List of posts

  • Mark McMahon

    “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt

    Read more

  • . in which I shrug off my prejudice about toy cameras and try to make something out of the Diana F, a medium format plastic-fantastic from the 60s, reanimated by Lomography in the 21st century to give your crappy film photos that lustre of hipster cool. But does it live up to its promise? Is…

    Read more

  • …in which I scramble around the granite rocks of John Forrest National Park, Perth, Western Australia, on the quest to capture a waterfall.

    Read more

  • … in which I wipe the grime off a 20 year old Nikon F75 SLR and its 28-80mm kit lens to see if my latest second hand purchase has a worthy place among my other consumer Nikons or whether the abuse it’s suffered over the years is just too much for one camera to bear.…

    Read more

  • Who doesn’t love unboxing videos, right? Well, in my latest video, I attempted to build up some suspense as I clumsily opened what wasn’t exactly a box. Instead, I revealed the Canon Prima 5, a forgotten point-and-shoot from 1991, known by various names like the Canon Sure Shot Max and the Autoboy Mini. I snagged

    Read more

  • In which I test a 1958 Nikon 50mm optic to the limits, asking the question, can this legendary lens, favoured by war photographers from the last century, live up to its reputation as a sharpshooting combat veteran? Or should it just settle down for a nice photographic nap and let the youngsters take to the…

    Read more

  • In which you get to learn from my failures as my brain comes to grips with the awkwardness of mid-20th century medium format twin lens reflex film camera technology.

    Read more

  • Let There Be Light Let’s embark on a journey into the heart of one of photography’s most captivating elements: light. Ah, yes, light—the ethereal essence that dances upon the canvas of our visual narratives, weaving tales of brilliance and shadow, of illumination and obscurity. But what truly defines this enigmatic force? Allow me to shed

    Read more

  • In which I wander the streets of old Shanghai and ask, could a plastic fantastic SLR from the dying days of film actually be the best film travel camera? The Nikon N55 / F55 has a sketchy reputation but it’s light, and despite its limitations has enough trickle-down technology to beat many more in-vogue film…

    Read more

  • In which I revisit 1986 and take the Nikon N2020 / F-501 on a photo walk, providing an honest but biased review of the camera and its 28-105mm Nikkor lens, as well as some dated pop culture references and Dad jokes. Same as usual, then.

    Read more

  • A Review of the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AI-S in Shinjuku

    In which I test the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AI-S lens on the streets of Shinjuku Tokyo and ask whether this beautiful block of burnished brass and glass is worthy of its legendary reputation.

    Read more