most sought after guests to come on the show has been Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue. Way back in December 2019, I had a chance to sit down and have a discussion with Chris and I have wanted to have another opportunity ever since and it finally happened!
Episode 107 is all about Chris Sherlock and his experience repairing and collecting the Kodak Retina system. I promised Chris, I would make it very clear that he is still retired and is not taking in any new work, but Chris is still active on YouTube, publishing complete walkthroughs of CLAs on Retinas and other cameras.
Joining Chris are Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike and a long list of callers, including A.J. Gentile, Aaron Knesal, Ben Ryerson, Doug Willoughby, Eric Schneck, Fernando Villava, Joao Gomes, Greg Harp, Howard Sandler, Michael Boudreaux, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham.
Chris starts things off with how he got started repairing cameras, all the way back in the 1970s working for Kodak in Wellington, New Zealand and then continues onto his first Retina models and why he started his site.
We discuss a wide range of Kodak Retina models, from the folders, solid bodied rangefinders, to the SLRs. Chris, Mike, and others share their favorite models and which ones we recommend for first time shooters and which ones have issues to look out for. Chris explains what kinds of problems the Retina cocking rack may cause and why the later cameras have a long silk cord in them.
It wouldn't be a Camerosity Episode if we didn't get off track, so we can thank Howard for bringing up the Voigtländer Ultramatic, Theo gives an update on the most recent Sydney Camera show, Greg Harp shares his recent 1930s Canon Standard pickup, and Aaron talks about his Yashica 44 TLR he bought from Paul.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are will be revisiting Canon rangefinders. The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 108 on Monday, April 27th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
We Are Recording While Artemis II is Coming out of Radio Blackout / Anthony's Artemis Launch Photos
Chris Sherlock is Not Coming Out of Retirement / Chris Still Gets Requests Daily to Repair Retinas
How Chris Got Started Repairing Cameras / Working in Wellington Repairing Instamatics
Chris's First Retina was a Retina Ib / Started Selling on Auction Web (Predecessor to eBay)
The First Version of Retina Rescue was an ISP Personal Page
Spare Parts Are Important to Camera Repair / Chris's Tips for Starting to Repair
Anthony Gets his Dad's Retina Reflex III Repaired by Chris
Paul Barden Also Repairs Some Retinas / Chris's YouTube Videos Are Incredi
Apr 15
1 hr 39 min

Ever since the very first episode of this show, we've aimed to include as many of our listeners in our shows as possible, but that our hosts are located in three different countries and in four different time zones makes finding a time that works for everyone difficult, especially those of you in Europe and other European-aligned time zones where it is often the middle of the night when we typically record.
In an effort to give more people in these areas of the world the opportunity to join us, on occasion we change our recording time. For Episode 106, we did just that and saw a large number of people show up!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this show were returning and first time callers, Brendon Wilson, Brian MacDomhnail, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Joey Alvillar, John Wade, Josh Calvetti, Krijn Vogelaar from Holland, Kamil from Norway, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Stuart Pratt, Vlad Kern, and Wayne Scheipers.
On this show, we covered a wide array of topics including one of Paul's most hated Nikons, John Wade shares with us a very interesting Ilford monorail camera which supports shooting on 35mm film, Ira shares his love for Eigenbau cameras, and we admire Krijn's beautifully painted Kodak box cameras.
In addition, we cover a large range of cameras from the AGFA Automatic 66, to the Kodak Medalist, Hasselblad SWC, Leidolf Lordomat, Mamiya RB67, the Tom Thumb 'radiocamera', and Mike shares a quick preview of a neat rangefinder camera he picked up called the Wenk Wenka.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are returning to one of the gang's favorite camera families, the Kodak Retina. To help us navigate the nuances of so many Retina models, we are happy to welcome Chris Sherlock, of Retina Rescue. Chris has many years of experience repairing Kodak Retinas and other leaf shutter cameras and is sure to have a great deal of insight into these wonderful cameras! We will record Episode 107 on Monday, April 6th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and Tuesday April 7th at Noon New Zealand Standard Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Happy Birthday to Pat Casey / Kamil and the Olympus mju Zoom / Minolta Dynax 5 / Nikon F80
Paul Really Hates the Nikon F70 / Mike’s First DLSR was the Nikon D40x
Fujifilm Finepix Pro early DSLRs were F80 bodies
John Wade has stopped writing books, but still writes for Amateur Photographer
Ilford KI Monobar, a 35mm monorail camera
John has Stanley German’s (Botanist in 1940s) specially made one off camera with all his slides
Ira's Eigenbau and Frankencameras / Machinists Who Make Good Cameras at Home
John showed a stereo camera which was converted to a Panoramic Camera
Paul likes the pretty Kodak Model F 620 box camera
Kodak pushed 620 across the world
Agfa Automatic 66 and the Goerz Minicord
Krijn's Hand Painted Kodak Brownies
Brendan has a Mandelar Leica M lens, they are a hot item
Third party lenses are really good value
Wayne is shooting a Zeiss-Ikon Contessa 35 an
Mar 30
1 hr 43 min

For Episode 105, it finally happened! As eluded to on a great number of previous episodes and on our official Facebook page and Discord server, the Camerosity Podcast finally dedicated an entire show to large format cameras! And not just any large format cameras, as a special guest for this show, we welcomed John Minnicks, creator of the Aero-Liberator, a home built custom version of a Graflex SLR using aerial Kodak lenses!
Joining the gang and John for this episode were a huge number of other guests, several of which own or have shot their own Aero-Liberators. In alphabetical order by first name, we were joined by some guy named Erie, João Gomes, Howard Sandler, Lloyd Greene, Mark Cornelison, Mark Widhalm, Mat Marrash (from FPP), Parker Pfister, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, and Will Pinkham.
In addition to hearing John Minnicks origin story, he shares many stories about people who he has sold cameras to and what has been done with them, including taking portraits of Barack Obama at his inauguration and at impeachment hearings in front of Congress.
Mat Marrash from the Film Photography Project joins us and gives us his insight into large format and how well it does from the retail perspective. We were also graced with the presence of Parker Pfister who shares his tales of developing film using his own urine! This is the first ever mention of "pee" in a Camerosity episode!
We eventually do get into a little bit of GAS, including some pickups by Mark Cornelison from the Chicago Camera show including the Camerosity favorites like the Voigtländer Perkeo and the KMZ Zorki 4.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we are going "across the pond" to a European time zone friendly time which will allow for more of our European listeners to join us. We'll keep the topic wide open to encourage as many people as possible to join us. If you are in Europe or other "European time zone friendly" areas of the world, we will record Episode 106 on Monday, March 16th at 2pm Central Daylight Time, 3pm Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm Greenwich Mean Time (London), 8pm Central European Time (Berlin), and 6am Tuesday the 17th Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney). For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
What is Large Format?
John Minnicks, Creator of the Aero-Liberator 4x5 SLR Cameras with Kodak Aero-Ektar Lenses
Going from a standard Graflex Super D to a custom camera with swings and tilts for a unique lens
Three Owners of Aero-Liberators Ron Gee, Mark Cornelison, and Parker Pfister
Common Problems with Aero-Ektars / Bringing People Together
Photographing Barack Obama with Only 4 Sheets of Film
David Burnett and his Aero-Liberator in front of Congress
Timtypes / Giving João Gomes some tips on adapting Leitz Hektor projector lenses and Tessar barrel lenses to his Graflex
Getting into 4x5 Press Cameras / Crown Graphic and Speed Graphic / Omega and Sinar Monorails
Wista, Tachihara, and Linhof Field Cameras
Lloyd Greene is shooting a Sinar monorail, Howard Sandler recommends
Mar 10
1 hr 39 min

We are back with Episode 104 of the Camerosity Podcast. Unlike the last few shows where we didn't come prepared with a topic to discuss, this time we took a suggestion from our Discord server listeners and attempted to tackle all the new lenses that keep appearing from Chinese companies, With ever faster maximum apertures and wider lenses selling for insanely cheap prices, are these lenses any good, and why suddenly is the market flooded with them?
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike are callers Andy Howarth, Brendon Wilson, Fernando Villava, Mark "Cletus" Widhalm, Martin Olsen, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Robert Rotoloni, and Will Pinkham. We start off the show with a quick announcement that Fernando has started a Spanish language version of the Camerosity Podcast called "Camerosity in Spanish". They've already recorded two episodes, and if you speak Spanish, it is worth checking out what him and his guests are talking about!
For this show, we briefly start off our lens episode talking about Retina Reflexes, but thankfully we don't stay distracted long as we move into the wonderful world of modern Chinese lenses. We attempt to cover different brands of lenses and what kinds of options there are out there and which ones we've personally had experience with.
Stephen and Norris have a wealth of technical knowledge and historical perspective for how the Chinese manufacturing industry works, and we get into a bit of why you're seeing so many options these days. While many of the new ultra-fast lenses are extremely affordable, they are built to be disposable and likely won't last nearly as long as the classic lenses many of us collect. Paul shares with us one (non-Chinese) brand that he doesn't like and Stephen tells us what "onion ring bokeh" is.
Eventually we do move off from Chinese lenses to talk about extremely wide angle fisheye lenses and Stephen tells us about a clever use of his Olympus Air A01 and we briefly mention strange cameras like the Nikon KeyMission 360 Double Fisheye lens.
With Bob Rotoloni on, Paul asks about a Nikon M he is interested in buying and we get into a discussion about the Nikon M and different variants of that particular camera. We keep meandering topics before finally ending up Mike's first purchase on the Japanese auction site, buyee.jp.
Come See Mike at the Chicago Camera Show: I will be heading up to the Sheraton Suites Chicago Elk Grove hotel for a camera show on Sunday, February 22nd. At this show will be several callers from this episode, Bob Rotoloni, Norris Liu, Mark Widhalm, and past Camerosity guests like Vlad Kern and possibly others. Mike won't have a table at this one, but I'll be walking around chatting with people so if you're near the area and want to stop by, come see us!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We don't have a topic for our next show, but we at least know it will be Episode 105 and we will record it on Monday, February 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
The Spanish version of Camerosity Hosted by Fernando Villava /
Feb 7
1 hr 32 min

In what turned out to be one of the more unhinged episodes of the Camerosity Podcast, for Episode 103 the gang didn't get the show announcement out until the day of the recording, but that resulted in a near record number of participants, and without a dedicated topic to discuss, we ran the gamut of topics from Theo's recent acquisition of a local lab's Fuji Frontier Scanner, to a very lively discussion about radioactive lenses and why you should not grind up lens glass and snort it.
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike on this episode were A.J. Gentile, Dan Cuny, Doug Doyle, Fernando Villava, Greg McCreash, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Mario Piper, Norris Liu, Pat Casey, Ron Gee, Vlad Kern, Will Pinkham, plus a few others who didn't say anything.
The show starts off with Theo telling the tale of how a Frontier scanner is coming to him and that turned into a very lively discussion about all scanning options from using professional scanners, flatbed scanners, and then eventually to digitizing with a digital camera.
Returning guest Dan Cuny shares some vintage digital cameras he's been working on reviews for including the 0.3 megapixel Canon PowerShot 350 and the floppy disc Sony Mavica! Continuing on the vintage digital discussion was the revelation that three of the five Camerosity hosts all have the 1990s Minolta RD-175 DSLR!
Vlad Kern from ussrphoto.com comes on and shares his recent pickup of a spy camera from a shot down Russian drone found in Ukraine which he recently acquired. Vlad's crazy spy camera looks straight out of a science fiction movie and the hosts wonder how he managed to get that past European and American customs!
Of course, we get into a bit of GAS including a follow up to Episode 102 where Ron Gee had ordered an Aero-Liberator camera from John Minnicks, Ron came back to talk about receiving the camera and his initial impressions of it. Other cameras discussed are the Tele and Wide Rolleiflexes, a rare Foth TLR, the 16mm KMZ Narciss SLR, a very strange and rare American camera called the Millfred Cand-O-Matic and I give an update on some leather I purchased for a Leica IIIa that needed to be recovered.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next show, Theo will be vacationing in Japan, so he won't be joining us, and there still isn't a topic yet, but Episode 104 will be recorded on Monday, February 2nd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Theo’s big piece of GAS… where will it fit? / Fujifilm Frontier SP-2000
Doug Doyle is excited for the Knokke film scanner
Mario Piper gets advice on dealing with spots and dust on negatives
Kodak Photo-Flo and Edwal LFN Wetting Agents / Ilford Antistaticum Anti-Static Cloth / PEC-12 Photographic Emulsion Cleaner / ADOX Film Cleaner
Add Humidity to your Darkroom to Reduce Dust
Epson Flatbed Scanners / Nikon Coolscan Scanners / Camera Scanning with Negative Lab Pro / Romanian Lobster People
A good reason to not worry about scanning resolution
Dan Cuny is reviewing vintage digital cameras like the Canon PowerShot 350, the S
Jan 22
1 hr 49 min

The end of the year has come. As is the case every year, 2025 was filled with some ups and downs. For the Camerosity Podcast, we reached the 100 episode milestone, saw a huge influx of Miranda cameras re-enter the used camera market, and a whole lotta pictures of manatees.
For Episode 102, the gang got together with some holiday themed alcoholic beverages and discussed what last minute bouts of GAS we had, and other bits of nonsense we were up to. Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike were returning callers A.J. Gentile, Leon Blankenhorn, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, William Ponder, and first time callers Joao Gomes and Ron Gee.
In this episode we start right off with recent pickups, Paul is enamored with his Hasselblad digital back which he has almost permanently mounted to his 907x, calling it the best digital camera he's ever shot. A recent pickup of a Hassy 65mm f/2.8 lens further cemented it for him. Pat Casey talks about his love for 3x4 Graflexes and first time caller Ron Gee is excited for his new Aero Liberator camera he ordered from John Minnicks.
We discuss the shift of German cameras being made in countries other than Germany, why West German companies made so many leaf shutters and seemed to be reluctant to adopt focal plane shutters, and Mike (poorly) attempts to explain the confusing history of the Voigtländer Bessaflex, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex and SL706, Voigtländer VSL series and Rollei SL35 series SLRs.
Mike shares his two most recent pickups, the first is the brand new and recently released LOMO MC-A which is an impressive premium point and shoot camera and he feels is the best example we've seen so far of what a brand new premium 35mm camera should be. His other pickup is a rather ordinary Vivitar XC-3 with the unordinary XC-A accessory which kinda sorta adds Aperture Priority Automatic Exposure to a camera which wasn't built with it.
Anthony talks about a $25 Nikonos III he recently picked up and used to take some of the best photos he's ever taken of manatees in the spring by his house. He also shares with us his oddest camera, the Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit.
And right before we were about to sign off, Ron Gee drops not one but two of the largest 6x17 and 6x24 3D printed cameras any of us have seen. With names like Sasquatch and Kracken, these large beasts are not to be taken lightly!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We don't yet have a topic for our first episode of the new year, but whatever it is, Episode 103 will be recorded on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches / Ron and Joao are Both First Time Callers Long Time Paul Customers
Zeiss-Ikon Contax S / Everyone Needs a Praktica
Different Types of GAS / Hasselblad 907 w/ Digital Back
Pat Casey's 3x4 Graflex Infatuation / Ron Gee is Getting an Aero Liberator from John Minnicks
Kodak Aero Ektar Lenses / Gowlandflex TLR
Ifbaflex M102 / Voigtländer VSL1 / Zeiss-Ikon SL706
The Shift of German Cameras Being Made in Countries Other than Ger
Dec 31, 2025
1 hr 58 min

When it came time to decide what to follow up our 100th episode, the guys made a comment that we should interview a prominent podcaster and blogger in the vintage camera realm. With a long list of guests already, we thought hard about who we've missed, who is one person who has helped grow GAS as much as any one single person can? Anthony spoke up and said, "Hey, it should be Mike"! While I had my doubts about how interesting a whole episode about me could be, I thought that I do like to tell stories, why why not?!
Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen, Theo, and Mike this, our 101st episode are returning callers A.J. Gentile, David Palumbo, Fernando Villava, Ira Cohen, Mark Faulkner, Pat Casey, Rob Lattimer, William Ponder, and Will Pinkham.
Over the course of the episode, I field a variety of questions from how I got started, what is my while whale camera, what cameras never clicked for me, what was an example of a camera that I felt overwhelmed trying to shoot. Paul gets me to revisit my 2023 trip to Los Angeles when I went through the collection of Kurt Ingham and what it was like going through such a large collection.
We get into camera accessories, especially how difficult it is to adapt Kilfitt lenses and that the "Rear Window" Kilfitt lens was never made specifically with an Exakta mount, we talk about what is a good first camera is, and we get into how I am resisting the urge to collect carbon filament light bulbs and Nixie Tubes.
Amazingly, we make it through the nearly 2 hour run time without repeating too much of what's been covered before, and while doing so managed to cover a whole lot of GAS!
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
We will be back shortly with our next episode, which is going to be two days before Christmas. We'll call this one our "holiday eggnog episode" where we recap the year and open up the call in lines for whatever you all want to talk about. Episode 102 will be recorded on Tuesday, December 23rd at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Mike’s T-shirt Sorting Techniques / It was Anthony’s Idea to Interrogate Mike
How did Mike get started? One night on eBay… He shares the cameras he used, and the ones that started his collection
The origins of MikeEckman.com
It all started with a Nikon EL2, then a Kodak No.1 Autographic Special, Model A
An avalanche begins: Argus C3, FED-2, Konica Auto S2
The Meeting of the Bloggers / White Whales Just Keep Coming
‘What the hell is this?” The Hasselblad XPan
Mike Damaged a Pentacon Six TL That Was Loaned to Him
Flying to LA: Kurt Ingham’s Collection
Mike’s Camera room (Cave? Bunker? Subterranean lair?)
Cameras that didn’t click for Mike / Konica AiBORG / Leia R8
Continuation/knock-off/replica cameras… Kiev vs FED and Zorki, Minolta Auto Press vs Plaubel Makina, Contax vs Nikon Rangefinders
Hidden histories Clarus MS-35, Vokar II, thousands of 6x6 TLRs, and the King Regula
Fernando Villava asks Mike about His Favorite Film / Anthony shares his bulk film lucky find
William Ponder wants to know if finding accessories leads to di
Dec 17, 2025
1 hr 40 min

Can you believe it? The Camerosity Podcast is back with Episode 100! From what started out as a spontaneous Zoom call on a random May evening during the midst of a global pandemic has turned into one of the most popular and still only open source film and digital photography podcasts! While the hosts have changed since we started, its not really the hosts that make this show what it is, it is the guests and callers we have each episode which keep us on our toes with new and interesting topics.
For our centennial episode, the hosts sent out invites to some of our favorite guests and also kept the call in lines open for anyone to join us. We received responses from Todd Gustavson from the George Eastman Museum, Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Camera and Auctions in Chicago, Marwan El Mozayen from Silvergrain Classics, Robert Rotoloni from the Nikon Historical Society, and returning for the first time in 50 episodes, Johnny Sisson from Central Camera in Chicago. Joining these esteemed guests were callers A.J. Gentile, Alex Luyckx, Eric Risse, Greg McCreash, Nick Marshall, Pat Casey, Patrick Rapps, Wayne Scheipers, Will Pinkham, and William Ponder. It was a star studded cast if I ever saw one!
We get things started out with Marwan giving us an update on the all new Widelux-X panoramic camera prototype and where there at in its ultimate release. While we don't expect to see the new model this year, its release is coming soon! Todd chimes in with updates from the George Eastman Museum and what's new in their collection. He shares what he knows about Eastman Kodak's recent announcement of them distributing their own film again and the new Kodak 100 and 200 films and a project to document the most important historical cameras in history. Dan Tamarkin discusses getting married and the upcoming Tamarkin Camera Auction and gives us a preview of a couple cool Leicas which will appear in the show.
Robert gives an update on the state of the NHS Journey and Alex shares what he's working on for his site and an upcoming review of EFKE KB50 film. Johnny Sisson is back at Central Camera and he shares some updates about what's going on there and what's new in his life. While we don't expect to see Johnny resuming his hosting responsibilities, he should be more present in the camera collector community.
In addition to the guests already mentioned, other callers chime in with their favorite developers for black and white film, Will Pinkham opens Pandora's Box by asking for recommendations for a good rangefinder to use, and Mike shares his thoughts on the Nikon S3 re-release from 2000 and William Ponder shares his love for the Welta Weltini.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
As we hit this milestone 100th episode, we are taking a short break before our next recording. As of this post, we don't yet have a date or a topic for Episode 101, but rest assured, once we know, it will be communicated via the normal channels!
In This Episode
Dan Tamarkin Got Married! / Dan's New Wife is a Leica DLux Shooter
Marwan from Silvergrain Classics Discusses the Widelux-X Prototype's Debut
Why is it Called the Widelux-X? / A Little Background
The Prorotype's Black and Brass Body
Nov 7, 2025
1 hr 46 min
Load more
