Uncle Jonesy’s Cameras Podcast #60: A Look Inside Waynes’s Camera Bag

The Shutter Brothers are back - and Wayne has his Normay camera bag with him! Wayne has been quite busy getting ready for his trip to Norway later this month, Today we get to find out what three cameras and film he plans to take with him. We also hear about Wayne's travel plans and what he expects to photograph there. 

Wayne’s Norway photography plans include using these
three fine cameras, plus film, filters, meter, and the cutest mini tripod you ever saw.

Before we get to look inside Wayne's camera, however, it's time to empty the mailbag and read some listener mail. Listener Roger gives a tour of his "mini camera museum,' which you can see below. We also read two emails that refer to Pentax cameras, and as a coincidence, Kevin relates his recent fist time experiences with the Pentax Spotmatic SP and the Pentax ME Super. And for all you Pentax fans out there (we're looking at you, Mike Gutterman!), www.pentaxforums.com is a very useful source of information regarding all things Pentax.

Listener Roger’s “mini museum” of cameras and lenses,
which he describes in detail in his latest email.

Meanwhile, Kevin has been thinking once again about creating a darkroom space in his small condo bathroom. His first attempt last year was more about “going enlarger-less” and using just a light bulb to make contact prints of his 4x5 negatives, but Kevin abandoned the project after having difficulty keeping wet and dry areas separated. However, this time Kevin is using a small Meopta Axomat II enlarger on the sink counter and also using the bathtub as a darkroom sink for the developing trays. So far, the results look promising. Kevin plans to perform the Kodak safelight test next time, and you can read more about the Kodak safelight test here and also see a great video by the Geoffrey Davis (the Naked Photographer) here.

The Meopta Axomat II just fits on the sink counter, and the
developing trays are in the bathtub.

First prints:  Not perfect, but not bad.

In our final segment, Wayne shares more wisdom with part two of his "Thoughts from the Field."  You find part one here. 

Wayne’s Thoughts From the Field Part Two

14. There’s no such thing as “good” or “bad” light. There are only subjects best suited for the light 

you have.

15. Reduce the variables.

16. Revisiting a familiar location almost always produces better work than the first visit to a new 

location.

17. Field notes are a waste of time unless you review them later.

18. Patience is not just a virtue, it’s a necessity.

19. Simplify.

20. Always have extra batteries.

21. Carry at least two cable releases.

22. You can do everything right and still fail.

23. Wayne’s Parking Conjecture: The probability of finding roadside photographic opportunities is 

inversely proportional to the availability of safe, convenient parking.

24. While driving, if you come across a road with a name that starts with the word “Old,” take it

As always, we wholeheartedly invite your feedback, so please send us an email to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com and tell us about yourself and your photography. Feel free to ask us questions, give us advice and tips, talk about your gear, and share your favorite photographic stories. You also can find us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there. Until next time . . .

Happy Photography!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #59: The Brick Giveaway

 by Kevin Lane

Show #59, The Brick Giveaway, was one of my all-time favorites for one simple reason:  Wayne and I spent most of the show reading listener emails. I love getting feedback from listeners. To me, it makes the show worth all the work. Moreover, it reminds me of why I wanted to make the Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast in the first place. First Kelley and I, and now Wayne and I, want to give back to the film photography community by sharing what we know and what we learn. So, not only do our listeners matter to us because of what they say they have learned by listening, but also they matter because of what they teach us. Podcasts on the surface seem to be one-way communication only, but we want ours to be more like a conversation between us and our listeners.

To that end, we are not above using giveaways to attract listener email, as we have done with our Argus C3/Shutterhut giveaway. It's worth it to me to get the feedback I so crave from our listeners. And besides, the giveaways serve both us and our listeners in another way. We get rid of things that we no longer need, and lucky listeners get something that they want to have and will use. So, to that end, Wayne and I spend much of our show reading some awesome listener email, and three of our listeners win two Argus C3s and a Shutterhut tent. How cool is that?!

The second part of show #59 is a segment we call "Thoughts from the Field Pt. 1, and it comes from the mountain wisdom of Shutter Brother Wayne Setser. Wayne has been doing a lot of thinking about the philosophical side of photography, so he and I discuss some ideas that may help us regarding our mental approach to this fine hobby. We hope you get some inspiration from them as well. Here is what we discussed in show #59, and in show #60 we will present "Thoughts from the Field Pt. 2" 

Thoughts From The Field Pt. 1

(In no particular order.) 

1. When you get to your destination take a few minutes to get the “feel” of the place.

2. Don’t have the shot composed before you get to your destination.

3. It’s okay to head out with a shot or subject in mind, but keep an open eye. 

4. When you find a promising subject, put the camera down and find the best place to put the tripod.

5. Look for contrast.

6. Before you release the shutter, take a minute to look around for a better composition.

7. Don’t feel “invested” in the shot.

8. Watch the edges.

9. Be there. Leave your problems behind, they’ll still be there when you get back.

10. A good tripod is essential.

11. Accept that some things just can’t be photographed, although it may be worth trying.

12. Respond, step back, analyze, decide.

13. The only “rule” of composition is: “It just looks right.”

As always, we wholeheartedly invite your feedback, so please send us an email to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com and tell us about yourself and your photography. Feel free to ask us questions, give us advice and tips, talk about your gear, and share your favorite photographic stories. You also can find us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there. Until next time . . .

Happy Photography!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #58: The Noblex (Go Wide or Go Home!)

If you have been listening to the Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast for the last year or so, then you know Shutter Brother Wayne Setser as a large format photographer who makes beautiful images with his Wisner 4x5 Technical Field Camera. However, until very recently, I did not know that there was a camera that

Wayne has desired to own and use for more than thirty years, the Noblex 6/150F panoramic camera. Wayne finally has acquitted one of these unique cameras, and I got a good look at how it works. It makes its panoramic images on 120 film with its motorized revolving lens, recording six 5x150cm frames on a single roll. The negatives Wayne showed me are stunningly sharp and beautiful, and I couldn't wait to see his first print from them. Then today he sent me a photo of his first print, and I was blown away. He has something that I could easily see matted, framed, and hanging on a wall. I think Wayne is really excited about using this camera, and we are going to see some great panoramic prints emerging from his home darkroom. Congratulations Wayne!

Not to be left out, I too am excited about a new camera, although mine hasn't arrived yet. I have ordered my very own large format camera, the Intrepid 4x5 Mk 5. It will arrive in about a week, and I can't wait to get started with it. As you know, Wayne has generously loaned me his Crown Graphic to begin my large format journey with, and I really enjoyed using it. But know I will have my very own LF camera to use and learn with. I will share more about it soon.

35mm point and shoot cameras are all the rage at the present, and prices have really gone up on certain models. But in my humble opinion, the Minolta AF2 is one of the best ever made. I recently used mine to make snapshots at my wife's nephew's wedding, and the camera was a lot of fun to use. I got good results from it as well. Why would a camera that generally has a low price tag and less features than other "popular" point and shoot cameras be a better choice? Listen to the show to find out.

Here are my two favorite reviews of the Minolta AF 2.

https://casualphotophile.com/2020/09/07/minolta-hi-matic-af2-review/

https://casualphotophile.com/2020/09/07/minolta-hi-matic-af2-review/

Inspired by Wayne, I have been mixing my own developers recently, but I have not been getting the results I expected. My negatives developed with homemade D-23 mostly came out over developed, while my negatives developed in homemade D-76H (an environmentally friendly version of D-76 that has no hydroquinone) were consistently underdeveloped. While I cannot identify the exact cause of these problems, I did remember that I also began using water from my Brita water pitcher to mix my chemistry around the same time I began to experience the problems noted above. Could it be that not using distilled water was causing my developing "losing streak?" 

Finally, Wayne are I are giving away some things that we don't need. Could our "junk" be your "treasure?" It might be if you would like to own an Argus C3 or a Shutter Hut Tent! If you want to have a chance at winning, you must send an email to us at unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com.

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there. Until next time . . .

Happy Shooting!

Time to Sell Pt. 2: Hard Choices

Jonesy's 202:  A camera I should
use more.

In my previous post I laid forth the argument for selling some of the cameras in my "inventory" (remember, I am not a camera collector). Having made a convincing case (at least to myself), now it is time to decide which cameras will stay and which cameras will go. This will not easy, and it will get progressively more difficult as I go. I definitely am experiencing a strong temptation to simply let things stay the way they are now and keep everything. I'm starting to hear voices. "What harm will not selling do? Just let them stay where they are. Maybe you will end up using all of them over the course of this year. And remember:  once they are gone, they are not coming back. Is this what you really want?" Perhaps these voices are coming from the cameras themselves. Perhaps not.

However, for the reasons I have already stated and for a reason I have yet to reveal, I will not listen to these voices (wherever they come from) and move forward with my plan. First, let's develop a selection criteria that answers the question, "Why should I keep you?"

1.  Do You Work?

I know this sounds like an obvious (and ridiculous) question, but collectors acquire non-functioning cameras all the time. They don't buy them to shoot them. I am not a collector, so I do not need cameras that do not work. For example, until recently I owned a Minolta Maxxum 600si. I really liked the way the 600si was designed in an old school way with control knobs instead of buttons and a menu. However, one of the two control dials never worked, meaning that the camera could never be used in manual mode. That wasn't a big problem for me, as I use aperture priority when in automatic exposure mode. But one day I was shooting the camera when it ceased to fire and displayed an error message in the LCD screen. I later learned that the aperture base plate had failed, and because the part is no longer available, the camera was doomed. So, what to do with it? Toss it in the landfill? No, I sent it to a camera repair person to be a donor camera, so that people who need parts for a 600si could get their camera repaired (along as the problem wasn't the aperture base plate!)

Sometimes the question is "Do you work" but instead "Do you work well or completely?" My Minolta Maxxum 5, for example, works fine except for the built-in flash. And it died an a very inopportune time - my daughter's wedding reception. Not cool.

2.  Have I Used You Lately?

Had any of my camera actual feelings, this question could make some of them very uncomfortable. There are some that haven't been used much, especially lately. Perhaps I have picked favorites that become reliable cameras that are easy for me to use. Others might have fallen by the wayside because they have let me down with their results. My Holga, for example.

3.  Are You a Challenge to Use?

Leica ilia:  Not easy to use but not going anywhere.

This is not always a valid question. My Leica ilia, for example, is more challenging to use than most of the cameras, mainly because the film leader has to be trimmed before the camera can be loaded. Even if you prepare enough rolls ahead of time, the camera still is not easy to load (although I am getting better at it each time I use it). Nevertheless, It's not going anywhere, at least not in the foreseeable future. I like using it. 

4.  Are You Redundant?

What do I need with two (or more) cameras that are very similar in design and function and also produce the same results? For example, in addition to Jonesy's Minolta SR-T 202 (which is a non-negotiable keeper, obviously), I have a SR-T 102 in black. Do I really need both? Sure it's nice being able to "protect" Jonesy's camera from damage during use, but honestly, I think I wanted it because it was black. Mirror lock-up and double exposure capability (which the 202 doesn't have) aren't that important to me, and I now think that Jonesy himself would want me to actually use his camera rather than put it on a shelf. 

Next, let's take a look at my inventory. Here is a list of every camera owned by me that resides at my condo:

Instant Camera

Polaroid SX-70 One Tough SONAR

Medium Format

Holga 120N

Rolleicord Va(2)

Yashica Mat

Debonair 120

35mm Point and Shoot

Minolta AF2

35mm Rangefinder

Leica ilia

Minolta 7s

Zorki 1

Zorki 4

35mm Manual Focus SLR

Minolta SR-T 202 (Jonesy's camera)

Minolta SR-T 102 (black)

Minolta XE-5

Minolta XD-7

Minolta X-700

35mm Autofocus SLR

Minolta Maxxum 7000

Minolta Maxxum 5

Let's go through these by camera type. First, I only have one instant camera, so the Polaroid SX-70 SONAR stays. It once belong to the great uncle of my my wife, Debbie, so it is a family heirloom. I use this camera from time to time for family events, and it works great most of the time. I love to give away Polaroid photographs, and a number of them also adorn our refrigerator. 

Of the five medium format cameras that live in the condo, one is an easy choice for me. Can you guess which one? If you guessed the Holga, you're right! It never caught on with me, having achieved exactly zero memorable images from the half dozen rolls that I have put through it. Maybe the sample is too small, but I don't think more use would have made a difference. The Holga is a perfect example of how easily I could be influenced at the time. It seemed like all the cool kids were using Holgas and getting cool results. But not me. The Holga is first out the door (and it has already been sold. I don't miss it.)

How many of you chose the Film Photography Store's Debonair 120? Nope. It's staying. I like it much better than the Holga. It's a better camera in my opinion, and its vertical 6x4.5 format makes for excellent portraits, especially with a flash. 

The Minolta AF2 is the only autofocus point and shoot camera I own. It it easy to use, has an excellent glass lens, choosable ISO, built in flash, and a manual film advance lever (making it a very quiet camera). If I'm going to a party and I'm not shooting Polaroid, this is the camera I take.

The two TLRs, Rolleicord Va and the Yashica Mat, are a bit of a quandary for me. They both work equally well, and I don't need them both. However, they both were gifts from a close friend who's father owned and used them. I think the Rolleicord has a better lens, but its flash sync doesn't work. The Yashica Mat's controls are easier to use. I really don't like to sell cameras that were gifted to me, so for now, I'm holding on to both. 

When it comes to my four 35mm rangefinder cameras, I feel embarrassed. There is a lot of redundancy there. Let's break it down. The Minolta 7s was a 2017 Christmas gift from Shutter Brother Kelley, and I was so thrilled about it that I took it to Norway a couple of days later. It ended up being my main camera for the trip, and it worked great. It's easy to use, has a program mode and metered manual, and has a sharp fixed 45mm lens. I like its looks and I like using it. 

However, sometime later I became sentimental about the Leica iiia that I once owned in the early 1990's until it was stolen in 1994. Prices had gone up quite a bit since then, and I knew that the only way I would have one again was to settle for a Russian copy. Kelley gifted me the Zorki 1 for Christmas, and I was delighted. Later I came across the Zorki 4 for a steal. Was I becoming a collector of Russian cameras?However, two years ago I found another Leica ilia at a local antique store parking lot sale. The owner appreciated that I knew about the camera, and he gave me a very generous deal on it and it's Elmar 35mm lens. Suddenly, the two Zorkis seemed very redundant, and now it's time for them to go.

Beautiful but redundant.

The five manual focus SLRs are too many, of course. Jonesy's SR-T 202 is safe, so at least two of the remaining four need to go. As mentioned above, I don't need two SR-T model cameras, so it looks like the black SR-T 102 is on the sell list. The other three breakdown as follows:  The X-700 and the XD7 have similarities (multiple exposure modes and compact design), as do the XD7 and the XE5 (products of Leica and Minolta collaboration). I have a particular fondness for the X-700, as it was the second (and last) camera I ever bought new in the box in 1992, and I really like its grip and feel. I am very "at one" with it. The XE5 is a fine camera in every way, and I like its needle-based meter, which works both in aperture priority and manual. After a lot of thought, it looks like the XD7 is the odd camera out.

One of these has go go.

Of the two autofocus SLRs, the Minolta Maxxum 7000 is my favorite. I love the way it feels in my hand, and I have learned to use the two control buttons. The Maxxum 5 is a much newer camera with many more features, but isn't it redundant? Perhaps. But if I decide shoot AF on a trip somewhere and take only one AF body with AF lenses, I am in trouble if the all-electronic Maxxum fails. The Maxxum 5 is small and light and makes a perfect back camera. It's safe for now.

So there you have it. Out of seventeen cameras, I am ready to say goodbye to five of them. Honestly, twelve still sounds like too many, but at least I am making progress. For now, I am happy with what I am selling and with what I still have. 

Or am I?

Next:  Time to Sell Pt. 3:  What Next?

Uncle Jonesy’s Cameras Podcast #57: Still Alive and Clicking

 Life happens, and when it does, podcasts go on hold. But the Shutter Brothers are back with an informal chat about life, travels, and, of course, cameras. And we love cameras! But sometimes we may have to consider getting rid of some of our cameras. Kevin and Wayne discuss the whys and hows of reducing the camera "inventory" and why it might even make us better photographers. 

Wayne also talks about his experience being a judge for a photography contest and how he ended up with a piece of photographic history that once belonged to Ed Wescott, the American photographer who his known for his documentation of the Manhattan Project. You can learn more about Ed Wescott here.

A beach hut for your camera bag!

And speaking of getting rid of stuff, we're in a generous mood. There's stuff in our closets that need to go, and you could be the beneficiary. Listen to find out what and how.

Happy Shooting!

Time to Sell Pt. 1: The Argument

I have said this before, and now I will say it again. Despite evidence to the contrary, I am not a camera collector. I do not buy cameras for the sole purpose of owning them. I do buy cameras for the purpose of making photographs with them. With exception of one or two, every camera I own has had film loaded into it and used to make photographs, and I have the negatives to prove this.

However, I also have a large enough collect - wait, let’s call it my camera inventory - to lead someone to believe that I collect cameras. This and a number of other facts have led me to suspect that not only do I possess too many cameras, but also doing so is ultimately bad for my photography.

Uncle Jonesy’s Minolta. Not going anywhere.

Please note:  I stated that owning too many cameras is bad for my photography, not yours. This article is about me alone, so please do not read into it any kind of judgment. You have the right to own as many cameras as you want, and doing so may actually make you a better photographer. If that is the case, then by all means have at it. But please keep reading and hear me out. I like it when people read my blog posts!

The Argument 

Recently, I have given much thought to the possible negative effects owning a large number of cameras for the sole purpose of using them might have on my photography, and I have reached several conclusions. Some of the conclusions are practical, while others are conceptual. All of them have become undeniable. So, here they are one by one.

1.  Storage in a Small Condo is a Problem

I love my downtown Chattanooga condo It has 690 square feet of paradise. It has everything I want. It just does not have much storage room. When my wife and my moved in, we had to downsize considerably, and this required making decisions (some painful) about which of our possessions were essential to our happiness. We off-loaded a lot of things, and today, we are doing just fine. Happier, even, I would suggest. Possessions can burden you.

However, not only did I not leave any cameras behind when we moved in, but also I’m pretty sure that I have added cameras to my inventory since then. Some of my favorite cameras are on display on shelves or the window sill nearest my bed. Cameras with film in them are kept in camera bags in the closet, ready for use. However, other camera are stored in storage boxes on shelves in my closet. In other words, I seemingly have cameras everywhere. I fully expect to open my refrigerator someday and find a camera in it. 

This is a problem for me, as I don’t like clutter. My wife and I take pleasure in the uncluttered layout of our condo. The abundance of cameras in my condo are a threat to our uncluttered environment.

2.  More Choices are Not Always Good

When the opportunity to photograph comes along, I rejoice. I love to get out with a camera and try to be creative. Opportunities do not come along often enough for me, so the last thing I need is indecision regarding which camera to use. And believe me, camera indecisiveness is a thing. I agonize over it. I even feel guilty about having a nice camera but not using it. “Why am I not not putting film in my Leica iiia or my Rolleicord or my Minolta XD-7? There are people out there who would love to own and use the cameras I don’t use. How can I let them sit on a shelf or even lay in the bottom of a storage box?” And so I give a lot of thought about my choices, and when I finally make a decision, I sometimes question my decision even while I’m shooting. And then it hits me. My choices are infringing on my fun. 

3.  More Cameras Mean More Camera Problems

Let me reiterate that I am not a camera collector. I own cameras for the purpose of using them and if I choose to use a particular camera on a given day, I really want that camera to work. Most of the time they do. However, sometimes they don’t. And of course, those times almost always happen to be important times when I simply must get the shot. It’s the Murphy's Law of photography. Cameras never fail at unimportant times. Some of I own cameras have been serviced (CLA’d) and should not fail, but I also own cameras that haven’t been serviced but seem to work fine. They are, in fact, ticking time bombs. It’s just a matter of time. 

Obviously, the solution to this is to get them all serviced. But just as obvious is the fact that the more camera own, the more money I will spend servicing them. Nothing wrong with that, except that the money I spend on servicing all my cameras could buy more film, chemistry, and paper. Shooting vintage film cameras is fun for certain, but The ultimate goal is to make photographs that I can print and hold in my hand. 

4.  The “At One” Factor

Neil Young and Peter Buck are two of my favorite guitarists, and they both are associated with a particular guitar, a guitar that appears on most, if not all of their records and live performances (for Young, it’s a 1959 Les Paul known as “Ol’ Black, while Buck has played a black Rickenbacker 360 on nearly every record he’s ever made). Because they have used these guitars so very much over the years, it’s safe to say that they long ago reached the point to where they are “at one” with their instruments. They know them inside and out and can call up every possible sound their guitars can make in an instant. 

I would very much like to be that way with a camera. And I have a couple of SLRs that I do feel at one with, because I have owned these camera models for decades. Other cameras in my inventory are less familiar to me and require more time to operate. Certainly, if I shot them more, I would eventually reach “at one” status with them them at some point. But as I stated above, I feel guilty leaving my favorite cameras on the shelf. And anytime I leave a camera on the shelf for an extended period of time before picking it up again, there always will be a “reacquaintance” process, a process that could (and has) caused me to miss a shot. Not good.

The Truth about Cameras and Photographs

Now as you read this, you may or not agree with me. Thats fine. I am not you, and you are not me. You know you. I don’t. However, I will state something something that I believe is true for everyone. Owning a lot of cameras does not make you or me a better photographer. It will make you a better collector, and there is nothing wrong with that. I can be impressed by someone's collection like anyone else. You may even be impressed with my inventory of cameras. But what I really want to impress you with are my photographs. That’s what I care about.

How We Got Here

At the point you may be wondering how and why I got myself into this dilemma in the first place. “Wow, why do you have so many cameras?  You must be a collector.” Good question. Here is what happened. When my brother and I got our cameras out of the closets in the spring of 2017 after not having used them for several years, our passion for photography was reignited and burned hot. We shot rolls and rolls of color negative film, developed it at home with C-41 kits from the FIlm Photography Store, scanned the negatives with our Epson scanners, and posted them online. Then we would have long conversations about what we had done and what we were learning. We also talked about cameras we were seeing for sale at antique stores, thrift stores, and flea markets. We were amazed at what we found. They were cameras we had admired and wanted back in the early 1980’s when we first began our film photography journey but could never afford, and now here they were forsake for $10 to $50 dollars. It seemed like such a shame to leave them there not doing what they were made to do, so we “rescued” them. 

It goes out of hand, of course, at least for me. Soon I had more cameras than I had time to shoot and had space to store. So here we are. Now it’s time for some Hard Decisions.

Uncle Jonesy’s Cameras Podcast #56:: A Carol for Clickmas

You’re invited to a special holiday gathering for people who love family and film.

Seasons Greetings from The Shutter Brothers!