Introduction I’ve wanted to build a wooden large format camera for years, but I made myself wait until my skills were up to scratch. I reasoned that a wooden camera isn’t really too much more difficult than a sort of trinket box / picture frame hybrid, so I decided to take the plunge. I lookedContinue reading “Building a large format camera”
Category Archives: Photography
Canon New FD 35-70mm lenses
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Canon released these two similar lenses as part of their New FD series – both 35-70mm zoom lenses. But what’s the difference between these two lenses, and which is better? First, let’s cover the similarities. These are both compact zoom lenses with the same focal lengths from theContinue reading “Canon New FD 35-70mm lenses”
The mystery of the Canon A/L switch
Since the 1960s, Canon SLRs have had their power switch confusingly labelled as A and L. This has persisted through many different generations of camera and confused beginners through the ages. But what do the letters A and L stand for? Why not use On and Off, or a red dot and a white dot,Continue reading “The mystery of the Canon A/L switch”
Time lapse photography
It was recently announced that a new building is being constructed next to my office. It’s not any old building – it’s going to be a 26-storey tower, the tallest in Bristol! Working on the second-top floor of an adjacent office block, this is a great opportunity to get a birds’ eye view of the constructionContinue reading “Time lapse photography”
Canon 50mm f/1.8: the evolution of an icon
Anyone interested in photography will surely have heard of the “nifty fifty” – the 50mm standard SLR lens. Almost every single SLR manufacturer had a 50mm lens with and f/1.7, f/1.8 or f/2.0 aperture that was sold as the “kit lens”, and Canon was no exception. These days, “kit lens” has become a dirty wordContinue reading “Canon 50mm f/1.8: the evolution of an icon”
Building a darkroom from scratch
I’ve moved house a few times over the last 10 years and at each place I’ve set up my own darkroom. I started with a rented flat, where I would develop film in the bathroom sink but there was no room for printing. At a later rented house, I made a makeshift darkroom in theContinue reading “Building a darkroom from scratch”
Building a new darkroom
I’ve moved into a new house now and it doesn’t yet have a darkroom. I thought I’d try something a bit different and launch a Kickstarter appeal to fund the construction of a new darkroom so I can continue my photographic work. In return for your backing, there are rewards such as silver-gelatin prints, filmContinue reading “Building a new darkroom”
Restoring a Vest Pocket Kodak
A little while ago I was given a Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) by a gentleman at church. It had belonged to his grandfather. When he rediscovered it recently, his grandchildren weren’t interested in it, so he kindly offered it to me. It was in poor condition but I promised to fix it if I could. One ofContinue reading “Restoring a Vest Pocket Kodak”
Bell & Howell 624
Double 8mm motion picture camera, with clockwork-powered operation
Canon EOS 300V
Released 2002
Jonathan Gazeley 