Episode 115: Four Favorite Cameras

Episode 115 of the Camerosity Podcast clocked in as the longest episode yet, running over two hours, built around a simple prompt: each guest was asked to share four cameras that mean something to them, whether that meant sentimental favorites, go-to workhorses, or dream cameras on a wish list. Hosts Anthony, Mike, Paul, and Theo were joined by an unusually large roster of 22 callers, including returning voices and newcomers like Ben Ryerson, Brian from Central PA, Mark Widhalm, Greg Harp, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Jess Keller, Joao Gomes, Leo Lukens, Miles Libak, Pat Casey, Rollin Banderob, Sippu Rout, Vlad Kern, and Travis and Shane from Impulse Camera.

The episode opened with a conversation featuring Jess Keller of Light & Lens Studios (New York) and Travis and Shane of Impulse Camera (Milwaukee), two newer camera retailers who discussed why they chose to open brick-and-mortar shops in today's online-shopping era and what sets their stores apart, touching on community building and film photography's resurgence. From there, the show moved into roughly five-minute segments per guest covering their four-camera picks. Nikon emerged as the most frequently mentioned brand across the board, but the discussion also ventured into rarer territory, including an Austrian Leica copy, the obscure Kodak Regent II, and a fully custom 4x5 camera Brian from Central PA built entirely out of Legos. Other highlights included Joao's complete Kodak Ektra system and Alpa Reflex 9f, Anthony's Nikonos III and Rolleiflex SL66, Vlad's Soviet-era KMZ Drug and Lomo LC-A, and Theo's travel kit for an upcoming trip to Laos featuring the Nikon F3, FM2, and a Panasonic Lumix GX7. Digital cameras made occasional appearances too, such as the Nikon Zf paired with an adapted TV lens.

Overall, the episode leaned heavily into pure gear enthusiasm ("GAS") rather than any single technical deep dive, but for regular listeners that's described as very much the point. The takeaway is less a verdict on any one camera and more a celebration of personal collecting and shooting history, with the hosts reiterating their open invitation for listeners of any experience level to join future calls and share their own choices.

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

In what ended up being the longest episode we’ve ever done and the first ever to exceed 2 hours, Episode 115 was one that we tasked our hosts and listeners to come prepared to share four cameras that meant something to them. It didn’t need to be “the best” but it could be four cameras that have special meaning to you, four cameras you use the most, or four cameras you wish you had.

As the recording began, you all responded to the challenge with no less than 22 callers who joined Anthony, Mike, Paul and Theo for the discussion. Joining us were returning guests and some new callers including Ben Ryerson, Brian from Central PA, Mark Widhalm, Greg Harp, Ira Cohen, Jeremy Scott, Jess Keller, Joao Gomes, Leo Lukens, Miles Libak, Pat Casey, Rollin Banderob, Sippu Rout, Travis and Shane from Impulse Camera, and Vlad Kern.

Starting off the show, we were joined by Jess Keller from Light & Lens Studios in New York and Travis and Shane from Impulse Camera, two new faces in the camera retail world. All three guests share with us their origin stories and why they decided to open a camera store in the era of online shopping and discuss what makes their stores different from all those that came before them.

Once we got into the discussions, we spent about 5 minutes per person hearing their choices. By far, Nikon was the most represented brand with many guests sharing their favorite models, but we got into the weeds with some truly obscure cameras like an Austrian Leica copy, the mystical Kodak Regent II, and a wild completely custom 4×5 camera made entirely of Legos. Check out the gallery below showing this homebrew camera made entirely by Brian from Central PA.

While we mostly stayed with film cameras, some digital cameras made an appearance too such as the Nikon Zf and the Panasonic Lumix care of Theo and his upcoming trip to Laos. This episode was heavy on GAS and not much else, but if you’re a fan of the show, you know that’s not a bad thing, so check it out, listen to everyone’s choices and let us know what you could have chosen had you joined us!

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!

If you’d like to read a text transcript of this show with time stamps, click the link below. It doesn’t get the names of the people who are speaking but the text is mostly accurate so if you’d like to read along, check it out!

https://mikeeckman.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/CamerosityEpisode115-clean-transcript.txt

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.

For our next episode, we will be tapping into Anthony’s knowledge of both IR and underwater photography. While something that a lot of people have experience with, Anthony is drawn to these two special sub-niches of photography and we thought it would be interesting to hear his, and your thoughts on shooting Infrared and underwater photography.

We are going to be recording episode 116 on Monday, November 16th at 7pm Central Standard Time, 8pm Eastern Standard Time, and 12 Noon Tuesday the 17th Australian Eastern Daylight Time (Sydney). For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your 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

0:13 – The theme: four cameras that mean something to you
4:07 – Meet Impulse Camera (Milwaukee) and Light and Lens Studios (NY)
5:17 – How the new stores started; Sony A6100 launched Impulse
13:06 – Why new camera stores succeed today: community and film’s revival
16:42 – Anthony’s Gainesville café as a film hub
18:31 – Paul on why traditional camera stores closed
22:34 – Paul: Contarex Super, Kodak 35 Rangefinder, Retina II with Ektar
27:19 – Roland: Canon T90, F-1 New, EOS-1, EOS A2E
29:14 – Jeremy: Yashica-D, Olympus Pen F, Canon FTb QL
34:32 – Keeping the Canon FTb battery door from falling off
35:48 – Jeremy’s Nikon Zf with an adapted TV lens
37:27 – Viltrox lenses for Nikon Z: 28mm pancake, 85mm f/1.8
40:03 – Brian: Zeiss Super Ikonta 531/2; Voigtländer Bessa RF
42:47 – Brian: Mamiya C33 and handheld Graflex RB Series B
47:10 – Brian’s working 4×5 camera built from Legos
51:34 – Miles’ wish list: Bronica RF645, Leica R8, Fujica AX-5, Olympus Pen EM
53:55 – Greg: Canon A-1, Miranda Sensorex II, Kodak Retina Type 119, Bessa RF
57:12 – Jess: Yashica Mat 124G, Olympus Pen FT, Canon AE-1 Program, Canon R6
1:03:32 – Joao: Alpa Reflex 9f and complete Kodak Ektra system
1:07:52 – Joao: Kodak Regent II and the Austrian Wica Leica copy
1:11:37 – Ira: Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic, Asahiflex (Tower), Pentax LX, MZ-S
1:17:47 – Theo’s Laos travel kit: Nikon F3, Nikon FM2, Lumix GX7
1:20:49 – Theo’s Leicaflex SL2; smooth advance like the Topcon RE Super
1:22:32 – Nikon F3 tips: mechanical backup release, missing memory-lock button
1:24:58 – Vlad: KMZ Drug, Lomo LC-A, Iskra, Nikon FM
1:31:59 – Anthony: Nikonos III and amphibious vs. underwater lenses
1:35:08 – Anthony: Robot Royal 36 and Rolleiflex SL66
1:38:05 – Leo: beat-up Nikon F, Nikon F2 with 50mm f/1.2
1:41:21 – Paul’s f/1.2 lens haul, including Tomioka 55mm f/1.2
1:42:37 – Leo: Horizon 202 panoramic and Minox 35 GT
1:45:07 – Ben: Nikon D50 and Konica Autoreflex T3
1:47:57 – Paul’s $30 Konica 40mm f/1.8 listener offer
1:48:59 – Sippu: Nikon FE2, Fujica ST801, Contaflex S, Zeiss-Ikon Icarex 35S
1:52:18 – KW Praktina tip; spotting repainted black Soviet cameras
1:54:50 – Pat: Kodak Bantam Special, Kodak Brownie Super 27, Brownie Special, Nikon F2
2:00:10 – Wrap-up; next show November 16 at 7 p.m. Central

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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