Note to followers:

Sorry about being so late posting this video. My 6 year old Windows based laptop finally died, it was my only computer at the time. But that event forced me to finally make the switch to a Mac. I've spent the past 2 weeks configuring my new system, moving files over, buying new hardware, and settling in to the Mac way of doing things.....and it's great. Thanks for your patients.

In the month of May my Analog Project 2012 continued with the the Olympus XA. This camera released by Olympus in 1979 is a 35mm rangefinder featuring a 35mm Zuiko lens that shoots at f/2.8, an aperture priority exposure system with aperture that range from f/2.8 to f/22, and shutter speeds ranging from 10sec. to 1/500sec., and an ISO range from 25-800. This camera also features an exposure compensation switch on the bottom that changes the exposure by +0.5 - it's kind of a backlighting option to be used when shooting in the shade. The same switch serves as a battery check, and a self timer. The XA line of olympus cameras were very popular and featured several somewhat similar looking models over the years. The Olympus XA1, XA2, XA3, and XA4 all featured scale focusing and various forms of automatic exposure but the original XA was the only one in the line-up that existed as a true rangefinder. This camera has an all plastic body featuring a sliding clamshell design that also served as a power switch and lens cover - when closed the camera was seriously compact and portable. Folks with fat fingers such as myself might find the XA's focusing lever (located just below the lens) a bit hard to find and operate. It's somewhat recessed but does allow for your fingernail to rest inside a little slot or groove built-in to the little lever - once you find it....everything works great. I also found the shutter release button a bit too flat and went hunting for it too often when holding the camera up to my eye. Like a few other point-n-shoot cameras that I own, it needs to be raised just a little to make locating it without looking much easier. My XA came with an Olympus A11 flash that attaches to the side of the camera with a built-in thumb screw. The flash runs on a single AA battery and puts off a pretty good burst of light when shooting outdoors at night or indoors with low light. It's not great for long range illumination but will get the job done for most lighting needs. I will admit that I only bought this camera because it was a rangefinder but later found that Olympus put plenty of engineering behind this little compact camera as well as outfitting it with an excellent Zuiko lens. The XA is a keeper!

Check out a short video about my XA over on my YouTube Ch.

Also check out my Lomography Home where I have just a bit more to say!

In the month of April my Analog Project 2012 features the Konica Big Mini-302. This camera released by Konica in 1990 is an automatic exposure 35mm point-n-shoot featuring a 35mm lens that shoots at f3.5, auto focus, automatic film advance and rewind, built-in flash, self timer, and options to adjust exposure values by a stop or two. The big Mini's design is of a plastic build, it's light weight, has an attractive sleek and thin profile with smooth rounded corners  - fits nicely into any pocket. This camera would make a great companion for no nonsense shooting in most any outdoor conditions. This camera also adjusts the ISO automatically - when using DX type film the camera will select an ISO between 25 and 3200 and when using non DX film the camera defaults to an ISO of 25. If I remember correctly, DX film has a barcode below the sprocket holes which is recognized by some cameras as well as machines used during film processing. I've noticed that several brands and types of film that I've used recently seem to have barcodes, but I'm going to have to take a closer look because whats the point of shooting if the selected ISO is incorrect for the conditions in which I'm shooting. My biggest two complaints about the Big Mini-302 is the slow auto focus and the power and shutter button being too close together.

In the month of March my Analog Project 2012 featured the Mamiya U. This camera released by Mamiya in 1981 is an automatic exposure 35mm point-n-shoot that features a sharp 35mm Mamiya / Sekor f/2.8 lens, shutter speeds that range from 1/8sec to 1/500sec, a built-in pop-up flash, 12sec self timer, and an underexposure warning alert. With zone focusing, this camera is easy to use and serves as a great all-around pocket shooter. I think this camera is best suited for simple daylight shooting with 200 speed film and not too dark indoor shots with 400 speed film as long as you use the built-in flash. My little DIY thumb-tack shutter release button has held up very well over the past year - it saved this camera from a life of never being used as it would have sat on the back shelf. It's another in a series of big bulky PnS from the 80's that I've added to my collection - I seem to have a soft spot for this style of 80's retro cameras. In my opinion these types of cameras (80's point-n-shoots) sits squarely in first place as an alternative to over priced boutique cameras that are all the rage in the Lomography scene.

Check out my YouTube Ch. for a quick video about this camera.

For the month of February my Analog Project 2012 features the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim. This all plastic point-n-shoot camera has built a small following within the lomography community behind it's ultra wide angle lens and it's ability to capture images in just about any lighting condition. The Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim features a 22mm fixed focus wide angle lens that captures with a fixed aperture of f/11 and a fixed shutter speed of 1/125sec.The results can be surprisingly sharp and clear when paying close attention to body mechanics (hold still) when shooting with this camera. It's all plastic design makes this one of the lowest weight cameras I own but that's not without sacrifices - the parts inside this camera are so cheap that it's likely to fail due to breakage if handled too roughly. The Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim is extremely easy to use, simply load the film, point.....and shoot. But remember to keep your fingers away from the lens or they'll end up in your shot due to the ultra wide angle lens being almost flush with the front surface of the camera. To see a short demo of my Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim jump over ot my YouTube Ch.

I'm kicking off 2012 with another analog project. I'm adding a few toy cameras into the mix as well as simple point-n-shoot plastic cameras because they are loads of fun when using fancy lomo films. Last year I split the project in to two parts each month - a video walk around of the camera used then a video sideshow posted over on flickr featuring images shot with the camera. This year I'm grouping several images in with the video walk around and discontinuing the sideshow.

For the month of January 2012 I'm featuring the Lomography Sprocket Rocket. A 35mm toy camera designed to shoot sprocket hole photography. The camera has an all plastic build with a classic retro design that resembles the Falcon Miniature from the late 1930's. Equipped with a 30mm super wide angle lens the Sprocket rocket can capture a 106º field of view making it a pretty decent panoramic camera. This camera also has the ability of rolling back the film to previous frames to create double exposures. The Sprocket Rocket sells for around $90 but you can find in cheaper if you shop around.

Adventures In Analog.

"Analog photography reconnects our inherent need to possess that which is real. Film and paper represents that which can be touched, held, and truly experienced - it's physical media in the purest sense. Adventures In Analog is my continuing examination of film photography through projects, discussion, and discovery."

I've carved out this spot on the web to host analog photos, video posts, and conversations about analog (film) photography. I'm not turning my back on digital - just simply giving analog photography it's rightful place amongst the things that I love. In addition to this new website, I'm kicking off 2012 with another Analog Project featuring film cameras from my collection. The videos will once again be hosted on my YouTube Channel (which got a bit of an update) and any additional photos will be posted here along with other content.