Hyperfocalpoint - Cameras

Leica CL

2011-05-17T10:30:10Z

This camera is a gem, honestly, I’m in love… The Leica CL was the bastard child of a relationship between Leica and Minolta, and frankly it was too good for it’s time. It hurt the sales of Leica’s M models, and they abandoned it after a few years of production. Minolta went on to produce the Minolta CLE. Besides looking like a badass camera, the Leica CL is low key with a black body, a tiny 40mm Summar F2 with collapsable hood, and the absence of the infamous red Leica logo. This makes it a

Nikon F3

2011-02-25T13:35:26Z

The Nikon F3 was released in 1980 following two previous models in Nikon’s successful line of professional F series cameras; the F and F2. Interestingly, because of it’s popularity, the F3 remained in Nikon’s professional lineup during the production run of the two F models that came after it; the F4 and F5. The F3, unlike Nikon’s previous professional SLRs, introduced a horizontally traveling electronic metal curtain shutter, with a top speed of 1/2000, which meant the operation of the

Canon EOS A2E

2010-07-14T23:14:59Z

The Canon A2E (AKA the Canon EOS 5) was the professionals second body in the mid 90s. Smaller than the 1 series, it was lighter as a second or third body in a camera bag, and, it offered most of the features at a fraction of the cost. That’s not that different from the role the 5D/7D plays in Canon’s current lineup. But: the A2E is special for a new feature: Eye Control. Eye control follows where the photographer’s eye is looking through the viewfinder to choose a focus point to lock focus

Mamiya ZE

2010-06-25T01:20:36Z

The Mamiya ZE was Mamiya’s attempt to cash in on the amateur photography boom in the 1970s. Introduced in 1980, it featured real modern advances- mostly in communication between the lens and the camera, most of which were unrealized before Mamiya decided to stick to their mainstay: medium format. The Mamiya ZE was my first SLR, gifted to me, second hand, in 1997 along with the 38-70mm lens. Looking back, it’s many ways a terrible design- I understand why Mamiya abandoned the 35mm market and

Mamiya RB67

2010-06-24T17:11:17Z

The Mamiya RB is the ‘other’ medium format studio workhorse. Other to Hasselblad. It’s 6x7, instead of 6x6, and, it’s a dream to shoot with. It’s heavy, deliberate, but at the same time it’s forgiving. It syncs flash at any shutter speed, thanks to an in lens mechanical leaf shutter. It’s completely mechanical, but, unlike large format and cheaper medium format outfits, it’s got full mechanical interlocks- so it’s a whole lot harder to make rookie mistakes. It’s also got the very cool

The Leicaflex

2010-06-07T00:12:11Z

The Leicaflex is the elder statesman of SLRs. Built by Leica in the 1960s as they realized that the market was shifting from rangefinders, the segment they pioneered with the M-series, to SLRs. It has the same feel as other Leica cameras- machined and built to the highest mechanical standard. It is sleeker than SLRs from other manufacturers from that era, and it just oozes quality. And while it has more aesthetic value, it also feels like underneath there’s over-engineered functionality too.