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There were a few audio issues with this episode. Please bear with us through the pops, scratches and bangs.

The boys start off with a discussion of the ins and outs of leaving cameras in your car during hot weather (00:00) and Nick explains why he wants a camera like a bar of soap (13:00).

They continue the discussion of the travel camera they started in the last episode (14:40).

Graham can’t remember the name of the Olympus Trip 35 and felt like a fool for forgetting (23:50). He then redeems himself with a reconfiguring of the body of a travel 35mm camera on the model of the film cartridge backs of medium format cameras (28:20).

Graham talks about Graham (another one, better known as Chickenthumbs on Instagram) 41:45.

Graham blathers on and on about his Flex-O-Pan at 58:00 so you’ll probably want to skip head to the good stuff, like the next episode of Photography Matters with Ted Viera.

The talk turns to a Kickstarter campaign to create a digital sensor that drops into a standard 35mm camera and how that could be the source of sensors for digital camera builds (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1374923168/film-35-innovative-photography-experience) (1:29:00).

Nick sends a shout out to Ralph Lundval (1:53:20) and the images he posted using an enlarger lens and a Speed Graphic.

After covering the subject of whether a person should dress in layers while hiking in the Pacific Northwest, Nick and Graham talk about what kind of features they want in a camera for travel (8:00). Nick describes his Duffer Suit and how it allows him to be ignored when he takes pictures (21:20). Graham describes the psychological reason why Leicas kept the bottom-loading system for as long as they did (24:00).

We get a bit of a non-update on the Scamera project and what the guys worked on the past two weeks (30:45).

E11, Features and the Brainstorm

Graham starts us off with a discussion of the role features play in the design of cameras. Features here are defined as non-essential elements that make the process of making a photograph easier (6:15). As an example, he and Nick run through the features associated with focusing.

In the spirit of the thing, Nick talks about features that he would like to see developed that either has not already been implemented or have not been widely implemented (26:05).

The hosts discuss the concept of a 35mm camera that could accommodate image sizes from 24mm by 24mm to 24mm by 65mm with several sizes in between (33:50). This camera would have a drop-in mask or a mask that is adjustable from the outside and would advance the proper distance no matter what format it is shooting at the time.

Nick does his best to make the system much more complicated than the original vision but while providing a good argument on the merits of the additional complexity (46.30). Graham counters with the engineering and design process that takes many iterations to find the proper solution.

They then start to talk about what features are desirable for this type of project (55:30).

Nick tells the tale of taking apart his Nikanon scamera, shooting pinhole cameras and playing with putty (1:07:00).

Zeb Andrews’ recent appearance on The Lensless Podcast sparked a discussion about slow shooting experiences and value of a photograph of an experience vs. the experience itself (1:31:00). They also discuss the IM Back digital back for film cameras as a core component of a camera build.

Nick starts off the episode by talking about what a universal camera design is and why it might be nice to have (5:15). From there they talk about existing cameras that can be considered universal and how different qualities are more flexible than others. Nick describes the Mercury Camera System, a system that was designed from the start to be a universal design (22:40). Graham puts forward the concept that the APS film format should be considered a universal film format while name-dropping Mike Gutterman (28:30).

They move on to talking about the features of a universal camera (35:15) and what is most important about it. After that, they talk about how to approach a design of a universal camera (47:39).

This time around Nick and Graham discuss photographs they have taken and how they inform the cameras that they build and how the cameras that they build allow for photographs that are different from the ones they can take with off-the-shelf models.

Nick’s photo is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51834204@N07/42317986574/in/dateposted/

Graham’s photo is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129971511@N04/41391598034/in/pool-3976524@N23/

Graham starts talking about his point and shoot sheet film camera that he designed and printed though to start he refers to it as a 2-1/4 by 2-1/4 when it is actually 2-1/4 by 3-1/4 (27:30).

Nick’s build for this episode is the PinBlad Deluxe, a pinhole camera made from a Hasselblad and an Ilex No. 3 shutter (42:50).

Project Save the Scameras from Graeme’s Hammer gets an update (52:00) with Graham’s project of putting an SLR lens on the front of his Olympia.

This episode’s book is, The Complete Nikon System: An Illustrated Equipment Guide by Peter Braczko (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Nikon-System-Illustrated-Equipment/dp/1883403855/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536246746&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+nikon+system).

Graham corrects a shoutout from the last episode where he gives credit to Panomicron on Instagram for building an XPan type of camera using 3D printing when he should have credited it to Cody (https://www.instagram.com/james__irvin/). It is still worth looking at Panomicron’s work too as he’s building some cool cameras (https://www.instagram.com/panomicron/). Graham was confused as one of Cody’s images appears in Panomicron’s timeline. Also, take the time to look at Ethan from Cameradactyl’s timeline on Instagram as he’s been doing some crazy-fun shit lately (https://www.instagram.com/cameradactyl/). Nick also mentions an image posted by Dirk Fletcher’s ultralight 4X5 camera on our Flickr feed: (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dirkfletcher/44439938251/in/pool-3976524@N23/) Nick also mentions Walker Cameras (http://www.walkercameras.com/) whose website is worth taking a look at.

E08 Materials

Graham and Nick start off by talking about light and what kind of light they like to have for taking photographs.

They then launch into a discussion of materials from paper to metal, glass and plastic. Discussions include sources of various materials and tools.

The continued adventures of the Save the Scameras from Graeme’s Hammer campaign are chronicled with the dismantling of the Olympia Scamera (1:22:50). Video of the shutter function can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129971511@N04/29082589757/in/dateposted-public/. Photo of the two aperture blades from the lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129971511@N04/42353408860/in/dateposted-public/

Graham explains why a Ninoka is almost identical to a Leica (1:48:50).

Nick’s book for this Episode is On Street Photography and the Poetic Image by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb: (https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Norris-Street-Photography-Poetic/dp/1597112577/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535128945&sr=8-1&keywords=on+street+photography+and+the+poetic+image) (1:50:00)

Graham mentions a trip around St. Simons Island where he took a picture (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129971511@N04/36592696526/in/datetaken/) with a camera he hates that got 84,000 views on Flickr for some reason he cannot figure out (1:25) as he and Nick discuss cameras they don’t like. Neither of them like the Minolta Weathermatic Dual.

Nick talks about issues with parallax in viewfinders (13:45) and the solutions to address the issue in cameras. Graham grabs a couple of cameras off his shelf to verify what Nick says. They take a moment to revel in Voigtlander fandom (20:05) and then get back to business.

They move on to SLR through-the-lens viewfinders and their advantages and disadvantages (23:45) along with the advantages of the pentaprism on SLRs (29:30).

Some viewfinders have very little information and some have an overload of information and this balance can can affect the shooting experience (36:20).

They discus “viewfinder” cameras like the Trip 35, cameras with little or no information in the viewfinder (30:30).

Filter effects are discussed and how to use them without seeing the actual taking image (44:38).

They eventually make their way to large format cameras and viewfinder issues with view finding (53:25).

Finally, Nick and Graham start talking about how to make, adapt and scavenge your own viewfinders for homemade camera projects (1:02:54). They mention an article in 35MMC about salvaging a viewfinder from a broken camera (1:08:29) (https://www.35mmc.com/01/07/2018/35mm-accessory-viewfinder-budget-conscious-wonders-3d-printing/

With the subject of viewfinders completed, our fearless hosts moved on to poking the bear (Graeme of Sunny 16 Podcast) and his call for the smashing of all Scameras on sight. Nick and Graham (note how OUR Graham spells his name correctly) have responded to this heinous call with a call to action of their own: Modify these cameras into worthwhile photographic tools (1:26:20).   

This episode’s book is The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography – Book 1 (https://www.amazon.com/Ansel-Adams-Guide-Techniques-Photography/dp/0821225758/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533591609&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ansel+adams+guide) (2:03:55).

Graham read one email talked about two Kickstarter campaigns for 4X5 cameras, the Standard (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/144867732/the-standard-4×5-a-3d-printed-4×5-view-camera) that was ending in just an hour and a half and the Camradactyl (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/416154634/cameradactyl-4×5-field-camera) that still had 16 days to go as of the recording. Both efforts had reached their goals.

Show Notes E06 Focus

For this episode, Graham and Nick talk about focus and focusing mechanisms in cameras. Nick asks whether focusing is necessary and Graham talks about one of his favorite Flickr people, ChetBak59 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129558209@N02) and his use of out-of-focus areas of images to great effect (9:15). Nick challenges Graham to take a photograph where the out-of-focus areas is the point of interest and the in-focus areas are secondary (14:58).

At 16:00 the boys finally get to the definition of focus and how the lens creates this focus on a film plane or sensor. They then talk about the different methods to adjust focus in a camera-lens system (26:41).

They also talk about how focus is verified so we get the result that is expected (38:25).

With all that silliness about focusing complete, talk turns to a camera Graham built over the previous week, the Sixty7 Woody (1:10:30)

Nick’s books this week are:

CAMERAS From Daguerreotypes to Instant Pictures by Brian Coe (https://www.amazon.com/CAMERAS-Daguerreotypes-Instant-Pictures-Brian/dp/0517533812)

500 Cameras: 170 Years of Photographic Innovation by George Eastman House, Todd Gustavson (https://www.amazon.com/500-Cameras-Years-Photographic-Innovation/dp/1402780869/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532023200&sr=1-1&keywords=500+cameras)

Collecting and Using Classic Cameras By Ivor Matanle (https://www.amazon.com/Collecting-Using-Classic-Cameras-Matanle/dp/0500276560/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532023493&sr=1-1&keywords=collecting+and+using+classic+cameras)

Graham’s shout-outs go to Chetbak59 on Flickr (see link above) and moonchild1111 also on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/moonchild1111/)

Nick and Graham start off the show talking about slide film and the forthcoming Kodak Ektachrome along with some Agfachrome that Graham stumbled upon several years ago. They then begin with a description of what the purpose of a Film Transport Mechanism is and why it’s an important part of any camera build.

Graham describes the three major film handling systems in use today (14:39) and then goes on to talk about a bunch of different systems that are either no longer in use or represent only a tiny fraction of cameras in use today. He did forget completely the Disc camera system though you can probably understand why that one slipped his mind.

They talk about Heather Oelklaus (19:21)  and her pinhole panel truck Little Miss Sunshine and how she uses an array of paper negatives to produce large-scale pinhole images. You can visit her web page at CameraKarma.com to see a video of her truck and the process she uses for large-scale images.

Graham mentions Corey Canon of The Lensless Podcast and his discussion of building a single-shot 8X10 as a way of focusing the image-making process and eliminating distraction (1:08:00).

Nick talks about his dream film transport system that allows any spacing for any format in a single device. (1:10:45).

Nick reviews two books that he finds are valuable to the homemade camera builder (1:31:30), Adventures with Pinhole and Homemade Cameras, John Evans  and Experimental Photography, A Handbook of Techniques, Marco Antonini, Sergio Minniti, Francisco Gomez, and Gabriele Lungarella.

Nick floats the idea of a pinhole bird feeder (1:40:15), sure evidence that this episode has gone way too long.

This is the second half of a two-part episode. In this half, we talk about the aperture.

Nick and Graham start off talking about the purpose of an aperture on a camera and the collimation of light that is required for a sharp image. Graham floats the crackpot concept of using variously-sized holes in lens caps as aperture controls (10:22). Nick then talks about the optical test-bench he wants to create (14:18).

Returning to the real world from their flights of fancy, they discuss the issues with apertures that get too small and the issues with the wave portion of the particle-wave behavior of light (15:48).

The effects of various numbers of blades in a given aperture are discussed in relation to the holiday movies that make their appearance on The Hallmark Channel (17:47).

Nick describes a lens that uses rotating shutters, rotating apertures, and rotating neutral density filters in a single barrel (29:00).

They discuss what type of aperture each would work with on a quick and simple build (34:32).

Nick talks about a camera he is in the process of designing that uses a dead Fujifilm GX680 body (36:42).

Nick talks about his experience with the Sixty3 plastic panoramic camera that Graham designed and built (49:50) though it takes Nick a bit of time to realize what Graham is hinting at. Graham also discusses another build, the Sixty7 pinhole camera (53:50) made with a Graflok 6X7 back.

Nick laments the lack of email interaction with our listeners (1:02:45) but talks about the cameras Dora Goodman has built (https://www.instagram.com/doragoodman/?hl=en, https://www.doragoodman.com/) and made available for 3D printing.