I Dream of Cameras

Latest Episodes:

Episode 35 • mm (feat. Talya Adams) Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

The centerpiece of this episode is a delightful interview with motorcycle-ridin’ L.A. photographer Talya Adams. But first!

Gabe’s bare-bones kit for his upcoming Canada trip: Leica M4 and M10

The Nikonos V is nice-konos! - let’s hear from Nikonos shooters!

the mailbag, featuring:

more talk of travel gear

do you have cute names for your cameras?

homebrew copystands

the mysterious allure of the 40mm focal length (Summicron, Hexanon, Pentax, Zuiko, Ultron, etc.)

Talya Adams interview:

how she got into film photography

her thrift-store Rollei 35 S and the Rollei B 35 that replaced it

her LA shop of choice: Walter’s Camera Repairs

learning her way around the exposure triangle

learning to develop her own film

her love for TMax 400

capturing personality in portraiture work

her next camera: the Canon AE-1 Program

how her admiration for Jane Bown led her to the Olympus OM-1

and then the OM-4 and the OM-10

what led her into medium-format?

her experiences with the Mamiya RB67, Mamiya 645, Pentax 645… before getting her own Pentax 6x7

her first rangefinder cameras: the Olympus 35RC and Canon QL17

not much love for the Canon P - she prefers the 7s

“buying the dip” on eBay

how many cameras is excessive?

her key shooters: Leica M3, Hasselblad 500C, Pentax 6x7 and Yashica A

why should Jeff want a Big Ugly Box camera like the 500C? because it will make him a better person

the philosophy which underlies her YouTube channel: develop your eye

Talya’s Instagram, YouTube, Medium and website

Episode 34 • Call Mr. Lee Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

The jewel of this episode is our interview with Trev Lee, an excellent photographer and the social media voice of The Darkroom lab in San Clemente. But first!

Oskar Barnack’s 1923 0-series Leica sold at auction for $12 million

Gabe sold two Bronicas at LA Film Camera in Studio City

the return of The Thingy, a adapter which lets you replace the obsolete PX675 mercury battery with a cheap 675 zinc-air hearing-aid battery

how many cameras do you have loaded simultaneously?

an abbreviated mailbag!

our interview with Trev Lee:

trading his beloved Leica M5 for a Rolleiflex TLR from Gabe’s collection

which of his 20 cameras does he bring on a shoot?

the allure of the Nikon FM3a - how did he acquire one, how did it vault to the top of his list, and why is it so great?

black vs. chrome cameras

his favorite lens for the Nikon: the 40mm Voigtlander Ultron

the rest of his Nikon lens arsenal are all by Voigtländer! the 28mm Skopar, the 58mm Nokton, and the 90mm APO-Lanthar

are rising costs changing the hobby?

the Canon Rebel and Elan as good affordable starter cameras

are people printing more? what’s the value of a print?

and furthermore, what’s the emotional component of photography for him?

does working at a photography business siphon off some of the joy? how do you balance the demands of the job with your personal work?

the culture of The Darkroom, their dedication to customer service and his role as their social media manager

Trev’s website

Episode 33 • Valentine’s Day Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

The mailbag features talk of travel cameras, copy stands, and the allure of the Nikonos system. But the jewel of this episode is an interview with France-born, Dublin-based street shooter Valentine de Villemeur. Tune in for insights into her favorite cameras, her shooting style, and her development as a photographer.

John-Michael Mendizza’s copy stand solution: a koolehaoda rail

Looking for an inexpensive way to shoot Nikon glass? Check out the oft-neglected Nikonos system — you can score a body and two lenses for under $150!

Valentine de Villemeur interview — her website and Instagram

Finally: what’s up with Portra 400? We can’t find it anywhere!

Episode 32 • We Gotcha Covid May 16, 2022

Show notes

Happy birthday to our patient patron Graeme!

Gabe’s COVID ordeal

A magical mailbag!

Gabe’s recent shooting adventures: a daylong shoot with actor Brenton Thwaites, and Retta’s pink party

Jeff’s been a-travelin’, so let’s talk about the travel-camera conundrum. His favorite is the Olympus XA4 Macro — what's yours?

Visits to two great camera shops: Unique Photo in Philadelphia and B&H in New York

In a stunning development, Gabe got a half-frame camera, a Canon Sure Shot Multi Tele — how does half a cookie taste?

copy stands are insanely expensive, so after much searching Jeff found a Durst F30 on Craigslist — it's the enlarger he learned on, and now the world’s cheapest copy stand

We regret to inform you that Polaroid is at it again, with wildly overpriced Saint Laurent cameras and film — damn you!!

Clare Marie Bailey gave Jeff a print of her exquisite photo “Memories of Summer” - print and hang your stuff, swap with other photographers, physical media is nice!

Looking for an inexpensive way to shoot Nikon glass? Don’t sleep on the Nikonos!

Episode 31 • Sissi Lu Who Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

Episode 31 • Sissi Lu Who

The centerpiece of this episode is an extended interview with film photographer Sissi Lu, known to denizens of New York City as the Lady with the Hassy. She’s a street shooter and a portraitist and a TikTokker and a YouTuber, and her passion for photography is infectious. It’s one of our best conversations yet, so TOON IN! But first…

A manageable mailbag!

Marie Nikondo is RUTHLESS! Check out our Instagram for some cameras Gabe is offloading, and feel free to DM him and float a trade!

and then, our conversation with Sissi Lu, featuring

strategies for street photography

the allure of the Hasselblad (and how it’s different than shooting a 35mm SLR like her Nikon F3)

building a community of like-minded shooters

forging a connection with your subjects

the challenge of leaving the house with only two or three cameras

designing the ideal camera bag

using the self-timer (yes, she uses it)

favorite film stocks (spoiler: she loves Lomo 800) and her second favorite New York film lab (picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom in Chelsea)

Sissi Lu’s website, Instagram, TikTok, and her UNDER DVLP channel on YouTube

Episode 30 • Sidewalk Crouches at Her Feet (feat. Jessica Devic) Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

an extravagant mailbag, featuring talk of Canons and bulk-loading

3D-printable leader-trimmers from Thingiverse:

One for normal film: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4557581/files

ABLON style, for Leica bottom-loaders: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1951048

Gabe went to the Morrison Hotel Gallery show and met legendary rock photographers Bob Gruen and Henry Diltz

Jeff made a pilgrimage to the KEH brick-and-mortar store in Atlanta and came away with a Konica Auto S3 rangefinder and a 28mm Nikonos superwide lens which can only be used underwater

he also got a lovely Canonflex R2000 on eBay, report to follow…

however! the Canon Dial Rapid he bought from a guy in Portugal did not work, and the seller initially refused to pay for the return shipping. Remember, gang: eBay policy is, if a seller fails to provide means of returning the item, eBay can issue a refund without you returning the item first.

finally, our interview with brilliant Toronto-based photographer Jessica Devic

Episode 29 • It’s Canon Now Mar 20, 2022

Show notes

Our first XXL episode features a blockbuster mailbag, a recap of our latest photographic adventures, and a sweeping survey of the perennial Avis to Nikon’s Hertz, the esteemed marque known as Canon.

A voluminous mailbag

Gabe’s five-camera all-film shooting day

strategies for shooting expired film

Gabe found four bulk loaders in his garage! As for cassettes, ask for used ones at your local one-hour lab, 'cause all the other options are BAD

And now… our Canon show!

SLRs:

FTb (big brother of TLb)

Pellix

T90 (and the infamous E E E error)

AE-1

Gabe's EOS SLR experiences

EOS A2e a.k.a. EOS 5 (eye-controlled focus, lethal command dial)

FD lenses, including the sublime 85mm f1.2L

the fascinating Canonflex

Rangefinders:

Canon P and other early rangefinders

Peter Kitchingman’s book

Compacts, etc:

Canon G-III QL17 - a nice compact RF, but tinny!

Sure Shot Multi Tele - autofocus point-and-shoot that’s a stealth half-frame camera

Sure Shot Classic 120 - point-and-shoot with classic RF styling

Canon 110 ED 20 - a rangefinder camera with aperture priority!

Canon Color Demi - pocket-sized half-frame in red, white & blue

Canon Dial Rapid - on the way!

Canon DSLRs

Episode 28 • I’ll Be Quirky Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

The barbarian hordes return fire with a fusillade of emails, and Jeff and Gabe recount their recent travel photography adventures.

The prodigious 🎶 mailbag! Including:

do you hand-check your film at airport security?

lens hoods — do you use 'em?

folding camera recommendations

listeners' favorite instagram feeds

the teeming masses demand pinhole coverage!

a new source for The Thingy (a.k.a. the 675 hearing aid battery to PX625 adapter) — Polar Bear Camera. They also sell on Etsy!

Gabe’s trip to Albuquerque, including a visit with the Bill Nye of analog photography, Cameradactyl’s Ethan Moses

the state of vintage camera shopping in Albuquerque

Jeff’s trip to Philadelphia, where it was so cold the SX-70 battery shut down — plus his favorite travel camera, the mighty Olympus XA4

Gabe’s photo shoot with the Contarex Bullseye

Jeff’s continuing adventures with the Voigtländer Perkeo

Bergger Pancro 400 does not get along with CineStill Df96 monobath!

what criteria do you use in selecting which camera(s) to bring to a photowalk?

in closing: 28 episodes in, what have we learned?

Episode 27 • Zeynep Bastik We Love You Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

Mailbag — which is way too male!

Thoughts on rising film prices

HUGE news: the Leica wristwatches are out

Gabe stumbles upon a concert by Turkish pop singer Zeynep Bastik at the end of his block and is pressed into service as event photographer — it’s the dream!

Gabe goes spelunking for camera gear in the Laurel Canyon lair of legendary rock photographer Jimmy Steinfeldt…

...and emerges with a Minolta XG1

Jeff's newest acquisition: a Voigtländer Perkeo I — so cheap, so good

Why don't we talk about folders?

Gabe dusted off his Contarex Bullseye — gorgeous, with amazing lenses, yet expensive and time-consuming to fix

Photographers’ Instagrams we like: Mike Gray, Mike Slack, Andre Josselin, Photographers Photographed

Episode 26 • Sexy MF Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

What the heck is a Pentax MF? A Perkeo? An AE-1? Okay, the last one’s no mystery, but HOP ON your podspeeder for a freewheeling episode featuring plenty of clapbacks from listeners, a bona fide in-person visit from a Sunny 16er, and the disposition of several long-nourished camera dreams.

A bumper crop of listener mail

Dream Team sweatshirts are now available

A recap of our visit with John-Michael Mendizza, including a trip to Cam Photo in Burbank…

…where Jeff bought a long-coveted Canon AE-1

Our pilgrimage to Monte's Camera in Whittier, a veritable camera museum, where we learned about the mighty Voigtländer Perkeo

The Electro Spotmatic is beyond repair, so bring on the strange and wonderful half-frame Pentax MF

XPan fever has passed

Panatomic-X auction — 20 rolls for $405! We're 20 years into the film-camera renaissance — is the supply of everything tightening?

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