From DPReview: Ricoh ends Pentax K-mount production but still has DSLR plans.
Not sure what to make of the Ricoh statement. Current cameras are gonna sell until supplies last? What comes next?
Category: Misc.
Black & White July
I have decided that this July I would shoot black & white. I consider myself a colour shooter, so I don’t black & white often. The goal is trying something different, challenge myself. With the Fujifilm, switching to black & white change also in the viewfinder so what you see is what you get, mostly. I have either shot black & white on film, or sometime “fixed” digital images that were not shot especially in black & white, but that just got converted post processing. This picture of the CN Tower that was taken on such a gray day in December 2010 that it was colour-less even in the optical viewfinder:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105 f4 L IS USM — December 2010
Black & white post-processed.
So what makes shooting black & white different? First it’s about light, contrast and shapes. You can play with exposure to make the brights brighter. This will make me try something different.
On the Fujifilm X-E5 I shoot raw+JPEG with some Agfa Scala recipe, at least for now, I might change to something else. The goal is to try to use the files straight out of camera. With the Canon 5D Mark II, I’ll just post process as it doesn’t have the variety of Fujifilm film simulation. And with the Ricoh GR Digital 2, I can switch to black & white as it always have a JPEG when shooting raw.
Stay tuned.
June 2026 Links
Press Photographer Releases 30-Year Archive of Iconic Celebrity Images — a preview of The Big Shot: Photographs by Greg Brennan.
X-E5
Viltrox AF 75mm f1.8 EVO Review & Sample Photos — Reviewed on the Fujfilm X-E5.
Photographyblog has a triptich of reviews for the X-E5:
Fujifilm XF 23mm F2.8 R WR Review
Fujifilm X-E5 vs Fujifilm X-E4 – Which is Better?
Film
Film Friday: Kodak Portra 800 Is High-Speed, Color Perfection — One of the rare choices for ISO 800 film.
January 2026 links
Film cameras
‘Marty Supreme’ Star Brings a Contax G2 Camera Along on Promo Tour — Petapixel tells us that hollywood stars now use Contax G2. The prices are gonna sky-rocket.
They also remind us that Sabrina Carpenter Spotted Using a Gorgeous Contax G2 Camera — and back in October another star using Contax G2. At least she doesn’t seem to go on talk shows with it.
In 2017 Kendall Jenner Shares Her Passion for Photography on The Tonight Show ruining the Contax T-series for everyone with its sky-rocketing prices.
Printing slides
1980s F1 Photographer Sees His Work Printed for the First Time Thanks to His YouTuber Son — a bit click bait. The Toronto based car enthusiast son of the photographer just showed us how he could get the images printed. Nothing ground breaking, but these are slides, and even mini-lab could handle these (not mentioned). He end up with DSLR scanning and pro-lab large format printing. Great pictures. And this should encourage you to print your work.
Film recipes
A Movie-Like Look for Your Images – The Fujifilm “Movie Recipe” — Another film recipe.
Instax
Zinstax — The home of Zinstax and Binstax, Instax Square backs for Mamiya RZ67 and RB67. Made in Germany it seems. Not the only option.
Misc
“Throwing my camera was the right thing to do”: The photographers behind the viral protest photos — a story of photojournalism covering current events in Minneapolis.
October 2025 Links
Kodak Colour Negative Film and Colour Print Making Materials & Processes – researched by Michael Talbert — A collection of material about early Kodak film processes. We learn that Kodachrome initially cost US$3.50 a roll in 1936 (this included processing) which is US$54 in 2009… and learn how complicated its development process was. And from there many other links. A rabbit hole.
The Leica M EV1 Just Entered a Spec War It Can’t Win and Destroyed Its Own Value Proposition — The headline itself is what I thought of this camera.
Flashes and Strobes
Photo Strobe Trigger Voltages — A list of flash strobes and their trigger voltage. It’s important to match it with your camera as some might have more than 100V.
Sam’s Strobe FAQ — Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Electronic Flash Units and Strobe Lights (Archived) — Tips on repairing electronic flash units.
Rollei 35AF pre-order
It’s up. If you are curious, the Rollei 35AF is available for pre-order for CA$1106 in Silver. Add CAD40 for black.
Previously: Rollei 35AF
DIY waist level shooter
Turn a point and shoot to a waist level camera.
Interesting DIY idea, including the use of the PowerShot N that is currently dirt cheap to do that (~US$130 at B&H) that seem to have been meant to be used like that.
As for the usefulness, I can tell that the way you hold your camera will change the way you see through it – this is why I have totally different results when using my TLR. This is almost like freestyle shooting. And it might bring in question from people – I have had people asking about my TLR when shooting – kind of a conversation starter.