Episode 102: Eggnog Manatees and Opportunistic GAS

Episode 102 of the Camerosity Podcast is the crew's year-end, holiday-fueled hangout episode, closing out a 2025 that included the show's 100th episode milestone and a flood of Miranda cameras hitting the used market. Hosts Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike were joined by returning callers A.J. Gentile, Leon Blankenhorn, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, and William Ponder, plus first-timers Joao Gomes and Ron Gee, for a loose conversation about recent camera pickups, holiday drinks, and general photographic nonsense.

The gang shares an eclectic mix of gear news: Paul continues to rave about his Hasselblad 907x with digital back, now paired with a Hasselblad 65mm f/2.8 lens, calling it the best digital camera he's ever used. Pat Casey talks up his fondness for 3x4 Graflex cameras, while Ron Gee is thrilled about an incoming Aero Liberator sourced from John Minnicks, and later drops two enormous 3D-printed panoramic cameras—the 6x17 "Sasquatch" and 6x24 "Kracken"—that stun the group. Mike discusses the newly released LOMO MC-A, which he considers the best modern premium point-and-shoot camera released so far, alongside a more mundane Vivitar XC-3 fitted with the unusual XC-A module that adds a rough form of aperture-priority automation. Anthony recounts finding a $25 Nikonos III that he used to photograph manatees near his home, plus shares his oddest camera, the Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit. The episode also wanders into camera history, covering why West German manufacturers like Zeiss-Ikon and Voigtländer clung to leaf shutters over focal-plane designs, the shift of German camera manufacturing abroad, and the tangled lineage connecting the Voigtländer Bessaflex, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex/SL706, Voigtländer VSL series, and Rollei SL35 cameras.

Overall, the episode functions less as a formal review and more as an end-of-year roundup of the hosts' and callers' latest acquisitions, obsessions, and camera trivia, capturing the community-driven, conversational spirit the podcast is known for. No single verdict is offered beyond enthusiasm for standout finds like the Hasselblad digital back setup, the LOMO MC-A, and the giant 3D-printed panoramic cameras, with the group signing off before setting a topic for the next episode, scheduled for January 12, 2026.

AI-generated summary. May not capture every detail — read the full article below for the complete picture.

The end of the year has come. As is the case every year, 2025 was filled with some ups and downs. For the Camerosity Podcast, we reached the 100 episode milestone, saw a huge influx of Miranda cameras re-enter the used camera market, and a whole lotta pictures of manatees.

For Episode 102, the gang got together with some holiday themed alcoholic beverages and discussed what last minute bouts of GAS we had, and other bits of nonsense we were up to. Joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike were returning callers A.J. Gentile, Leon Blankenhorn, Pat Casey, Will Pinkham, William Ponder, and first time callers Joao Gomes and Ron Gee.

In this episode we start right off with recent pickups, Paul is enamored with his Hasselblad digital back which he has almost permanently mounted to his 907x, calling it the best digital camera he’s ever shot. A recent pickup of a Hassy 65mm f/2.8 lens further cemented it for him. Pat Casey talks about his love for 3×4 Graflexes and first time caller Ron Gee is excited for his new Aero Liberator camera he ordered from John Minnicks.

We discuss the shift of German cameras being made in countries other than Germany, why West German companies made so many leaf shutters and seemed to be reluctant to adopt focal plane shutters, and Mike (poorly) attempts to explain the confusing history of the Voigtländer Bessaflex, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex and SL706, Voigtländer VSL series and Rollei SL35 series SLRs.

Mike shares his two most recent pickups, the first is the brand new and recently released LOMO MC-A which is an impressive premium point and shoot camera and he feels is the best example we’ve seen so far of what a brand new premium 35mm camera should be. His other pickup is a rather ordinary Vivitar XC-3 with the unordinary XC-A accessory which kinda sorta adds Aperture Priority Automatic Exposure to a camera which wasn’t built with it.

Anthony talks about a $25 Nikonos III he recently picked up and used to take some of the best photos he’s ever taken of manatees in the spring by his house. He also shares with us his oddest camera, the Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit.

And right before we were about to sign off, Ron Gee drops not one but two of the largest 6×17 and 6×24 3D printed cameras any of us have seen. With names like Sasquatch and Kracken, these large beasts are not to be taken lightly!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

We don’t yet have a topic for our first episode of the new year, but whatever it is, Episode 103 will be recorded on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 7pm Central Standard Time and 8pm Eastern Standard Time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!

In This Episode

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches / Ron and Joao are Both First Time Callers Long Time Paul Customers
Zeiss-Ikon Contax S / Everyone Needs a Praktica
Different Types of GAS / Hasselblad 907 w/ Digital Back
Pat Casey’s 3×4 Graflex Infatuation / Ron Gee is Getting an Aero Liberator from John Minnicks
Kodak Aero Ektar Lenses / Gowlandflex TLR
Ifbaflex M102 / Voigtländer VSL1 / Zeiss-Ikon SL706
The Shift of German Cameras Being Made in Countries Other than Germany
Why Did Zeiss-Ikon and Other West German Camera Makers Make So Many Cameras with Leaf Shutters?
The Technical Limitations of Leaf Shutter SLRs Compared to Focal Plane Shutter SLRs
Kirka Electronik Auto Hobby Emergency Car Camera Kit
Anthony’s $25 Nikonos III Find / Anthony Rue: Manatee Belly Scratcher
Sea & Sea Cameras Lenses and Housings / Canon Aqua Snappy / Stay Away from the Nikonos IV
Olympus G.Zuiko 42mm f/1.2 C-Mount Lens
Check out the Camerosity Discord Server, It Is Way Better than Facebook
Olympus Accura View 90 Point and Shoot
Mike’s Thoughts on the LOMO MC-A Premium Point and Shoot
Comparing the LOMO to other New Premium Film Cameras like the Rollei 35 AF and Pentax 17
The Camerosity Podcast Still Likes the Chuzhao Three Months In
Vivitar XC-3 w/ XC-A AE Module / Will Picks Up a Zorki 4
What Kind of Camera Would You Like to See Come to Market?
Epson RD-1 / Zeiss-Ikon ZM Rangefinders
We Need to Do a Lomography Show / LOMO Spinner
William Asks for an Update on the Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex TLR Review
Sasquatch 617 3D Printed Camera / Kracken 624 3D Printed Camera

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

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