I Dream of Cameras (Jeff Greenstein and Gabe Sachs)

how does the bug bite you

researching

where do you look for 'em

online retailers (KEH etc.)

eBay strategy (evaluating from pictures, sniping)

camera shows (evaluating in person)

thrift stores

yard sales

friends (incl. the Widelux)

returns (and bad beats)

impulse buys

Gabe’s great acquisition story (the Leica M4) + review

Jeff’s great acquisition story (the Nikon SP) + review

Xmas gift ideas

Lens collecting: is it exciting?

Flashes, pro and con

Camera bags, pro and con

Caps and straps and such - Jeff is anti neck straps and lens caps, pro wrist straps, belt clips and skylight filters

Ephemera: manuals, brochures, magazines, books

What are the best books on cameras?

Cameras in TV and movies: people hold them wrong, they make the wrong noises, there’s a flash when there’s no flash on the camera, etc.

Camera spotlight: Gabe’s choice (Zeiss Contarex Bullseye)

Camera spotlight: Jeff’s choice (Alpa 11si)

about Jeff and Gabe, who we are, what we do, how we met

what was your first camera and how did you get it

when did collecting take hold and why

how many cameras do you currently have (...do you actually know how many?)

35mm, medium format, Polaroid, 110 — whaddya like?

Thank-yous: Fred Coury for the music, Keith Greenstein for the logos, mention launch of website and associated IDOC swag

Do you lend? Cameras you borrowed, then bought?

Cameras others love but you're just not interested in

Highly hyped, tried, didn't like

Fear of a large format

Falling in and out of love with cameras - it's like a romcom, how do you decide when to ditch?

The most beautiful but horrible/unusable cameras (Pentacon Six, Kodak Medalist II, Kodak Bantam Special)

Spotlight: your most despised camera you’ll never get rid of… or one you’re about to unload (Polaroid 195, Bronica SQ, Kodak Bantam Special, Robot Royal 24)

it’s a new year, check your batteries! How to replace the obsolete PX625: the MR-9 adapter, the Weincell, the 675 + paulbg ring, etc.

wrongly valued cameras (Minoltas, Konicas and Mirandas are treated like trash; Mamiya/Sekor is garbage while Mamiya is a treasure; Pentax K1000 overvalued while ME Super is undervalued; Canon AE-1 over, EF and A-1 under; Olympus OM-1 way under, etc.)

autofocus / point and shoot - is it real photography?

does handheld metering make you more of a photographer?

plastic / toy / Lomo cameras

Polaroid, Instax, One Instant (a disaster), Polaroid Chocolate

expired film - what’s so great?

bulk loading

Spotlight: the cameras we each irrationally and indefensibly love (Hasselblad 553ELX, Canon EF)

buying from Japan, pros and cons — the cameras look perfect, but… (Jeff's recent Pen W, Widelux and M-1 experiences)

how to suss out a seller

eBay and sales tax

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist - where to meet, how you know you’re not getting screwed, etc.

user vs. mint condition - how many dents and scuffs can you tolerate?

brassing, engraving, other sorts of wear (real and fake)

painted cameras? customized cameras? yay or nay?

what’s your perfect walkaround camera? what’s your travel kit?

“one camera, one lens, one film stock” - what would you choose?

Gabe brings three cameras to the grocery store

camera repair - local? send it off? who’s your most trusted and why?

originalism: is it uncool to use third-party lenses or accessories on your exotic vintage camera?

Spotlight: the camera you feel the strongest emotional connection to (Leica M4, Olympus 35RC)

pride: showing off, bringing an exotic camera to a photo walk or camera show, etc. - the antidote: extending a hand to new photographers (as opposed to snarking “go Google it” in Facebook groups)

envy: camera envy - where does it get you? has it ever resulted in a good acquisition?

lust: what’s your Grail Camera?

sloth: letting cameras languish on the shelf - are pure shelf queens OK?

wrath: getting angry at your gear - have you ever hit a camera?

greed and gluttony: accumulating for the sake of same, and how to step away from it - the need for instant gratification - how to donate cameras (FPP school donation program), giving analog cameras to new parents, etc.

finally: what we need isn’t new film cameras, but guys and gals who can repair the ones we have - scholarship?

our new email address!

recapping an eventful week: new acquisitions, road trip, etc.

lab anxiety, choosing a lab, making friends with a lab

why you should have a home processing setup

what you’ll need: basic hardware, chemicals

the Massive Dev chart, app and website

don't be scared to do color!

however: color scanning is a challenge

film-scanning snobs on Facebook

the Cameradactyl Mongoose and what it means for labs and enthusiasts

Some YouTubers we like

the film community on Clubhouse

we had a whole episode planned, but then my girlfriend and I broke up, so now we’re gonna talk about disasters (and perhaps how they could have been avoided)

dropping your camera (or slamming it into a wall)

opening a camera, forgetting film is inside (but some say it’s no big deal!)

razoring film stuck in the Robot

dropping a lens... ugh, awful story

camera falling off the tripod

losing a camera, forgetting a camera

camera theft

trying to fix a camera thinking you know how to fix it

leaving the lens cap on

SLR vs. rangefinder

changing cameras midroll

end on an up note: excitement about our new shooters (Olympus OM-1, Rolleiflex SL350)

To celebrate an extraordinary milestone — how many podcasts make it to ten episodes? — Jeff and Gabe run down a carefully curated selection of their camera-collecting and photographic quirks. You’re sure to identify with a few of these, ya weirdo.

State of instant photography 2021 - how much do you shoot instant?

Favorite peel-apart cameras and films - scanning the negs using the bleach-gel trick

Oddities: Polaroid backs (Forscher Proback, Speed Magny, etc.)

Favorite integral film cameras

Let us now praise the Impossible Project; let us now shame Polaroid as it exists today

Ever used Instax?

favorite Polaroid books and docs

Interview with Emily Earl, author of Late Night Polaroids:

background as a photographer

discovery of Polaroid ProPack

effect it had on shooting style…

…and subjects — people respond differently to the Polaroid vs. a DSLR

how did eight years of shooting eventually coalesce into a gallery show, and a book — and how did you know when you were done?

with the demise of FP-3000b, what's your current feeling about Polaroid and the future of instant photography?

Emily Earl on Instagram: @emilyearlphoto
Emily’s website: Emily Earl Photography

In this episode, we interview Fred Coury (composer of our theme song) and Keith Greenstein (designer of our logos, website and merch) about the vintage analog cameras we gave them a few months ago — a Rolleiflex 3.5 for Fred, and an Olympus OM-1 for Keith. It’s both enlightening and hilarious to hear these two bright, creative guys describe their very first excursions into the world of analog photography.

You’ve heard of Marie Kondo — meet Marie Nikondo! In this wildly entertaining episode, Jeff forces Gabe to remorselessly cull his camera collection by posing the following questions:

What purpose does the camera fulfill?

Do I have a set home for this camera?

Am I showing enough gratitude toward the camera?

Does the camera spark joy?

After Guy With Too Many Cameras, we speak to the Girl With Too Many Cameras, Danielle Wrobleski, a Milwaukee-based photographer who spotlights female shooters with the hashtag #WomenWithFilmWednesday.

Danielle Wrobleski on Instagram: @girlwithtoomanycameras

In this episode, the hosts turn the lens on themselves, examining their shooting styles, methods and subject matter.

Jeff asks Gabe about his portraiture work:

How did you get started doing portraiture work? Seems to be your favorite mode of photography - is it?

How did the word get out? - models now tag you when they're coming to town

How do you prepare? - choosing cameras, film stocks, location, wardrobe, looks

Model releases - do you get 'em? What are the terms of your agreement with them? Do you charge for them to use your stuff, pay them for the session, or is it a favor by you/them?

Do you shoot mostly men, women or a mix? Do you have a preference?

How do you direct and work with your subject?

Does mom or dad or manager or publicist ever attend the shoot?

How long is a session? What's the ideal length?

How do you cull, how many images do you show them?

If a shot is published, what do you get? What's the best placement you've ever gotten?

You don't have to name names, but talk about your best session ever... and your worst

Gabe asks Jeff about his photos of "plants and buildings":

What’s your favorite subject to shoot?

How often do you think about shooting?

Is there a camera you take with you more than others?

How do you make the decision of what camera to bring?

Will you approach people to shoot?

What camera do you bring that’s always been a conversation starter?

How do you decide what film stock to use?

How often do you shoot and then go home right away and process?

Where are your favorite places to go take pictures?

What is your favorite travel camera?

How many rolls of film will you bring to shoot?

Do friends ever ask you to take pictures?

Has anyone asked you to do a wedding?

What are you thinking about when you’re shooting? Framing? Exposure? Bokeh?

Another episode of strong opinions!

Gabe’s saga: reacquiring a Konica Hexar AF after letting one go many years ago

Jeff’s saga: trying to find an inexpensive 35mm lens for the Leica M6

Bokeh: the pronunciation and fetishization thereof

The scourge of slow-shutter-speed water shots

Pre-flashed films and deliberate light leaks

Leaving dust specks on film scans ‘cause it’s “more authentic”

Photographic authenticity, Errol Morris’s book Believing Is Seeing

The Crop Snobs

Who actually manufactures your film?

What’s cooler, LCDs or LEDs?

The Scannenberg Uncertainty Principle

Meter shunners

You should be bulk-loading, yeah

Cheers for the return of Polaroid Duochrome Black and Blue

Come see us at the SoCal Camera Show!

We asked for emails and DMs, and y’all reciprocated! In this freewheeling episode, Jeff and Gabe react to suggestions, corrections and emendations from our legions of faithful listeners. What are our cinematic influences? Is Ansel Adams a terrible writer? How nice is Dave Grohl? What is the nature of reality? You won’t wanna miss this one.

As long threatened, it’s our all-Leica show! Fear not if you’ve yet to be inducted into the sacred cult (pro tip: the password is MOOLY), because in this rollicking episode, Jeff (three Leicas) and Gabe (at least sixteen) will recount their journeys into the haunted forests of Wetzlar. Does the camera live up to the hype? Does the glass? Do the empty boxes which go for hundreds of dollars on eBay? Tune in and find out.

how'd you first become aware of Leica?

when did you handle your first one?

how long between then and buying one?

what took getting used to? - rangefinder vs. SLR

which lens did you get first? and which after that?

the mystery of MOOLY and other accessories

what was your second Leica?

screw mount, M series, R series…

The cult and the culture - Leica ephemera - books and pins and bags and vintage posters and anything that says Leica on it, even the ugliest red golf shirt you’d never wear - the toy bear, commemorative editions…

would you buy another?

which do you have your eye on?

It’s a pulse-pounding thrill-ride (but really, the theme is family) as Jeff and Gabe attempt to cover 18 topics in 60 minutes. Among the items discussed:

our week in acquisitions and repairs

emails from the teeming masses, including a masterpiece by James Thorpe

who made that film? check out tinyurl.com/whatisthatfilm

research and acquisition - Jeff throws a camera at Gabe and he researches it on the spot

bulk-loading cassettes are a problem!

Robert Capa and Vivian Maier and mythmaking

our recommended cameras in the $300 range

patience and willingness to learn something new

doing your own printing (darkroom or inkjet)

focus points

homemade cameras, 3D printing… the failure of the Reflex, the success of Cameradactyl

what famous photographer used my camera?

what’s the sexiest shutter sound? what analog camera provided the shutter sound of the iPhone?

sprocket holes and fake rebates

the Leica/Hasselblad mystique - what other cameras have an “aura”?

pricey new films - Open That Film Night!

love to Mike Gutterman and Rachel + Constance Mallory Brewster-Wright

our upcoming camera giveaway! and our banner and stickers!

An XL episode boasting two blockbuster features: Gabe’s recap of his adventures covering New York Fashion Week, followed by our survey of the esteemed camera marque known as Nikon.

Gabe recounts shooting NYFW and the Met Gala

Jeff’s new acquisitions: a Canon P rangefinder… and (on the way) the Canon RF 50mm f1.4, the Japanese Summilux

And now: our Nikon show!

when did you become aware of Nikon, and what was your first?

Nikon rangefinders: the SP and its siblings

the Nikon/Canon wars of the '70s/‘80s

evolution of the F: F2, F3…

why no more rangefinders? (till the S3 2000 and SP 2005 commemorative editions)

spurred by the OM-1, Nikon goes compact: the FM and FE series

the Nikkormat / Nikomat

the FM3a — their best ever? 1/4000 with no battery!

the coveted FM2/T Year of the Dog edition

consider the Nikonos — they’re so cheap!

countless point & shoot Nikons, APS cameras…

the 35Ti, which is not good!

favorite lenses (e.g. the 105mm f2.5)

one Nikon to rule them all: which would you choose?

Another freewheeling episode spanning a wide range of topics:

thank-yous from Gabe for his NYFW adventure

the mailbag

recapping this week's Beers & Cameras events

we miss the Pasadena camera show! how are y’all coping?

we've tried hitting the thrift stores — where are the film cameras?

Gabe makes good on his Marie Nikondo vow — use your underused cameras, or get rid of ‘em! think of that 22-year-old graduate student at UT Austin!

Jeff’s new acquisition: the Canon 50mm 1.4 for Leica screwmount

Jeff is not doing color processing anymore

Polaroid Color SX-70 film is not very sharp

follow-up to our previous discussion of Vivian Maier

since Facebook & Instagram were down this week, let’s talk social media: is it net positive or net negative?

camera spotlight: our favorite point and shoots

coming soon: our camera giveaway!

After a dip into our bulging mailbag, an introspective episode:

Why do we second-guess ourselves?

What keeps us from getting out and experimenting?

Why are we afraid to take chances?

How do we avoid becoming discouraged?

Perhaps by asking a friend to shoot with us?

Maybe photograph some elderly relatives?

Trust two comedy writers to plumb your psyche and heal all ills.

Finally, we wrap up with gear updates, and — at long last — our FABULOUS CONTEST where you can win FABULOUS PRIZES!

This episode is dedicated to the memory of John Whitmore.

A few items from the mailbag

reminder about our fabulous contest — compose a limerick whose final word is a camera brand!

Gabe’s Speed Graphic + two birthday acquisitions: Nikon FM3a and Pentax 6x7

Jeff’s ConSol didn’t work, so bring on the Electro Spotmatic!

Our Pentax show!

the mighty Pentax 6x7 and its siblings

Spotmatic… Spotmatic F… Electro Spotmatic

The K1000, basically a Spotmatic F with a bayonet mount (but no timer or DOF preview! you can do better!)

The rest of the K series, including Jeff’s one-of-a-kind half-frame KX

The ME, ME Super SE... and the weird half-frame medical MF

Pentax Auto 110 and Auto 110 Super

KEH just opened a brick and mortar store in Atlanta!

Our shooting plans for the coming weeks

And finally! Check out the great new IDOC character shirts launching this week in the merch section of our website!

For our one-year anniversary, an XL show bursting with edification and amusement!

they used the same font as the camera maker for the Olympus Has Fallen poster!

a dip into the mailbag

do you use depth-of-field preview?

Gabe's trip to Toronto and Downtown Camera

Jeff’s new 50mm f4 Macro-Takumar, a rare find

is macro more exciting than tele?

Gabe pits his new Nikon FM3a against his old Leicaflex, with surprising results

soft releases are nice, but the expensive ones are ridiculous (as are hot shoe ornaments)

Paul Thomas Anderson with his Nikon 28Ti - do you keep the other eye open?

and now: our Olympus show!

genius designer: Yoshihisa Maitani

35RC (Jeff’s first camera)

35RD

35SP (and SPn, and DC, and UC, and…)

Trip 35

Pen D3

Pen EF

Pen EE

Pen EE-3 (a box of 'em)

Pen FT (see Billy Name’s All Tomorrow’s Parties book) and its GREAT lenses (25mm, 38mm pancake, 38mm macro, 40mm, 60mm f1.5…)

OM-1: the one camera all four IDOCkers own

the XA series

Pen F digital

the new “OM System"

our limerick contest winners! over 75 entries! some were not limericks, and some were filthy! thanks to everyone who participated!

thanks to all our listeners - hey, give us a review on iTunes!

check out our new character merch!

If loving Kai is Wong, we don't wanna be right! The centerpiece of this episode is our interview with Kai Wong, a YouTube mainstay for 15 years and author of the excellent new book Old School Photography. But first!

the bulging mailbag, featuring listener feedback about depth-of-field preview, keeping the other eye open, soft releases, macro vs. telephoto...

lucky limerick-contest winner David Van Sluis got a $150 gift card (instead of $50) from The Darkroom!

check out Ethan Moses's Kickstarter - he's bringing his homemade 20x24 instant camera to Los Angeles

what's with Linda McCartney's weird grip on her Nikon F in Get Back?

follow-up to our Olympus episode: we forgot the rare & desirable Pen W! check out Daido Moriyama’s NY 71 to see what this lovely machine can do

Kai Wong interview:

who are your primary comedic influences?

this week marks five years of your YouTube channel - how’s it going?

what made you wanna write this book? and why film photography?

the two halves of the book: first technical, then artistic

tip #94: buy flight tickets, not gear

talk about your first camera, the Pentax MZ-M - what other cameras have you held onto?

street photography in Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles

what's your shooting ratio for YouTube videos?

neck strap, wrist strap or no strap?

do you use a camera bag?

do you use depth-of-field preview?

do you keep the other eye open?

is it more fun reviewing a bad camera?

would you pay $3,600 for a Nikon FM2/T Year of the Dog camera?

end-of-year thoughts

check out our merch page for excellent holiday gifts!

thanks to Fred Coury and Keith Greenstein - the whole team will be assembling for an IDOC corporate retreat this weekend

to wrap up a glorious year, Gabe suggests everyone remind Jeff how much he’s wrong

The mailbag!

It's a New Year — once again, check your batteries and exercise your cameras!

As of October 2021, Paul BG is no longer making The Thingy, so how do we replace the discontinued mercury 625 battery? The 675 hearing-aid battery plus either a #9 rubber O-ring or a #10 split lock washer

Time for more controversy: do you use the self-timer?

Jeff's Electro Spotmatic meter has failed, and when a camera isn’t working, he cannot have it in the house

Our thrift-store odyssey: Where are all the film cameras? They’ve been camer-raptured!

Where to sell stuff, other than eBay? OfferUp, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, ShopGoodwill, Etsy...

Jeff’s hunt for an XPan / Fujifilm TX

Are digicams the new film? (see this Casual Photophile article)

Books: Pentti Sammallahti’s Here, Far Away

Finally: Gabe’s annual report from the IDOC corporate retreat

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?

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

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?

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:

EF

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

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 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

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!

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!

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

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

Jeff is on location! Gabe’s just back from the frozen north! And they still manage to find time for a rollicking conversation with photographer and YouTuber Chris Chu. Tune in for the fascinating result — we did indeed rollick!

Gabe’s adventure at Downtown Camera in Toronto with Jessica Devic

which camera(s!) Jeff decided to bring on his trip to Atlanta and the UK: Rollei 35 SE and Minox LX

Polaroid’s new Green Duochrome is great!

a moderate dip into our moldering mailbag, with more talk of travel cameras and bulk-loading Ektachrome

Our rollicking interview with Chris Chu:

his abrupt decision to abandon a computer science degree in San Francisco to pursue his crazy dream of a photography career in Los Angeles

his journey into film photography, starting with the Canon P

and then into medium format with the Pentax 645, the Mamiya RB67 Pro SD and the Mamiya RZ67

Chris tries to convince Jeff to get a Big Ugly Box medium-format camera

his favorite film stocks Portra 160 and Ektar 100

shooting color when you're color-blind

what fueled his growing camera-collecting addiction

...but why no 35mm SLRs?

what he likes about the rangefinder shooting experience

zone focusing: setting a hyperfocal distance and training yourself to use it

camera bags — and how many cameras do you carry at once?

half-frame cameras: the half-a-cookie debate is reignited!

why own the same camera (Leica M6) in both chrome and black?

he's flirting with the Leica M-A - Jeff tries to save him by pitching the M3, M2 and CL

how do you refrain from getting that next camera? — he doesn’t! he just bought a Hasselblad 501CM!

Gabe shows off his 500ELM, an impulse buy at B&H Photo — it’s the Leica M5 of the Hasselblad line

Jeff implores Chris to talk him out of the Hasselblad XPan… and he does! whaddya need it for? you have the Widelux!

if you have to give away all but one of your cameras, which would you keep? the RZ67!

Chris on YouTube and Instagram and his website

A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE recapping Jeff’s absurd acquisition of a Hasselblad XPan, and more importantly, his trip to England and Wales to meet all four hosts of the Sunny 16 Podcast!

In our last episode, Chris Chu talked Jeff out of getting a Hasselblad XPan, so how did he end up impulsively buying one on his first day in London?

A magical trip to Camera City, the very same place where Jeff found his sacred Alpa 11si ten years ago... and what should be on the shelf but an XPan?

And now, the circuit of the Sunnies…

Drinks with Ade at the Camera Museum in London

A side trip to the Photographer’s Gallery and their incredible film wall

Darkroom work with Rachel at her studio at Northern Lights in Liverpool

Touring Anglesey and Portmeirion, Wales with Clare

Browsing vintage cameras with Graeme at the Cameras London stall at Portobello Road

An underdiscussed aspect of the XPan: the standard 45mm f/4 lens is incredible!

In other news… where’s all the film? And why’s the film we have so expensive?

Gabe has set up an on-deck circle of underused cameras…

…and has been snapping up photography books

Thought experiment: if the boys had to cut their collections down to only ten cameras, which would they choose?

Next episode, we tackle the prodigious mailbag!

We always encourage the teeming millions to converse with us via eye dream of cam rahs at gee male dot calm, and in this episode, we attempt to empty our long-ignored and prodigious… mailbag! Topics include:

travel cameras

backup cameras

how many cameras do you have loaded simultaneously? (and how to keep track of same)

budget alternatives to the gold-plated cameras we all covet

exercising your cameras

Cameras London

the Hasselblad 500 series

the Minolta Weathermatic 35

the Nikonos V

the Olympus OM-1 and OM-2 series

McKeown’s Price Guide

the sublime beauty of Kodak Panatomic-X

and our delightful new “half a cookie” swag

A blockbuster XL episode in which our friends Chris Chu and Rafael Hernandez help Gabe decide which cameras to bring to New York Fashion Week. Also, yet another dive into our prodigious mailbag, and HUGE NEWS about the podcast — and we don’t just mean our signature yogurt flavor at Menchie’s!

announcing the launch of our own podcast feed for Episode 40

the prodigious mailbag re-grew like a sliced planarian! topics include:

the film shortage

the photographer’s Proust Questionnaire

If you had to cut your collection down to ten cameras…?

dreams of I Dream of Cameras

a great camera-bag story

a new thriller featuring a film photographer: Exposure 36

the Nikonos in the Vietnam War

do you insure your cameras?

moving film from camera to camera

Chris and Rafael give Gabe sage advice, then Jeff chimes in like a moron

as you get psyched for our 40th episode, why not try our signature Menchie’s frozen yogurt flavor, I Dream of Cookies and Cream?

A signal show in which we finally step out of the shadow of Sunny 16 Presents and get our own podcast feed! Now you can search for I Dream of Cameras wherever you pluck your podcasts. In addition, we empty the mailbag at light speed, discuss Gabe’s preparations to shoot New York Fashion Week, talk of recent impulse buys, compare the Widelux and the XPan, carp at absurd public photography restrictions, muse upon the mystery of camera serial numbers, praise the babyish plastic developing reels, and reflect on what if anything we have learned after 40 episodes.

thanks to the lords of Sunny 16, we now have our own podcast feed!

a lightning round to empty our prodigious mailbag - limit one sentence per email!

Gabe’s about to leave for New York Fashion Week - here's the final list of cameras he's bringing: Leica Q Canon R5 Leica M10 Widelux F7 Rolleiflex 2.8F Yashica T4

Gabe's kit for a portrait shoot with Kal Penn: the R5, the Q and the M10

to fund Gabe’s recent impulse buy of the Canon R5, he actually sold some stuff: a Contax T2 to Eoin Macken and a bunch of other gear (Hasselblad 503cx, Minolta Autocord, Leica R6.2) to our friends at LA Film Camera

on the same trip, Jeff failed to unload a mint-in-box 90mm f2 Summicron ASPH with caps, case and original papers - any takers?

Jeff’s about to make another trip to Atlanta and KEH — last time, he looked at a ton of cool stuff (thanks Sam) and came away with a 35mm Nikkor for his SP rangefinder

this time he has his eye on a 35mm f2.8 PC-Nikkor tilt-shift lens to use with the XPan

Jeff’s recent impulse buy: a Konica Acom-1 a.k.a. Autoreflex TC - what is “automatic” exposure, and why do we judge those who use it?

the difference between shooting the Widelux (serendipitous) and the XPan (deliberate)

no cameras allowed at the Malibu Chili Cookoff, and no cameras on tripods in LA's public parks! wtf?

serial numbers - do you find them interesting? Jeff sure does!

Jeff used the Paterson System 4 with its babyish plastic developing reels.. and he loved it!

forty episodes in, what have we learned?

See? 41! The centerpiece of this episode is Gabe’s recap of his adventures at New York Fashion Week, but there’s also our newly engorged mailbag, Jeff’s latest impulse buy, new products from Leica and Polaroid, and an epic rant about the latter. We are the goon squad and we're coming to town, beep-beep!

the newly engorged mailbag

A blockbuster recap of Gabe’s New York Fashion Week adventures: shooting the Canon R5, the Leica Q and the Widelux F7 portrait sessions with Raven-Symoné and Kal Penn and many, many trips to B&H

Jeff’s Atlanta recap: snagged a 35mm f2.8 PC-Nikkor tilt-shift lens at KEH rediscovered old negatives from childhood and found some old pamphlets from Kodak: Recovering Silver from Photographic Materials, how to make pinhole cameras

Jeff’s impulse buy: the Canon Sure Shot Owl Date

Looks like Leica is reissuing and maybe updating the original M6!

we regret to inform you that Polaroid is at it again: Polaroid Music - in the An Impossible Project documentary, Florian Kaps asks, "what is the smell of Facebook?" - these are crazy people!!

we are feeble on Twitter - do you care?

new listeners: check out our dazzling array of merch, the best of any podcast on the planet

shoot us a review on iTunes, babies - it helps people find us

thank-yous and goodnights

Find the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything in I Dream of Cameras 42. New cameras, old cameras, new old cameras, old new cameras, and ways to hack eBay — it’s all here!

best wishes to Graeme, who’s stepping away from Sunny 16 for a bit

our prodigious mailbag

Jeff’s 90mm Summicron ASPH is still available - message him and snap it up!

The new CubePan from Chroma Camera looks intriguing

Gabe’s trying to leave the house with only one camera… and a spare in the car

the rumored Leica M6 reissue is for real… but only 500 pieces?

Gabe wants to trade his chrome Leica M6TTL for a black M6 - hit him up!

the late John Foster literally wrote the book on Olympus half-frame cameras, and on October 20 his personal collection is up for auction - stock up on those half-a-cookies!

Film prices are too high, but now Kodak’s seeking more film technicians - will it help?

What’s more interesting to you, a brand-new 2022 film camera or a good vintage one? and what does this bode for the future of new film cameras?

Gabe recounts his visit in San Clemente with Trev and Phil from The Darkroom and Juan from Beers and Cameras…

…which spurred a fixation with high-end compact point-and-shoots like the Minolta TC-1 - compare and contrast with the Yashica T4

Jeff’s recent developing mishaps with CineStill Df96 - it drops stone dead after 16 rolls

also, his frustration with bulk loading has reached a fever pitch: even with cassettes salvaged from a one-hour-lab, the felt light traps can be leaky! rescue us, Ethan Moses!

Differences between the Hasselblad XPan and the XPan II

fantastic eBay tip! here’s how to find the start date of a Buy It Now auction, to assess how open the seller might be to an offer: tinyurl.com/auctionstarttime

we encourage people to contribute to the Sunny 16 Presents channel - if we can do it, so can you!

now go out with one camera and one roll of film and just shoot! or use a half-frame camera so you don’t censor yourself so much - allow yourself to play and experiment…

and print your stuff! give prints as gifts! ’tis the season!

Gabe has a cold, so we’re bringing you this unaired Sunny 16 segment from April 2021: Jeff and Gabe suggest excellent cameras you can find for under $30… in April 2021. Discussed:

Minolta SRT series

Minolta Maxxum series

Minolta AL-F rangefinder

Konica Autoreflex TC a.k.a. Acom-1 (which Jeff has actually purchased since this segment was recorded!)

Smena 8M

Mamiya/Sekor 500TL, 1000TL, 528TL

Olympus Trip S

Yashica TL Electro-X

Yashica Electro 35

Pentax ME, MX, ME Super

Canon FT, TL, and the very strange EX EE

Unsexy SLRs: Miranda Sensorex, Chinon, Ricoh

Olympus Pen EE-3 - the ultimate half-a-cookie camera

Pentax Auto 110

Canon 110 ED 20

After a dive into our prodigious mailbag, bulging with talk of the newly reissued Leica M6, we essay a sweeping survey of the mighty marque known as Rollei. Gabe has nine Rolleiflex TLRs; Jeff has a Rollei 35 and a Rolleiflex SL350. Tune in — it's a gas, gas, gas!

we skipped Episode № 43, deal with it

quite a prodigious mailbag! featuring:

much talk of the newly reissued 2022 Leica M6, which is NOT a limited edition - worth noting: there’s a center dot between the two LED arrows in the viewfinder (à la the M6 TTL); no plastic shields under the strap lugs (‘cause the paint is hardier); the red dot says "Leitz" not "Leica"; it doesn't come in chrome; the only available finder is the .72; and the cost is $5,700. Who is this for?

how ‘bout those high-end metal cassettes for bulk loading (e.g. FILCA and IXMOO, Shirley-Wellard, etc.) - are they any good?

Jim Melcher made a video about stainless-steel reels

Gabe’s Leica assignment / adventure, courtesy of the Leica Store Los Angeles

Our Rollei show! Gabe has a slew of Rollei TLRs:

1938 Rolleicord 2b with Zeiss 3.5 lens

1939 Rolleicord 2c with Zeiss Triotar lens

1945 Rolleiflex Automat Model 2 which used to belong to renowned photographer Phil Stern

1954 Rolleicord 5 with Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 3.5

1958 Rolleiflex 3.5C Planar

1958 Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar (his favorite)

1959 Rolleiflex 2.8E2 with Zeiss Triotar lens (his other favorite)

... Jeff has a 1959 Rolleiflex 3.5E … and Gabe also has:

1959 Rolleiflex 3.5C

1960 Rolleiflex 2.8F

…and they all have different personalities! - they handle differently, and the hand-ground lenses render differently

how TLRs change your relationship to the subject when shooting portraits

next! in non-TLR news, Jeff loves his little Rollei 35 SE

worth checking out: Zeno Felkl's Rollei 35 Project book

and the mighty (and mighty hard to find) Rolleiflex SL350 is one of Jeff's favorite SLRs - the 50mm Planar is sublime

The other Jeff Greenstein stole a quarter billion in a tax fraud scheme, so we will henceforth refer to him as "tax fraud felon"

She's back! Everyone's favorite collection-culler returns, and this time she's out for blood! Jeff is contemplating a major purge, but those pesky ol' emotions keeps holding him back. Can Gabe/Marie help him see the righteous path and release his gear to the limitless legions of camera-craving Tessas? Tune in and find out! But first...

a manageable mailbag!

John-Michael Mendizza was the one who gave us the Pentax 6x7 grips - thanks, J-M!

Gabe had a mishap... his cherished M6 is in the shop with a failing meter :(

And now the main event: Gabe assumes the role of Marie Nikondo, cruelly coercing Jeff to cull his colossal camera caboodle. Among the items discussed (and feel free to make an offer, gang):

Bell & Howell / Canon Dial 35 (with case)

Bolex H16 Reflex 16mm movie camera (with case and accessories)

10mm f1.6 Kern-Paillard Switar

17.5mm-70mm f2.4 SOM Berthiot Pan-Cinor (with case, viewfinder and filters)

25mm f1.8 SOM Berthiot Lytar

75mm f2.8 Kern-Paillard Yvar

Canon Color Demi (red)

Canon Color Demi (blue; with cap and case)

Canon Color Demi (white; with case)

Canon 110 ED 20 (with case)

Canon AE-1 with 55mm f1.2 FD and 50mm f1.4 FD

Canon Dial Rapid

Kodak Bantam Special

Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie

Konica Acom-1 with 50mm f1.7 Hexanon AR

Leica M3 (single-stroke)

40mm f1.4 Voigtländer Nokton Classic (with shade)

50mm f1.1 7Artisans (chrome)

50mm f2 Dual Range Summicron (with goggles and two cases)

90mm f2 APO-Summicron-M (with box, case and caps)

Minox B (with case and chain)

Minox BL (metric scale; with case and chain)

Nikon F (with Photomic T Finder, Prism Finder and Action Finder)

50mm f1.4 Nikkor-S Auto

55mm f3.5 Micro-Nikkor

Nikon Speed Magny

Nikonos III with 28mm f3.5 UW-Nikkor (with caps)

and that’s just the beginning! more to come in our next episode!

Part Two! We made it halfway through Jeff's camera-cull in our last episode, so Gabe/Marie Nikondo has returned to help him through the second half — including a few shocking surprises! But first...

our once again prodigious mailbag!

Jeff sold his 40mm Nokton Classic to a listener in NoCal and everyone's happy!

heartbreak: our composer Fred’s Leica Q was stolen, he needs a Christmas miracle

If you’re gonna praise us, praise us on iTunes! and vote for us in the Sunnies!

And now, the main event: once again Gabe takes on the role of Marie Nikondo, forcing Jeff to phenotype his phenomenal photographic phantasmagoria. Among the items discussed (and feel free to make an offer):

Olympus Pen F lenses: 25mm f2.8 G. Zuiko Auto-W (with caps and case) and 40mm f1.4 G. Zuiko Auto-S (with caps and case)

Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses: 9mm f8.0 fisheye body cap lens and 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko EZ ED MSC (silver, with caps)

Pentax Auto 110 Marron

Pentax Auto 110 Super

Pentax Auto 110 lenses: 18mm f2.8, 18mm f2.8 Pan Focus, 20-40mm f2.8 Zoom, 24mm f2.8, 50mm f2.8, 70mm f2.8

Pentax 110 flash

Pentax 110 belt clips (two of ‘em)

Pentax Electro Spotmatic with 55mm f1.8 SMC Takumar

Pentax 6×7 MLU (with TTL finder and wooden grip)

Pentax 6×7 lenses: 45mm f4 SMC Pentax-6×7 (with caps) and 105mm f2.4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/6x7 (with caps)

Petri Color 35 (black; with cap and case)

Polaroid Automatic 250 Land Camera (with closeup and portrait kits)

Polaroid Big Swinger 3000 Land Camera

Polaroid i-Zone (blue, with three packs of film)

Polaroid Snap (black, with several packs of photo paper)

Rectaflex Standard 1300, series 25000 with 50mm f2 Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon

Robot Royal 24 Model III with Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 45mm f2.8

Voigtländer Perkeo I (first version, Vaskar lens, Pronto shutter, with case)

Voigtländer Vitessa L (version 1)

Voigtländer Vito IIa (with case and accessory rangefinder)

Part Three of the trilogy! Marie Nikondo has lain waste to Jeff’s camera collection — now the question is, how to dispose of the booty? What’s the best way to divest yourself of camera equipment — sell online? Donate to salivating photography students? Give to a potential paramour? Find all the answers in this holiday classic.

was the Shroud of Turin the first contact print?

Jeff sold three lenses and one camera — thanks, listeners!

with the proceeds, he bought a vintage boombox and a 28mm f2.8 LW-Nikkor, an above-water lens for the Nikonos

posting panoramas to Instagram? check out the extremely useful (and free) Instagram Swipe Panorama iPhone shortcut

pushing film: Gabe has, Jeff never has!

our prodigious mailbag, including shots fired about the proper pronunciation of “Nikon”!

and now the main event: how to divest!

eBay, Craigslist, FaceBook Marketplace, and what to do when you fear people

the KEH option — in person at their Atlanta HQ, with their buyers when they come to your neighborhood, or shipping them gear for a quote? (there are similar protocols at Adorama, B&H and other online retailers)

local camera shops

the local film community: Beers and Cameras, meetups, etc.

ever had a bad experience as a seller?

the reseller’s creed: if you’re not using and enjoying an item, its value to you is not what you paid for it, nor what it might fetch on the open market… it’s zero

an alternate to selling: donating! The Film Photography Projects’s school donation program is great

Gabe’s sudden brainwave: an I Dream of Cameras Garage Sale! are y’all in?

another alternative: give a film camera to the new parents of a child or a puppy — or a gift for your date!

your IDOC photo assignment: shoot a portrait of a friend, shoot a portrait of a stranger — post on Instagram and tag us to be amplified!

’tis the season of giving, so why not check out our dazzling merch?

Chris Chu is hosting a photowalk in Venice, California on Sunday, December 18

Gabe got a $50 Mark O'Brien surprise package — which is another fun way to divest yourself of stuff!

Still available from the Greenstein collection — email or DM if intrigued!

Bell & Howell Dial 35 (with case)

Bolex H16 Reflex 16mm movie camera (with case and accessories)

Bolex 16mm lenses:

10mm f1.6 Kern-Paillard Switar

17.5mm-70mm f2.4 SOM Berthiot Pan-Cinor (with case, viewfinder and filters)

25mm f1.8 SOM Berthiot Lytar

75mm f2.8 Kern-Paillard Yvar

Canon Color Demi (red)

Canon Color Demi (blue; with cap and case)

Canon Color Demi (white; with case)

Canon Dial Rapid (nonfunctional)

Canon 110 ED 20 (with case)

Canon AE-1 with 55mm f1.2 FD

Kodak Bantam Special

Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie

Konica Acom-1 with 50mm f1.7 Hexanon AR

Leica M3 (single-stroke)

Leica M lenses:

50mm f1.1 7Artisans (chrome)

50mm f2 Dual Range Summicron (with goggles and two cases)

90mm f2 APO-Summicron-M (with box, case and caps)

Minox B (with case and chain)

Minox BL (metric scale; with case and chain)

Nikon F with Photomic T Finder, Prism Finder and Action Finder and 50mm f1.4 Nikkor-S Auto and 55mm f3.5 Micro-Nikkor

Nikon Speed Magny

Nikonos III with 35mm f2.5 Nikkor

Olympus MFT lenses

9mm f8.0 fisheye body cap lens

14-42mm f3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko EZ ED MSC (silver, with caps)

Pentax Auto 110 Super with Pentax 110 flash

Pentax 110 lenses:

18mm f2.8 Pan Focus

20-40mm f2.8 Zoom

24mm f2.8

50mm f2.8

70mm f2.8

Pentax Electro Spotmatic with 55mm f1.8 SMC Takumar

Pentax 6×7 MLU (with TTL finder and wooden grip)

Pentax 6x7 lenses:

45mm f4 SMC Pentax-6×7 (with caps)

105mm f2.4 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/6x7 (with caps)

Petri Color 35 (black; with cap and case)

Polaroid Big Swinger 3000 Land Camera

Polaroid i-Zone (blue) + three packs of film

Polaroid Snap (black) + several packs of Zink paper

Voigtländer Perkeo I (first version, Vaskar lens, Pronto shutter, with case)

Half a cookie? Try one-twelfth of a cookie! After a deep dive into our bulging mailbag, we go big on one of the smallest cameras ever made: the mighty Minox! Tune in for all the fun!

OK, we’re late and here’s why: Illness, torrential rain, power outages, travel…!

We won the Sunny award for Best Sunny 16 Presents Podcast!

Gabe went to B&H in New York and didn’t buy anything, not even a bag

Meanwhile, Jeff did not go to Antarctica - those who have been, please tell us, is it worth it?

Jeff unloaded some gear (including the 90mm Summicron) with the KEH guys and is completely delighted — it paid for the XPan!

Gabe’s M6 is under a doctor's care

Our beyond-prodigious mailbag, including discussion of the new Pentax "film camera project"

And now… the Minox idyll! That is a great pun!

The Riga Minox, designed by Walter Zapp

A through III-s

B

the Minox developing tank, enlarger — it’s a whole system!

C

BL

LX

Shooting with a Minox is different!

renewing our IDOC photo assignment: shoot a portrait of a friend, shoot a portrait of a stranger — post on Instagram and tag us to be amplified!

Jeff is performing February 12th at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica — follow this link, click on See A Show, then choose Library Girl

Episode № 49 of I Dream of Cameras, “IDOC Unplugged,” is our first unedited, unsmoothed, unexpurgated episode — meaning we didn’t have time to do our usual polish before releasing it to the teeming millions. Will you notice the difference as we chat about Minox, our camera shelves, seller’s remorse, recent photographic adventures, and the contents of the moderate mailbag? Tune in and find out! 

Jeff has two new jobs, so this is our unplugged show - what does that mean?

follow-ups to our acclaimed Minox episode:

Jim Anderson makes Minox reels

JP O'Connor says the 15mm lens for Minox = 48-49mm on a 35mm camera

our Instagram pic of Jeff's camera shelf is our most-liked post ever - let’s see yours!

pangs of regret after unloading lotsa cameras

what we’re on the hunt for

the allure of trading

Gabe’s experiments with motion blur

Gabe shot a friend’s wedding!

our moderate mailbag

a cool book: Album 1958-1988: The Portraits of Duane Michals

It’s here, folks — the long (and we do mean long) awaited Episode № 50 of I Dream of Cameras! And courtesy of the filmmaking talents of our friend Chris Chu, it’s our very first video show! Listen to it wherever you pluck your pods, or watch at https://tinyurl.com/IDOC50.

Topics include:

notable cameras of '73

when Jeff hit a bump on the LA River bike path, his XPan flew into the air... and the accursed strap saved his bacon

the rare and exotic Alpa Surgical 81 - one shutter speed, no finder or meter, only 102 units made

Gabe's Graflex and Exakta, and his doomed pursuit of the Olympus OM-4

Gabe's quest for the sharpest lens... as opposed to the lovely softness of the Rectaflex

We regret to inform you that Polaroid is at it again: David Bowie i-Type film

50 episodes in, what have we learned?

It’s back to the coalface for Episode № 51 of I Dream of Cameras, featuring notable cameras of 1973 (uh, the early ’70s), amnesty for the prodigious mailbag, a recap of Gabe’s recent portrait shoot and a photowalk at the Getty Center, and the strange and terrible saga of Jeff’s XPan. Topics discussed include:

A recap of our banner 50th episode and the chaotic events of past three months

Gabe presents… the cameras of 1972, which bear a striking resemblance to the cameras of 1973: the Olympus OM-1, the Polaroid SX-70, the Nikon F2 and the Rollei A26

Despite the rapturous response to the 50th — all credit to Chris Chu — a lot was left on the cutting-room floor, including the prodigious mailbag, so… amnesty!

Gabe did a portrait shoot at iHeartRadio for a couple of friends — how do you learn about lighting setups?

Do you guys apply firmware updates to your digital cameras?

Gabe loves his Canon EOS 3 and Hasselblad 501cm; Jeff’s EOS 5 experience soured him on autofocus cameras forever (and maybe Canon, too)

Victoria of Tiny Camera Store fame turned Gabe on to the Chinon Auto 3001 Multifocus and the Voigtländer Bessa II with the Heliar lens

The new Los Angeles Photography Club had a photo walk at the Getty Center — what makes a good photo walk? would you prefer a “photo sit”? — also, Jeff loathes both the Getty’s architecture and its architect

However, we saw a great photography exhibit by Carrie Mae Weems and Dawoud Bey

And now… a SAGA! Jeff’s beloved Hasselblad XPan froze up mere days before a trip to Paris, and even though it unfroze, his confidence is shattered. His deranged solution? Order the incrementally improved XPan II as a backup!

A rundown of the differences between the XPan and XPan II (pro tip: they didn’t fix the bad paint)

A discussion of the concept of the “backup camera”

Other panoramic cameras are nice, but don’t kid yourselves, the XPan reigns supreme. Fight me on this!

Any photographic advice for a first-time visitor to Paris? Email us, you know where!

Gabe has begun processing his own film, and can’t load the reels in the changing bags without closing his eyes to make it “extra dark”

The eBay “startTime” hack doesn’t work anymore, so what to do? Sort by Time: newly listed, and it’ll show the date the auction was posted

Gabe vows to shoot with the Graflex Super D — send him your tips!

Bonjour nos amis! Play The Marseillaise, play it, because your letter of transit is here: Episode № 52 of I Dream of Cameras, “Liberté, Égalité, Photographie.” Jeff’s back from Paris with tales of the XPan and exotic camera shops, plus his abrupt conversion to the cult of the camera bag, while back in the States, Gabe splurged on a sexy black Canonflex. Connectez-vous pour une conversation amusante!

Gabe got a sexy new black Canonflex RM

Jeff’s continuing XPan saga:

The XPan II had problems, so back it went to the dealer… who put it right back on the site without fixing it!

what Jeff learned from his brief time with the XPan II: the O.G. is better!

however, even after repair it kept squeaking and locking up, prompting the impulsive purchase of a backup XPan at K&M Camera in NYC (love those guys!)

Other Paris trip preparation:

the backup camera: a Leitz Minolta CL with the 40mm Summicron

A camera bag (Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L V2) from REI — now he’s a convert!

Portra 400, which is pricey!

at Paris airport security, they refused to hand-check the cameras, so Jeff had to force-rewind the XPan and waste half a roll

Paris camera shops:

Aux Vieux Format

Odéon Occasions Photo, where Jeff met Christopher Nisperos

instead of toting eleven rolls of film back to LA, Jeff took it to a local lab, picturehouse + smalldarkroom, Sissi Lu’s favorite — no extra charge for pano! watch Jeff’s Instagram for the remarkable results!

high-end compact autofocus camera prices are skyrocketing!

A Mamiya MSX 500 at B&H Photo prompted memories of the 500DTL and 1000DTL

New York, London, Paris, Munich… there’s nowhere I Dream of Cameras won’t go in pursuit of our elusive dream camera. In Episode № 53, Jeff is off to London and the Photographica ’23 photo fair, while Gabe treks to Ventura, California in search of one of the last great camera shops. Also, one of us actually handles the rare and nose-bleedingly expensive Ilford Witness! Tune in for all the Pop Muzik!

A week after returning from Paris, Jeff impulsively jetted off to London for the reunion of his friend Cathy's band Heavenly

Brought a small Peak Design bag, the Everyday Sling 5L, a birthday gift from Gabe

Did some concert photography with the XPan, using both Ilford Delta 3200 and Kodak TMax P3200, plus HP5 pushed to 1600

Fortuitously this was the same weekend as Photographica 2023, an incredible camera show! Met Chroma Steve and Kosmo Stephen and Jimmy Hickford and Richard, saw an Alpa 9f, an XPan II... and an Ilford Witness!

What'd Jeff buy? A really good gift: a Rollei 35 B plus some Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow 400. Listeners: what’s a good $100 camera for the 25-year-old son of a friend?

Meanwhile, he failed to land his white whale, which nobody even bothered to guess at: an Alpa 10s

More travel travails: Heathrow airport security refused to hand-check any film below ISO 400, and carped about the number of rolls

Gabe ordered a new lens: the Canon 50mm f1.4 Leica screw-mount

…and visited the mighty Dexter’s Camera in Ventura, California

Jeff impulsively snagged two Mamiyas: the rare and desirable 2000 DTL and the plentiful and unloved 1000 DTL

Gabe is fascinated by photographer Dominique Issermann

Finally, a dip into our prodigious mailbag!

We’re Feckless in Seattle for Episode № 54 of I Dream of Cameras, which features a visit to an amazing local camera shop, Gabe’s adventures at Los Angeles photography meetups, a dip into our perpetually prodigious mailbag, talk of Mamiyas and Pentacons and Pentaxes, and more!

Gabe reviews a few key cameras of 1969:

Pentax 6x7

Olympus 35SP

Hasselblad 500 EL Apollo edition

A dip into the prodigious mailbag

Gabe’s visit to a recent Los Angeles Photography Club meetup

Also, check out your local Beers and Cameras photowalk

Gabe's preferred shooters these days: the black Canonflex RM and Pentacon Six TL

Jeff's results from shooting the Heavenly concert in London: could pushed HP5 be better than Kodak or Ilford 3200?

Jeff’s Mamiya 35mm SLR saga: the 2000 DTL improbably works perfectly, the 1000 DTL’s meter is dead, the 55mm f1.4 lens is radioactive

A Lacquer-Stik (black or white) is a very useful tool for restoring camera logos

Jeff's visit to the amazing Shot on Film Store in north Seattle, and what he bought there:

a gorgeous black Pentax H3

Konica 40mm f1.8 pancake

Olympus A16 flash for the Olympus XA series

Kodak Ultramax 400

Preparations for upcoming Central European trip incl. fear of taking a loaded camera through airport security ‘cause they won’t hand-check it

how does Jeff post swipeable panoramas to Instagram? the Swipestagram app

Fred Coury got a Leica Q2!

Hello, oh-oh, Vienna calling! Jeff’s in the City of Dreams for Episode № 55 of I Dream of Cameras, featuring talk of travel, model shoots and being trailed by paparazzi. Do they swoon for the XPan? Find out in this globe-spanning dispatch!

Jeff’s in Vienna, Austria for this one!

Cameras of 1968:

Petri Color 35

Fed Mikron

Konica Autoreflex T

Praktica Super TL

Gabe’s been going to a lot of camera meetups ‘cause Jeff has abandoned him

Jeff talks about the nature of his globetrotting adventure: Bratislava, Brno, Vienna, Prague, Karlovy Vary…

Photographing picturesque cities, being trailed by paparazzi

The cameras he brought: the Hasselblad XPan and the Olympus XA4 Macro

The XPan opens doors! photographers notice it — it’s not a dilettante’s camera — and this has led to some fascinating conversations

Gabe’s had a similar experience with Rollei TLRs

The XPan is a surprisingly great travel camera — between behind-the-scenes stuff and exotic Central European cities, Jeff’s burning through two or three rolls of Kodak Portra 400 a day

Kodak Ultramax 400 was cheaper but a bit disappointing

also in the queue: Portra 160 and FPP Color 125 (a.k.a. Svema)

Jeff’s getting an extraordinary insight into the collaboration between model and photographer on a fashion shoot

yesterday’s photo shoot was with Leica Ambassador Pat Domingo, who used a Leica SL2 Reporter and a custom black chrome Hermes edition Leica M10-D with red leather and a 35mm Summicron that belonged to his father

Gabe had some struggles to get back in sync with his black-paint Leica M4

Jeff’s pretty good at judging exposure — are you?

Gabe’s also been out shooting with the Mamiya RZ67, the Hasselblad 501cm and the Rolleiflex 2.8E2

And he’s fascinated by the work of Saul Leiter

And he’s still enjoying the black Canonflex RM and Pentacon Six TL

Jeff’s favorite black-and-white film is Double-X 250, a GREAT stock which for some reason isn’t commercially available (except through Cinestill) — buy a 100-foot roll from Ultrafine Online and start bulk-loading!

Jeff’s East Coast lab of choice: picturehouse + smalldarkroom in Chelsea, NYC

and finally, a dip into Das Prodigious Mailbag!

“On Wednesday evening, at the start of the opera in the St. Margarethen quarry, the unbelievable happened: Carmen survived.” And this is just the start of Episode № 56 of I Dream of Cameras, which features a harrowing escape from certain death, an enigmatic Central European supermodel, exotic cameras from East Germany and Czechoslovakia, and Jeff Bridges! Tune in for all the intrigue.

On the final night of his Central European trip, Jeff was almost killed at an outdoor performance of Carmen

Cameras of 1967:

Olympus Trip 35

Hanimex Praktica Novo I B

Zenit E

More on Jeff’s recent observation of fashion shoots, including two different professionals’ use of the Olympus Stylus

Look for many behind-the-scenes XPan shots on Jeff’s Instagram

Gabe finally found his long-lost Leica R6.2… he’d sold it to LA Film Camera!

Our composer Fred Coury went to an LA Photography Club meetup and got hooked

The Argus C3 is terrible — fight us on this!

On Alan Peres's recommendation, Jeff visited FotoŠkoda in Prague and it was incredible

Picked up a Zeiss Pentacon FM and a Carl Zeiss Jena 35mm f2.4 Flektogon lens

In Český Krumlov, Jeff visited the fascinating Museum Fotoatelier Seidel…

…and found a Czech-made Meopta Stereo-Mikroma at a local antique store

Gabe got a black Olympus OM-2…

…and a Nikon D700…

…and is seeking a waist-level finder for his Contax 645

The challenges of shooting film abroad: do you wrestle with unsympathetic airport security personnel? Ship your film home and risk it getting x-rayed along the way? Process it locally? After equivocating for days, Jeff rolled the dice and took 18 rolls to the lab at FotoŠkoda… and it was a smashing success!

Also: Portra 400 is totally worth it, and the XPan is a great travel camera

Exciting news: a new Widelux is inbound from Jeff and Susan Bridges and the team at Silvergrain Classics

While the Widelux has a 126° field of view, the XPan with 45mm lens covers 71° — is that panoramic?

What do we think of the Minolta P’s and other “fake” panoramic 35mm cameras which merely mask the frame?

Finally, a dip into our prodigious mailbag!

In Episode № 57 of I Dream of Cameras, we mind our P’s — Minolta’s little-known pocket XPan killer — and Q’s — diving into a particularly prodigious mailbag. Also, Gabe’s gone digicam kray-zee, and Jeff’s still obsessed with that Nikon Year of the Dog camera. Tune in for all the chitter-chatter!

Cameras of 1966:

The troublesome but alluring Rolleiflex SL66

The unreleased yet tantalizing Pentax 220

The well-named Petri Racer

Gabe’s recent acquisitions — he’s a digicam hipster!

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj with built-in projector

Nikon D700

Nikon Coolpix P7000

Jeff’s thoroughly besotted with the delightful panoramic point-and-shoot Minolta P's — it leaves the tab out when rewinding! And it comes in four other colors, red, blue, green and black — does he need 'em?

Olympus Stylus, mirrored chrome edition — are these special finishes worth the premium?

Revisiting the Nikon FM2/T Year of the Dog camera — the price continues to plummet, but the dog looks like the dogecoin Shiba Inu, so does that ruin it?

Gabe’s recent use of the Leica M6 on the WGA picket line reminded him how nice it is to use a lighter, less bulky camera

eBay annoyances, suspicious sellers…

and our super-prodigious mailbag!

There's fever in the funkhouse now for Episode № 58 of I Dream of Cameras, in which we introduce a startling new segment: we ROLL THE DICE to choose from a bumper crop of listener-suggested topics. Tune in ‘cause the deuce is still wild!

Cameras of 1965:

Leicaflex MK2

Minolta Autopak 700

Hasselblad EL/M

Olympus Pen EM

Nikkormat FT

and something else that came out in 1965

Jeff saw the Terry O’Neill show at Fotografiska…

…went to Overland Photo Supply in Overland Park, Kansas…

…and bought a Pentax Spotmatic F for cheap! you K1000 devotees are crazy!

Gabe did a nighttime photo shoot at Mel’s Diner on Sunset with his beloved Nikon D700, experimenting with flash

Jeff got the first roll back from his Minolta P’s, and likes the results… though he misses having backlight compensation

Recommended documentary: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, about photographer Nan Goldin, streaming on Kanopy (free with your public library card)

It’s been a year — how’s Polaroid Music going?

A new segment where we roll the dice and pull from our list of undiscussed topics!

Celebs with film cameras

Our oddest cameras:

Contarex Bullseye

Voigtländer Vitessa L

Alpa 11si

Werra

Minox

Nikonos

Pentax Auto 110

Ricoh Mirai Zoom

Minolta 110 Zoom

Scale-focus cameras - Gabe can’t stand them!

the prodigious mailbag!

and finally: Chloe Kissner has a photography business, and her mom is buying a film camera

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way / Your Nikon’s in the shop, your XPan’s D.O.A....” Join Jeff and Gabe in Noo Yawk Cit-tay for a very special episode, featuring a schmear and a Dr. Brown’s and the most underrated Canon SLR of the modern era. We’ll be there for you!

Cameras of 1964:

the O.G. Leicaflex

the elusive Canon FX

the wildly undervalued Pentax SV

the freakish Nikkorex Auto 35

the large and unwieldy Koni-Omega Rapid

Gabe’s NYC photo walk with the great Sissi Lu

The team’s visit to B&H Photo (and Russ & Daughters) with Chris Chu

Jeff bought a Canon F-1 Lake Placid Olympics edition, the only classic-era Canon SLR he’s never owned

Comparing the XPan with the Minolta P’s: field of view and aspect ratio are quite similar!

Another roll-the-dice segment! Adapting this lens for that camera, and the worst camera we’ve ever used — fight us!

Plus a dip halfway down our prodigious mailbag!

In Episode № 60 of I Dream of Cameras, Gabe and Jeff stun the photography world by boldly revealing the contents of their fiercely guarded eBay watch lists. That’s right — you could go on the ‘Bay right now and steal their Precious right out from under them! What are the white whales and black beauties they’ve been eyeing hungrily? And which would they choose if a magical djinn offered them just one? Cross your arms and blink to find out now!

Cameras of 1963:

the original Kodak Instamatic

the original gothic Olympus Pen F

Canon Demi

Polaroid Polacolor film for Land cameras

Gabe promised a purge! there was no purge

Which cameras did Jeff bring to New York in anticipation of a month of travel?

Jeff’s Pentax ES II misadventure

Gabe shot with the Nikon 28Ti, verdict to come

Gabe’s take on the new Polaroid I-2

Jeff and Gabe boldly reveal the contents of their eBay watch lists — feel free to skunk us!

If a magical genie offered you one thing from your watch list, what would you pick?

The Prodigious Mailbag™ will be the bulk of our next episode, so please write to us at eye dream of cam rahs at gee male dot calm

Gabe recommends an excellent YouTube series: Wrong Side of the Lens

Fred Coury’s beloved Amy Motta is a Canon film shooter now

Don’t praise us in an email — leave us a review on iTunes!

A rare treat: IDOC № 61 is dedicated to you, our legions of devoted listeners. In this XL episode, we take a deep, deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™, which as of recording ran 46 emails deep. Tune in as Gabe and Jeff respond to inquiries, sympathies, clapbacks and condemnations. It’s sixty-wonderful!

Cameras of ’62:

Minolta Hi-Matic

Nikon F Photomic

Hasselblad 500C in space! Wally Schirra aboard Mercury 8

Canonflex RM

Pentax SV

Miranda DR

Fujicarex

Ricoh Singlex

After we revealed our eBay watch lists, people did indeed skunk us! The mint Minolta P’s, the bulk roll of Panatomic-X, the rare Pentax SB2, the Alpa 10d half-frame and one of the two Nicca IIILs are all gone!

and for the remainder of the episode, a deep dive into our Far Beyond Prodigious Mailbag!

Gabe goes to a celebrity wedding; Jeff appears in Vogue Portugal. Gabe has a birthday; Jeff has a breakdown. And all the while, they scour the globe in search of the world’s finest vintage camera shops. Tune in for pulled pork and wienerschnitzel and much, much more!

Cameras of ’61:

Olympus Pen EE

Canon 7

Rolleiflex wide-angle

Pentax H1/S1

A vintage Hasselblad 500c ad: What could possibly make a camera worth $550?

Gabe had a birthday and received a photo-themed gift: Life Magazine and the Power of Photography, featuring his beloved Gordon Parks

Our corporate retreat in Austin, Texas featured visits to The Camera Exchange and Austin Camera, followed by BBQ at Rollin’ Smoke, where you get a free beer with your tip

Gabe’s verdict on the Nikon 28Ti: he agrees it’s boring and prefers the Yashica T4!

Jeff’s Pentax ES II mega-saga: if your stuff gets damaged by UPS, submit a claim! As for Electro Spotmatics of all sorts, never again!

The new I'm Back digital insert for 35mm cameras is larger than it appears - would you do it?

We were gifted a complete set of Atlanta Film Co. films from Bill Manning

Jeff returned to Vienna, which is vintage camera heaven! Notable stops included Camera 31, Westlicht, Jo Geier, United Camera and the astounding Photo Börse

More security hassles in Frankfurt - next time, lie about your ISO!

Gabe’s been shooting with his Rolleiflex and Leica M6

Jeff spent some time with Leica photographer Pat Domingo

Also a shout-out to Branislav Simoncik, who shot P for Vogue Portugal

Starting with Episode 17, the subtitles on the episode page at idreamofcameras.com became delightfully obscure references, yet nobody ever mentions them. Y’all paying attention?

It’s our third anniversary episode, featuring celebrations galore and talk of cameras past, present and future. Plus the return of our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring NO PRAISE! Tune in for all the merriment!

Cameras of 1960:

Nikkorex 35

Nikon S3M

the original Canonflex

Pentax Spotmatic shown at Photokina

Rolleiflex 2.8F

Rolleiflex Rollei Magic

Zeiss Contarex Special

Yashica 35M

Leica R5

Gabe and Jeff got great birthday gifts!

the original Kodak Instamatic

Kodak Retina IIIC

Lego Rolleiflex

Leica IXMOO

A golden Minolta P’s

Gabe’s been trawling eBay for early LIFE magazines

Please tell Jeff he doesn’t need a Nicca IIIL

He’s also fascinated by the ridiculous Contax Preview

Gabe’s got some shoots coming up, and plans to use:

Contax 645

Minolta P’s

and the super-cheap Canon Rebel 2000 with the 40mm pancake

Jeff’s quasi-repaired Pentax ES II is cursed… never again!

…but he’s loving his rare and delightful Mamiya/Sekor 2000 DTL

…and will soon be shooting on set with his beloved Olympus Pen EE-3

A deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

and finally: Gabe throws out the Under $95 Camera Challenge!

The big news in Episode № 64 of I Dream of Cameras is the release of Harman Phoenix, a brand-new experimental color film from the company we insist on calling Ilford ‘cause they didn’t give us free stuff. Also covered: notable cameras of 1959; fun with Lomochrome Turquoise; Gabe’s recent five-camera all-film photo shoot; the growing cult of the Minolta P’s; last-minute holiday gift ideas; and tons of blowback in the Prodigious Mailbag!

Cameras of 1959:

Leica M1

Minolta SR-1

Tele-Rolleiflex

debut of the Nikon F

the original one-lug Olympus Pen (made not by Olympus, but Sanko Shoji)

Asahi Pentax S2 / H2

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super

The Russian Mir (a simplified Zorki 4)

Gabe went to The Darkroom for the exciting debut of Harman Phoenix, a brand-new film from a company we insist on calling Ilford ‘cause they didn’t give us free stuff

Labs working with this film are running smack into The Scannenberg Uncertainty Principle

Jeff had a blast shooting Lomochrome Turquoise with his rare and exotic Mamiya/Sekor 2000 DTL

Meanwhile, Gabe’s been shooting with his cheap ’n’ cheerful Canon Rebel 2000 + 40mm f2.8 pancake lens — the results blew him away!

He also recently did an all-film shoot with the Contax 645, Rolleiflex 2.8E2, Yashica T4, Leica M6… and Minolta P’s! P's Mania rolls on! 

Directing NBC’s new sitcom Extended Family, Jeff did some set photography with his beloved Olympus Pen EE-3. 78 shots on a roll!

Holiday gift ideas! Jeff recently acquired some excellent photo books:

Apollo VII - XVII

Hasselblad - The Camera System 50 Years 1948-1998

New York in Photobooks

Why not our new Alan Daly t-shirt, or something else from our burgeoning merch page?

Or Rachel's Brewster-Wright’s Ultimate Film & Darkroom Workbook

A dip into our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring:

More Vivian Maier blowback from our 50th episode - as revenge, Viv will be getting a one-woman show at Fotografiska New York in May 2024

An excellent photo club, The Slow Camera Exchange

A wonderful 1942 article from The Atlantic, The Dream Camera

You want more and you want it fast? Tune in to Episode № 65 of I Dream of Cameras, “Rebel Rebel,” in which Gabe and Jeff wax rhapsodic about the trash-table treasure Canon EOS Rebel 2000. How did this grubby chunk of plastic capture the hearts of two men devoted to the cult of Leica? Pluck this pod and find out! Also, we call out great cameras NOT from the big-name brands, recount recent shooting adventures, and take a shallow dip into the deep and prodigious mailbag!

Jeff made a major math error! 64 is 2^8

Cameras of ’58:

Nikon S3

Leica M2

Rolleiflex T

Minolta SR-2

Mamiya Elca (and from ’59, the fascinating square-format Mamiya Sketch)

Ricoh 519

Zeiss Ikon Ikonette

And now, the long-promised Minority Report (great cameras not from the big-name brands)

Alpa 11si (of course)

Pentacon Six

Petri Color 35

Plaubel Makina 67 (Gabe’s gonna get one!)

Rectaflex

Balda Baldaxette II

Voigtländer Vitessa L

Widelux

The trash-table Canon EOS Rebel 2000 is dirt cheap and packed with features — we both love ours!

There’s also an even-cheaper EOS Kiss Panorama with a stupid panorama switch!

The 40mm f2.8 pancake lens is delightful

Check out Casual Photophile's impassioned defense of “Dorky AF” SLRs of the late ‘90s

Gabe’s been shooting portraits (?!) with Leica’s 28mm Elmarit

And finally, a dip into our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

It’s a voyage to the bottom of the Prodigious Mailbag™ on our Smash Hit Podcast™, but before that there’s talk of the year in photography 1957, the revived Southern California camera show, Jeff’s trip to the Caribbean with a sexy Swede and also his girlfriend, eBay execs sending pig fetuses to their critics, and so much more!

Jeff made yet another major math error! 64 is 2 cubed

Sorry, but Parenting Hell is not a smash hit podcast

Gabe presents The Year in Focus 1957:

Nikon SP

Ilford Sportsman

Hasselblad 500C

Kodak Retina Reflex

Concava Tessina watch camera TLR

Leica M2 (for real) which when new went for $276, or $2,884.37 in today’s dollars

Arsenal Salyut

Asahi came out with the original Pentax

Olympus Wide E

Gabe went to the new Huntington Park camera show (very exciting) and nearly bought a Contax T

Jeff visited 5R Photo Lab in New York and met proprietor Alec

A trip to St. Barth’s, French West Indies occasioned the return of the XPan, and a love affair was reignited

Jeff shot with both Portra 400 and 160… and liked 160 better!

Gabe visited Jeff and P in NYC, went to B&H Photo, bought nothing…

…but then ordered an Exa 1B and a Helios-44 lens

Mint unveiled their coming-soon Rollei 35AF — apparently anyone can license the name “Rollei” for a buck fifty — but who needs this thing?

A bunch of eBay execs were creepy criminals

Jeff got a cool Minox film slitter from camerhack.it

Check out RitchieCam, a camera app for iPhone with an XPan emulation mode

A dive so deep into our Prodigious Mailbag™ that it requires a bathyscaphe

Gabe wants to hear about online photography websites you love - blogs, magazines, whatever

“Pablo Larraín, the film’s Chilean director, felt [Jackie] Kennedy’s love of beauty was so integral to her character that he requested [Natalie] Portman utter ‘I love beauty’ at some point during the shooting of every scene.” This is absurd, but not as absurd as Episode № 67 of I Dream of Cameras, “Your Extra Time and Your Kiss,” in which we discuss cameras called Beauty and Kiss and Super. Tune in for all the mayhem!

Jeff made yet another math error! 64 is 2 to the fifth

Gabe presents… Cameras in Focus, 1956:

Canon VT

Pentacon FB / Contax FB

Mamiyaflex Automat BII

Beauty 35 Super(“I love beauty”)

Beier Precisa IIA

Bolta Photavit 36

Duplex Super 120

Flexora III

Kodak Signet 40

original Leica MP

Jeff snagged a Canon EOS New Kiss Panorama (a.k.a. Rebel G, a.k.a. Rebel 500N) for $14.50 and gave it to his brother Steven

After much equivocation, and after handling the lens at B&H, he concluded he does not need the extravagantly-priced 30mm for the Hasselblad XPan

Gabe did an all-film photo shoot with Claire Hinkley during the recent L.A. monsoon

Also shot Kylie Silkman and her sister Danica with the stunning Helios-44 lens

Jason Schneider's books on camera collecting are amazing

Perplexity.ai is a useful tool for camera comparisons

We will try to chat with y’all on Discord - check the #idoc-podcast channel under Sunny 16

Don Goldberg at DAG helped Gabe fix the broken strap guard on his Leica M6 TTL

And finally, a deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™!

It’s an xlent xlerated xtralarge xtravaganza as Gabe and Jeff hack and slash their way to the bottom of the Prodigious Mailbag™, which features a slew of emails penned by celebrities under the pseudonym “Alan Peres.” Also discussed: cameras of ’55, cameras of ’24, Dune 2, SB2, SL3, FP4, HP5, Number Six and Zippora Seven! Tune in as we run the numbers!

Cameras in Focus 1955:

Olympus Wide

Rolleiflex 2.8D

the Nikon SP was in development (which prompts a reprise of Jeff’s astonishing SP acquisition story)

Pentaflex

Graflex Stereo Graphic

a 1955 survey of 35mm cameras by price range

Jeff briefly acquired an Asahi Pentax SB2, rare variant of the H3/S3 sold only on Japanese military bases… but it was broken, so back it went

Gabe launches the Under $40 Camera Challenge!

The soon-come Pentax film compact camera will be a half-frame model with zone focusing

For the third straight time, Leica reports record revenue, plus the new SL3 is out

Gabe rhapsodizes about the monstrous Gowlandflex

Dave Tada picked Gabe up a coveted Nikkor 28mm f2.8…

…but he still yearns for an ugly black Nikon F

Dune 2 was shot on a $50 Helios-44!

Nikon is buying RED

Jeff watched the great Yu Tsai in action at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue 60th anniversary shoot in Fort Lauderdale

We go XL to empty out the Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Our IDOC Discord channel is hoppin’! Join us!

Paulina Porizkova joins the boys to offer her unique perspective on the art and business of fashion photography. How’d she get into it? What’s the most important thing a photographer should know about working with models? Why does Paulina call Irving Penn “Mr. Penn”? Does the fact that Jeff has a spreadsheet of when he last changed the batteries in his cameras render him more attractive? All this and much, much more in our sexy Episode № 69 — nice!

how Paulina got into modeling at age 15, how she learned the craft

her growing awareness of lighting and cameras

the dance between photographer and model, and how it’s altered by different types of camera

how a photographer’s behavior influences a model’s confidence

how real is the Veruschka scene from Blow-Up?

do you know if the shot is good?

how aware are you of camera equipment?

can what you know about modeling be taught?

pay attention to lighting! take a selfie when you look great!

were you ever interested in photography yourself?

her late husband Ric Ocasek’s interest in photography

studio vs. location shooting

the business of modeling is not what you think!

does the fact that Jeff has a spreadsheet of when he last changed the batteries in his cameras render him more attractive?

what is the most important thing a photographer should know about working with models?

is it different working with a female photographer?

working with Irving Penn and why P always calls him “Mister”

Bill King

the one photographer she wishes she’d had a chance to work with: Helmut Newton

the resurgence of 35mm point-and-shoots in fashion photography, e.g. Marie Tomanova’s shoot for Czech Vogue

can you get a good shot of a model by being mean to her?

what’s it like shooting with your boyfriend, former photographer of plants and buildings?

the portrait by Jeff that P loves

her Top 5 photographers she enjoyed working with:

Mr. Penn

Arthur Elgort (author of Camera Ready and Camera Crazy)

Patrick Demarchelier

Marcus Bard

Marco Glaviano

what’s it like being constantly confronted with images of your younger self? do you have a favorite?

He wouldn’t…. Now that the long-raging and ill-advisedly-ignited Vivian Maier debate has finally died down, Jeff wouldn’t throw gasoline on those embers by expressing a Strong Opinion about some recent Viv-related news, would he? Well, you’ll just have to tune in to find out. Also discussed: the boys swap cities, Gabe in New York and Jeff in Los Angeles; recent shooting adventures with a slew of cameras both old and new; and the proper way to express your love of our smash hit podcast: through lavish gifts!

we had a tremendous response to the last episode — clearly 69 is something people really enjoy

heh heh heh, the folks at Camerosity took the bait — haven’t y’all read The Mouse That Roared?

Gabe’s adventures in New York shooting his Rolleiflex and Leica M10 with Sissi Lu (shoutout: Katz’s Deli) and Chris Chu (shoutout: Salt’s Cure), plus drive-bys at B&H and picturehouse + the small darkroom

Jeff sold his Robot Royal 24, but shipping to South Korea was twice as much as what the UPS website originally quoted, so he realized a net profit of $3.32

however, he still wanted a square-format 35mm, so bring on the Mamiya Sketch… which is delightful and quirky!

shooting the Canonflex R2000

shooting the Pentax MF with FPP Color 125 (see Jeff’s article in Casual Photophile)

a hearty thanks to super-listener Jeffry Pittman, who sent us a Baby Rollei, a Hermes 3000 typewriter, and lots of film

iPhone iOS 17.4 now includes podcast transcripts so you may enjoy our soaring rhetorical flourishes

Jeff mildly reacts to some recent Vivian Maier news

Gabe’s planning an all-medium-format film shoot with the Pentax 6x7, the Mamiya RZ67, and the Hasselblad 501CM

a passing mention of new friend Peter Kagan, about whom you will hear more

a bold voyage into our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

and finally, a fond farewell to the great Joe Flaherty

Consulting Producer Tucker Sachs, the real brains behind I Dream of Cameras, has long lurked in the shadows with a bone and a chew toy, but in this episode he finally steps into the light. Also discussed: photo books, photo contests, photo walks and photo acquisitions, along with every syllable of your deathless prose from the Prodigious Mailbag™.  It’s a doggie-dog world!

Daido Moriyama’s ’71 NY is an incredible photo book shot on an Olympus Pen W

Gabe had a blast at the latest Beers and Cameras feat. Joe Stitt

Spotted: a Fujica ST 801

check out Walker Evans' subway photo book, shot with a Contax II: Many Are Called

Jeff entered an Epson pano competition - any favorite photo contests?

Gabe really should get a Nikon SP, but in the meantime he finally snagged an ugly black-paint Nikon F from KEH

our new cult favorite film: FPP Color 125

bulk-loading and its discontents

Gabe scored a slew of point-and-shoots at a yard sale for a total of $28:

Olympus Infinity II

Fuji Discovery

Pentax IQ Zoom

Olympus Infinity Jr.

Polaroid announced an upgrade to their B&W 600 film - kudos!

The IDOC gang are planning a Polaroid-peel-apart-film-shooting festival

check out Sissi Lu's reels and IG live shots

Jeff is performing at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica on Mother's Day (click See a Show and then look for Library Girl)

The Prodigious Mailbag™ features the Osmond brothers doing Crazy Horses

Hank Haddock’s ISO 3200 stickers (designed by Suné Horn) will help you avoid arguments at airport security - find them at tinyurl.com/savemyfilm

do you make photo books, and if so how?

and finally, Consulting Producer Tucker Sachs puts in an appearance

A transformational live-on-locational supersensational IDOCstravaganza! First we go to a Los Angeles Photography Club Cameras and Coffee meetup in Koreatown to talk to folks about their cameras and dogs. Then we SPAN THE GLOBE to interview Jo Geier, proprietor of Mint and Rare, a phenomenal camera shop in Vienna, Austria. You won’t want to miss this one, so TOON IN!

“I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. I have your review before me. In a moment it will be behind me.”

— Max Reger, German composer (1873–1916), responding to a savage review

Jeff’s in Lisbon at the start of a month-long European trip; Gabe’s in LA developing his own film for the first time in years. But what’s obsessing them the most? Their first rotten review! Tune in for all the merriment and NO PRAISE!

Jeff’s choice of cameras and film for a month-long European trip:

the Hasselblad XPan with both the 45mm and 90mm lenses

the mighty Olympus XA4 macro

24 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 and Portra 160

Gabe’s eBay misadventure in pursuit of the Pentax 50mm 1.7: 

the “as-is” Pentax ME Super and S1 turned out to be nonfunctional, the lens was dented…

…but he did get a Watson bulk loader!

He lent his Canon EOS 3 to Martin Starr… so he had to buy a replacement: the EOS Elan 7NE. Which was perfect — even better than our beloved Rebel 2000!

More eBaying: Gabe also got the Nikon 85mm f1.4D

and he got his beloved Leica M3 repaired by our trusty dusty camera repair guy! whom he interviewed! and who may finally be unmasked in an upcoming episode!

Jeff was on the cusp of buying an Olympus OM-3 when his cherished 12” Retina MacBook dropped dead… hence no OM-3

Gabe went shooting with the Elan and his Rolleiflex and processed the film himself — it’s a new era!

In Lisbon, Jeff visited Vintage Dream Cameras and took a hard, hard look at a Snoopy 110 camera and a rare Leica IIIc with sharkskin leatherette

We got a terrible review!

Gabe compared Rolleiflex TLRs with Dave Tada, but it turns out there are lots of differences between the 2.8E and the 2.8E2! Also, Dave’s has an RZ67 finder!

Our friend Oliver’s exotic Chinese Pearl River SLR

Jeff experienced sudden XPan battery death

We empty out our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Some notes on our composer Fred Coury: his former band Cinderella’s Night Songs was released on this day in 1986; also, Fred just won his 6th Emmy!

Two glasses of white wine reduces Jeff to drunkenly raving about travel cameras, airport hand-check injustices and (predictably) his usual cast of bêtes noires. Meanwhile, stone-cold-sober Gabe offers sharp, reasoned takes on the new Pentax 17 and the cameras of 1955. Tune in to Episode № 74 (not 75) for all the mayhem!

Jeff recorded this episode from Rome after imbibing two glasses of cheap white wine, which is why he keeps calling it Episode 75

Why the two cameras Jeff picked for his extended European trip — Olympus XA4 and Hasselblad XPan — have been ideal

Lisbon Airport is the worst — they abjectly refused to hand-check Jeff’s film!

Jeff had 18 rolls developed at Ars Imago in Rome, and here’s what he learned: Kodak Portra 160 needs tons of light

Gabe unexpectedly presents: Cameras in Focus 1955!

Miranda T

Canon IIs2

A $200,000 Leica accessory the Leica UW underwater housing

Olympus Wide

Gabe visited our lovely friends at LA Film Camera and you should too

The boys drop some Strong Opinions™ about the new Pentax 17 half-frame film camera

Gabe considered trading his Rolleiflex 2.8F for a Plaubel Makina and finally opted not to…

…but because he’s Gabe, he stumbled across a garage sale in Pacific Palisades and came away with all this for only $200:

Olympus 35RC

Topcon RE Super with three lenses

Leica V-Lux 3

Gabe revisits his chronic bouts of which-camera-to-bring anxiety

We drop a small I Dream of Pizzas travel tip: the best pizza Jeff’s girlfriend has ever had was at Ai Marmi in Rome

A dip into our paltry yet Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Gabe reacts to the NY Times article about film shooters trashing their negatives

And Jeff offers one more shout for the RitchieCam,  an iPhone app that can emulate the XPan

One of the Best Photography Podcasts To Listen To In 2024 (per Amateur Photographer magazine) returns to bask in some praise for a change! In this blockbuster XL episode, we run down our travels in Europe and Canada, recap recent celebrity photo shoots, exult over exotic gear acquisitions, and dive to the bottom of our Prodigious and Informative Mailbag™! Tune in to see what the fuss is about!

THE BIGGEST NEWS: our smash hit podcast earned global acclaim, as Amateur Photographer named us one of the best photography podcasts of 2024! Thanks, Jess Miller!

you’d be wise to consult Lina Bessonova’s invaluable hand check guide before traveling

Jeff once again experienced sudden XPan battery death after less than a month (= 30 rolls), so mock his spreadsheet at your peril

a Czech photographer picked on Jeff for daring to do portraits with a pano camera - also, he failed to make the cut for Brooklyn Film Camera’s photo show - the shame!

finding film in far-flung locations is HARD, so stock up

Jeff recounts an extremely bad experience with a Rome photo lab

not to be out-traveled, Gabe went to Canada with his Leica M10 and Noctilux - what’s more, he:

…visited Leitz Road in Midland, Ontario so his lens could see its birthplace

…hung out with Jessica Devic at Youthful Vengeance Coffee in Toronto - she’s a tremendous photographer, check her out

…toured Memento Film Lab in Toronto

…shot Claire Hinkley with the peerless Olympus 35 RC and monstrous Mamiya C330

…and had a Fred Coury rock ’n’ roll idyll at the Rainbow and Whisky a Go Go with Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat

Jeff harpooned a long-sought white whale you’ve never heard of: the Petri Color 35 Custom

Gabe bonded with a TSA agent at Toronto Airport who turned out to be a film shooter

behold the B&H Lego set!

check out the Half Frame List of half-cookie cameras in current production

we’ll be at the Bruce Gilden and Vivian Maier shows at Fotografiska in August

and finally, our Prodigious and Informative Mailbag™, featuring plenty of fierce clapback about the Pentax 17

Hurricane Debby brings a downpour of camera gear! Gabe’s out with his Leica III and Mamiya C330, while Jeff samples some digital Leicas. Gabe chats with Toronto photographer Jessica Devic, and Jeff recounts his acquisition of a rare Alpa 10s from a seller in Alaska. Tune in for all the fish stories!

It’s raining cameras! So much to report…

Gabe figured out how to adjust his Leica III rangefinder

and he’s acquired a Metz 45 CT-1 flash, the Bruce Gilden Special

and he’s been shooting his Mamiya C330 with the chimney finder

Jeff wanted to shoot portraits with a Leica M Typ 240, but the charger was missing…

…so he tried a Leica V-Lux 4 and did not enjoy it

meanwhile, his girlfriend’s Nikon F5 turned up under a pile of winter clothes and ski boots

his “poor condition” Petri Color 35 Custom turned out to be perfect

but most improbably, he found an insanely rare Alpa 10s on craigslist… with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and tons of accessories… from the original owner in Alaska… for only $400! However…

it was missing the takeup spool — thank goodness for eBay

and there’s a tricky battery problem, for which he MacGyvered together a neat solution

speaking of batteries, there’s a new thingy in town! Could KaptainKugelkopf’s rechargeable Varta V80H + this inexpensive charger be the ideal replacement for the long-discontinued PX625 battery? Jeff ordered one to find out!

Gabe’s bookstore recommendation: Untitled Books in Echo Park, Los Angeles

is loving his Leica Q2

turns out Gabe does know who Vincent Peters is

Gabe’s interview with Toronto photographer Jessica Devic

Gabe’s friend is a descendant of (and dead ringer for) the mighty Ernst Leitz!

finally, a dog-paddle around our Prodigious Mailbag™, including how Jeff’s Strong Opinions about Vivian Maier cost his brother Steven a chance at love

It’s Talking Heads: 77 as the boys convene in New York City for a pilgrimage to B&H Photo, where they ambush veteran camera guru Michael Armato at the used counter for what proves to to be a truly phenomenal interview. Then it’s off to Fotografiska for the long-promised visit to the Vivian Maier and Bruce Gilden shows. Who will emerge victorious when Jeff confronts his photographic nemesis? Tune in and find out!

Hear the crushing steel, feel the steering wheel! Gabe lingers in NYC for more photographic and culinary adventures, while Jeff sees his reflection in the luminescent dash of his newly beloved Alpa 10s. But what will happen when he gently caresses its warm leatherette? Tune in and find out!

presenting… our bad-review mug! however, you gotta listen to the episode to find out where to get it, ‘cause it’s not on our merch page

Gabe recounts further New York exploits with Sissi Lu, Chris Chu and Chris Lowell

Sissi gave each of the boys one of her super-cool DO NOT X-RAY film travel bags

Gabe test-drove the Pentax 17 and had some criticisms - pictures came out great, though!

Gabe’s palate was enslaved by Xi’an Famous Foods

he visited the new Leica Store in the Meatpacking District - turns out they are still carrying used equipment

his only dud of the entire trip: three rolls of film purchased from Willoughby’s turned out to be both expensive and expired

erratum! apologia! mea culpa! we found Louis Mendes, namesake of our last episode (oops), and he’s a national treasure

Jeff has been finding the Alpa 10s an utter joy to shoot with

but beware of dry (ba-dum-bump-bump, ba-dum-bump) leatherette - Jeff did a quick fix with a replacement strip from cameraleather.com (and also procured a replacement sheet from Polar Bear Camera)

Jeff bought a tiny Reveni light meter Mk. 1 on eBay and it is nice

(“switched off”), makers of the charger to replace the PX625 with the rechargeable Varta V80H, make their own version of The Thingy and so much more - check ‘em out

Mint’s new Rollei 35AF will cost $800, making the Pentax 17 seem like a bargain

we urge you to learn the story of the Salmon of Knowledge so you will be spared Jeff’s Irish accent

dusted off her old Nikon F5 and 85mm f1.8 Nikkor to shoot a newly engaged couple, burning through two rolls of FPP Color 125 in fifteen minutes

exciting news! John-Michael Mendizza plans to lend Gabe his new Tele-Rolleiflex

we take a shallow dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

and finally, our art director Keith Greenstein wrote and illustrated a new children’s book - it’s called Why Don’t You Marry It? and you should buy it!

Gabe Sachs, 25 years after Freaks and Geeks, is the Astrid Kirchherr of American comedy; Jeff Greenstein, 25 hours after Paris Fashion Week, is the Derek Zoolander of European modeling. Tune in for their rollicking adventures!

Jeff’s just back from a wild trip to Paris! Including:

P did a runway gig for Balmain for Fashion Week…

while Jeff modeled for renowned photographer Leslie Kee of Super magazine…

suffered hand-check travails at Orly Airport…

and browsed overpriced gear at Euro-Photo

our friend Chloe Kissner now has a photo business

Gabe did a photo shoot with Raven-Symoné

mysterious lightning marks on film - could it be static electricity?

Freaks and Geeks just turned 25, and Gabe Sachs is the Astrid Kirchherr of contemporary comedy

Gabe did a lightning-fast photo session with new dad Eoin Macken

is the Wandrd Prvke Lite the platonic ideal of camera bags?

our Prodigious Mailbag™, including a passing mention of lost folksinger Connie Converse, whose music and new biography you should investigate

Our blockbuster eightieth episode includes talk of wedding shoots and model shoots, German Rolleis and Swiss Alpas, plastic Pentaxes and Pano Portrait Snobs. Tune in for all the badinage!

Eighty episodes — even the hosts can’t remember the highlights! So which three episodes would you recommend to the uninitiated?

Gabe went to a Cameras & Coffee meetup at the Culver Steps…

…where he drooled over an Olympus OM-4Ti and a Mamiyaflex

He also brought five cameras to a shoot with Claire Hinkley:

the rare and coveted Tele-Rolleiflex lent to him by the sainted John-Michael Mendizza

the old faithfuls: Rolleiflex 2.8E2 and Leica M4

the mighty Nikon FM3a

and a long-languishing Hasselblad 500C

When Jeff and his siblings met up in Philadelphia for their yearly Fourphans™ Weekend, the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 with 40mm lens was his faithful plastic companion

He also went to Unique Photo and gaped at some rare Alpas, including the freakish 8b, which is both an SLR and a rangefinder

Which cameras did he use to cover his girlfriend’s son’s wedding?

Canon EOS Rebel 2000 for pre-wedding prep

Olympus XA4 with A11 flash for the rehearsal dinner

and of course the Hasselblad XPan for rooftop beauty shots of the betrothed

Yearning to get some new gear, Jeff grabbed an 24mm Angenieux lens for the Alpa at KEH… only to return it because it was not Alpa mount, but Exakta

He also handled a Pentax 17 and recoiled from its icky extruded body

And despite his devotion to the XPan, he bombed at the Epson Pano Awards — could he be a victim of the pano portrait snobs?

As requested by faithful listener Gaetan Cormier, may we present the “So good” t-shirt, a loving tribute to Gabe’s catchphrase

And finally: a deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

Like “Man in Black” Johnny Cash, Gabe Sachs is never seen without his signature ebon apparel. So what could coax him into donning a white dress shirt? And while we’re asking questions: who’s shooting 220 film, what’s a Zunow, and can Jeff actually perform Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements” on command? Find out in the latest obsidian-dark episode of I Dream of Cameras!

Gabe was plied with birthday gifts!

a camera-print shirt from a Paris boutique

Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography

a Polaroid Big Swinger and three precious packs of Fujifilm FP-3000b

Jeff made a world-wind trip to LA, where he and Gabe dined with Jeff’s friend and Renaissance-woman Cathy Rogers of indiepop legends Heavenly and Junkyard Wars a.k.a. Scrapheap Challenge

Today is Jeff’s 12th Alpaversary, yet his cherished 11si does not exist!

to celebrate, he replaced the mirror foam in his Alpa 10s, and has a sexy how-to tip!

Gabe bought a thrashed Rolleicord with Rolleinar close-up attachment and is wracked with regret

Jeff shot the Heavenly show with a Pentax 6x7 and 45mm lens and does not recommend

yet he was quite pleased with his wedding shots from the XPan and Olympus XA4

Gabe loved the documentary Uncropped, produced by Wes Anderson, about photographer James Hamilton

also take note of Glen E. Friedman, seminal skateboard, punk and hip-hop shooter whose work is all over Dogtown and Z-Boys

now some questions! ever tried Shanghai 220 film?

ever heard of the fascinating and ultra-rare Zunow SLR?

did you know Tom Lehrer did a version of “The Elements” for a Polaroid sales meeting?

and finally, our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring a truly devastating missive from John Kelly, late of the Washington Post, in which he compares IDOC to the obscure and little-heard Camerosity podcast

“Four more years! Four more years!” Could you have ever imagined, when these two miscreants launched I Dream of Cameras on 11/20/20, that four years later the show would be an unstoppable juggernaut and the toast of seven continents? Neither could we! In this epic-sode, Gabe dons a dopey hat and Jeff a dopey visage to reflect upon IDOC’s journey from to zygote to Smash Hit. There’s a quiz! A truce! A song! A rundown of panoramic aspect ratios! Tune in for all the persiflage and badinage, which is NEVER, EVER BORING!

It’s our fourth anniversary show, and Gabe wore a stupid hat! Celebrate four years of our Smash Hit Podcast™ by giving us notes!

Gabe went to a Beers and Cameras meetup at Canyon Coffee in Echo Park…

… and William Piper let him try his Plaubel Makina 67 - but Gabe has an issue with it!

Gabe quizzes Jeff about how well he knows his podpartner

Jeff bought himself a birthday present, the rare and coveted 24mm Angenieux for the Alpa… waited all day for it to arrive… and the mailman passed him by! We invite you to share your own maddening “waiting for new equipment” stories

Jeff embarks on an ill-advised and deeply nerdy rundown of panoramic aspect ratios (XPan, Minolta P’s, Widelux) vs. various cinema formats

No more animosity with Camerosity! we love those guys, and not just ‘cause they wanna collaborate on an Alpa episode

Gabe went to a Catalina wine mixer, POW! - USC’s Distinguished Leaders Program - and led the participating CEOs through a cool photography exercise

finally, we take a relaxing dip in our prestigious and Prodigious Mailbag™, perhaps our best yet! prepare to be moved!

I Dream of Cameras storms into the fifth year of its five-year mission with new life and new civilization! Gabe went on a photo tear through New York City. Jeff cut an astounding deal on new gear at the Chelsea flea market. And there are imminent trips to Jamaica, Iceland and downtown LA. Will your enterprising interlocutors boldly go where no XPan has gone before? Pluck our latest pod and find out!

welcome to IDOC Year Five!

Gabe recounts his visit to B&H Photo in New York with rockstar street-shooter Sissi Lu and repair guru Shlomo

who killed Fotografiska NYC? could it be… Satan?

to find out, Jeff and P watched Finding Vivian Maier

at Sissi’s behest, Gabe will be giving the controversial Pentax 17 another half-a-shot

Jeff’s coveted 24mm Angenieux for the Alpa arrived, and it's gorgeous

he also made an impulse buy at the 25th St. flea market in Chelsea…

a Fujifilm GA645 Professional, complete with original box, papers, case and caps!

it’s a medium-format half-a-cookie autofocus point-and-shoot! 6x4.5 but not a big ugly box!

negotiation strategy: Jeff and Ollie cut a package deal with the seller for the Fuji, a Contax III and a Konica Big Mini - what a bargain!

the GA645 image size is 56×42mm = 2,352mm² (XPan is 1,560mm²), so should it replace the XPan on Jeff’s forthcoming trips to Jamaica… and Iceland?

Gabe’s planning a night shoot with Leicas M10, Monochrom and M4.. and flash!

and of course, we close with an exceptionally informative and Prodigious Mailbag™

• • go to our merch page for all your holiday gift-giving!

Episode № 84 is a special rush-released super-sized Christmas / Hanukkah episode — unwrap it and enjoy!

Gabe’s been shooting with the Polaroid Big Swinger, Rolleiflex 2.8E2, Nikon F2, Leica M4…

he had a lab mishap! they made it right, but it still shakes your confidence

Polaroid peel-apart camera rollers vs. blades

Gabe went to Alcove Café with Rafael Hernandez and Dave Tada, members of the elite Fuji X100VI club, and now he's lusting for one

submitted for your approval: the mighty Fujifilm GF670 Professional

when was the last time Jeff shot with the Leica M6 TTL? August 2021… so we’re both culling our collections! message us!

is there a camera that’s too perfect? that you shoot too quickly with? like the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 or Canon 5D?

Jeff didn’t shoot much in Jamaica, and here’s why: he wanted no barriers between him and the experience - do you sympathize?

the Fujifilm GA645 Professional gave Jeff a scare - as with the XPan, Fuji’s battery indicators are wildly deceptive

are CR123 and CR123a the same battery? maybe!

final reckoning: which cameras will Jeff bring to Iceland? meanwhile, Ollie’s bringing a Kodak Medalist!

expired 220 film is super-intriguing!

Gabe feels he can always count on his Rolleiflex - what are the cameras you rely on?

our Prodigious Mailbag™ is bigger than Santa’s bag of toys

next episode, Jeff reviews Bellamy Hunt a.k.a. Japan Camera Hunter's new book Film Camera Zen - tune in for the tea!

I Dream of Cameras kicks off the new year with another blockbuster XL episode! Jeff chillingly limns the hundred-degree delta between Jamaica and Iceland, and how the Fuji GA645 and Hasselblad XPan fared in each. Gabe exhumes some old warhorses from the back of the camera cabinet. And they top it all off with some STRONG OPINIONS about a new film-camera book. Tune in for all the fireworks!

a scant 13 days after returning from a beach vacation in Jamaica, Jeff jetted off to Iceland for New Year’s, toting along the Fujifilm GA645 Professional and the Hasselblad XPan — how did they fare?

Gabe recounts a recent photo shoot with the lovely Lyliana Wray, featuring the Nikon D700, Canon Sure Shot Owl and Jeff’s beloved Olympus 35 RC

in the course of reorganizing, Gabe unearthed a few long-neglected cameras he wants to shoot with:

Exakta VX IIa

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta

Pentacon Six TL

and the mighty Graflex Super D

at Jeff’s behest, the heroes at Ausgeknipst made a PX450 adapter for the Alpa 10 series

welcome to another edition of Jeff’s deeply nerdy “Nobody Cares” Corner! this time he does a lengthy exegesis of camera serial numbers — there’s so much you can learn! some examples:

Fujifilm

Hasselblad, using the VHPICTURES code

Kodak, using the CAMEROSITY code

Konica, using the MY BEST KONICA code

Leica

Polaroid SX-70

Rollei 35

Jeff reviews Ralph Bellamy a.k.a. Bellamy Hunt a.k.a. Japan Camera Hunter's new book Film Camera Zen. shots fired!! come at me, Ralph!

and finally, we take a graceful swan-dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 8:11 a.m. PST. Text from Gabe Sachs:

“Well, all I can say is… I bet I have culled my camera collection faster than anyone else in history.”

In this episode, Gabe recounts his experience during the Palisades Fire, which destroyed over a hundred Rolleiflex TLRs.

Tune in for all the details.

A long-awaited catch-up in which Gabe reviews the events of the past month. The biggest news: he bought a half-frame camera! WHAT IS UP WITH THIS DUDE? Tune in for the rollicking debrief!

how’s Gabe doing? well, he:

took some trips to the Palisades house with Brandon

found the remains of many cameras, including Rolleiflexes

was interviewed by National Geographic reporter Gideon Mendel, who documents such things

and has returned to shooting! with the Rolleiflex 3.5E, Nikon FE, Leica M6…

...but not the cameras in the bag he grabbed on the day of the fire 

Trev Lee thoughtfully returned the Rolleiflex Gabe had traded him for his Leica M5

Gabe went to the LA Camera Expo, which is shaping up great

while in LA, Jeff shot with:

Rolleiflex SL350 — sublime!

Canon F-1 Lake Placid Olympics edition — underrated!

Rollei C35 — ridiculous!

FujiFilm GA645 — confounding!

upon departure, he removed all batteries from idle cameras ‘cause he’s compulsive

and he swapped Alpas! the 11si and 50mm Kern-Macro-Switar came east, while the 10s and 24mm Angenieux stayed west!

shocking half-a-cookie news! Gabe bought an Olympus Pen FT!

while Jeff failed to snag a Zeiss Tenax II, so he bought the book by Wes Loder instead

and he received a cool Lego Retro Camera as a gift from Todd and Mistie

may we draw your attention to Andy Gray’s amazing IDOC-inspired Pentax MF mod page

a rare treat! Jeff dined with Sunny 16’s Clare Marie Bailey and her brilliant musician friend Gwenno at the storied Chelsea Hotel

we take an emotional dip into our Prodigious Mailbag™

and finally, we urge you to see Bob Trevino Likes It, starring our friends Barbie Ferreira and French Stewart

Gabe spills the tea — about the cameras he’s hunting for as he rapidly rebuilds his collection — while Jeff spills the coffee. That’s it. He spills it. Then recounts a whirlwind European trip featuring a phantasmagoria of phenomenal photographica. New York, London, Paris, dry-dock — everybody talk about pop IDOC!

Jeff bought a camera bag! okay, he found a used Ona Union Street at B&H, but whaaaaat????

… then he went to London …

got an odd little book at The Photographer's Gallery on Analog Photography

visited Camera City, said hi to Pany, did not buy a Bronica RF645

visited Aperture Photographic, gaped at the amazing inventory, talked with Simon about photography with a Pentax Stereo Adapter, did not buy an absurd Contax Preview

visited Mr Cad, kibitzed with the legendary Alex Falk, did not buy a rare and tantalizing Wrayflex, once again got the book instead

… then on to Paris …

visited Photo-Vincent, met the man himself, drooled over a black Alpa 6c and the 30mm lens for the XPan

there was zero hand-check madness on this trip! we credit the Sissi Lu DO NOT X-RAY bag

the sainted John-Michael Mendizza sent Gabe a Rolleiflex 2.8c and Jeff a Zeiss Taxona

how’s Gabe getting on with his half-a-cookie Olympus Pen FT? he’s on frame 56…

the viewfinder’s a bit dim, so Jeff unfortunately altered him to the existence of the Pen FV

Gabe’s up to twenty cameras of his planned thirty-camera collection, and here are the items on his hit list:

Mamiya RZ67

Kiev 60 with Volna-3 lens

Mamiya C330

black Leicaflex SL

Pentax MX (he’s already got the 40mm pancake!)

a brassed black Nikon F

and the 35mm Sigma art lens for the Canon EOS 3

Gabe got a Yashicamat LM and a Minolta SRT-101 from Maria Elena Rodriguez

opened the time capsule camera bag, went back to the Palisades house with Brandon, and unearthed more cameras

Jeff has a final book recommendation: Tight Heads by Candy Clark

we finally voyage to the very bottom of our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

and end with a challenge: write lyrics for our theme song! you could win fabulous prizes!