Vintage Camera #038 – Zorki 4 Posted on 31st January 20263rd February 2026 by Laurence Zorki 4 The Zorki 4 is another Soviet-era camera, manufactured in quite large numbers between 1956 and 1973. It was manufactured by Krasnogorsk Mechanical Works (Красногорский механический завод). This camera is very similar to the Zorki 3S but with the addition of a self timer. I spent several days in Poland recently and had to think carefully about my choice of cameras. Continue reading “Vintage Camera #038 – Zorki 4” →
Shoot-scan-convert, my negative digitisation workflow Posted on 24th January 202624th January 2026 by Laurence Catchy post title, eh? I’ve been contemplating whether to explain my workflow for a long time. I was put off doing it for a number of reasons, not least because I am certainly no expert in any of this. If you’re going to scan/photograph and process your own negatives, it’s an extremely personal process with so much down to personal preference. For the most part, there’s no right or wrong way to do it. With a few exceptions which I will mention when we get to them. Continue reading “Shoot-scan-convert, my negative digitisation workflow” →
An overlooked country and an overlooked film Posted on 21st October 202521st October 2025 by Laurence As I discussed in my earlier post, I am trying to visit new countries where possible so the latest trip was to Ljubljana in Slovenia. I took with me my trusty Canon EOS 1N and 24-105mm F4 L Series lens, which in my view are a winning combination for a few holiday snaps. Continue reading “An overlooked country and an overlooked film” →
A change in direction Posted on 22nd May 202522nd May 2025 by Laurence The general trend of this blog has been photography, and especially film photography in the last few years. It’s a niche subject at the best of times. I want to write more but I’m often lacking inspiration. Continue reading “A change in direction” →
Why I shoot film Posted on 11th March 202511th March 2025 by Laurence We all know why not to shoot film. There’s no need for me to go into detail other than to say expensive, slow, delay, hassle, digital. Just those five words are probably enough for anyone to clearly explain why they would never try, or why they gave up shooting film. I’m not about to start discussing that here, it’s well documented and frequently discussed. I want to think about the real reasons I shoot film, and perhaps why more people should give it a try. Continue reading “Why I shoot film” →
Vintage Camera #032 Posted on 27th December 20239th March 2025 by Laurence Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie I’ve had this model of Folding Brownie camera for many years; I’ve posted about it previously and I’ve used it previously, it didn’t go well. Recently though, I bought one on eBay that seemed to be in much better condition in the hope that I might get some better results. Continue reading “Vintage Camera #032” →
Vintage Camera #026 Posted on 25th May 202227th December 2023 by Laurence Zorki 1 Type C Next out to play from my camera cabinet is one of several Soviet era cameras I bought. This is a 1953 Zorki 1 Type C. If you’ve seen my Pearl River post, you’ll be both pleased and unsurprised to learn that this camera is not as bad as that. Continue reading “Vintage Camera #026” →
Vintage Camera #017 Posted on 31st March 20221st April 2022 by Laurence Pearl River 6×6 TLR Kicking off my efforts with the latest batch of purchases (New year, new…resolution?), which incidentally didn’t stop at 22, I went out with a Pearl River 6×6 twin lens reflex. Loaded with trusty HP5+ film I duly went ahead and took a few shots, all onto the same frame, before I remembered that I need to wind the film on each time. Continue reading “Vintage Camera #017” →
New year, new…resolution? Posted on 14th February 202210th March 2025 by Laurence New year’s resolutions are not really my thing. I don’t really see the need to wait for a new year to decide to achieve something. January in the UK is often seen as a difficult time for many people; recovering from the excesses of alcohol and spending of Christmas, coupled with it being a long month in the depths of an often grey British winter. The only real resolution I had made in the last ten years or so was at the beginning of 2020 when I vowed to go and visit some new countries that I hadn’t visited before. And then Covid-19. Fast forward to February 2022. I still haven’t been to a new country since making that resolution (I can’t really count a few days in Scotland). During January, I managed to get ill with Covid myself, so I had plenty of time to think. As a result, I’ve decided to revive this site somewhat. I also went on eBay and ended up with quite a selection of old cameras. Continue reading “New year, new…resolution?” →
Paris – again? Posted on 12th June 20209th March 2025 by Laurence …and again. I’ve been to a few places since I last posted, but I’ve been back to Paris again twice. The next visit was just a few months after the first, doing a similar type of trip; another spur of the moment, long weekend with no planning or organisation. Those are the best. For this trip I saw a little more of the city and finally went up the Eiffel Tower. By the time I’d waited in all the queues to get in and get to the top, it was already dark, but that made for a brilliant view. Continue reading “Paris – again?” →
