Episode 95: Let's Wing It!

Episode 95 of the Camerosity Podcast marks one of the show's periodic "wing it" installments, harkening back to the podcast's original concept that any topic can be fair game. Rather than sticking to a predetermined theme, hosts Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike simply logged into Zoom and hit record, inviting listeners to join in unscripted. This particular episode was joined by a large roster of guests including AJ Gentile, Darin Cozine, Jeremy Scott, Kyle Liu, Nick Marshall, Robert Coates, Shane Pacheco, and Will Pinkham, and as usual, the conversation quickly gravitated toward GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) discussion and recent camera pickups.

The gear talk ranges widely, starting with Bronica and Mamiya SLRs and TLRs, including a discussion of the S2 and S2A models and the near-universal need to replace deteriorating foam seals on Bronica S-series cameras to avoid out-of-focus images. Anthony shares his experience with a newly acquired Contax D SLR, sparking a lengthy tangent on the distinctive sound of the Contax shutter and comparisons to the KW Praktina and Pentax. Other topics touch on Nikkor lenses on medium format bodies, the Asahi Pentax ES II's problematic battery compartment, and why black cameras often fetch higher prices than chrome versions. Jeremy recounts a standout estate sale find in rural Oklahoma, netting a Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide, a Canon f/0.95 "Dream Lens," and other coveted wide-angle glass, which leads into broader talk of ultrawide lens alternatives like the Voigtländer Bessa L and various Voigtländer and Canon wide lenses. Mike discusses an upcoming Texas storage locker haul along with his own recent acquisitions, including an early Contax S and an Orion Miranda T fitted with a rare Zunow lens. Additional asides cover AJ's birthday purchase of a Minox B, the Reveni Labs Lumo light meter, and Stephen's history of selling off and repurchasing his entire Nikon F system.

The overall takeaway is less a verdict on any single camera and more a celebration of the podcast's freewheeling, community-driven format. The hosts emphasize that listeners of any experience level are welcome to join future episodes, with no expertise required. They close by previewing Episode 96, which will focus on AGFA's history as the German counterpart to Kodak, covering the company's notable cameras and film emulsions, scheduled to record on July 28th.

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

Over the past several episodes. we’ve covered a wide range of topics and had some excellent guests on the show. While we love predetermined topics, the original concept of the Camerosity Podcast was that any topic is always on the table, so from time to time, we like to “wing it” and start recording without any idea of what we’re talking about.

Episode 95 was one such episode where Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike logged into Zoom, hit record and let everyone in! As always seems to happen, the show fills up quickly with GAS discussion. Guests sharing their recent pickups and anything they’re shooting now. For this episode, we were joined by AJ Gentile, Darin Cozine, Jeremy Scott, Kyle Liu, Nick Marshall, Robert Coates, Shane Pacheco and Will Pinkham.

We start out the GAS discussion covering Bronica and Mamiya SLRs and TLRs. A discussion about the S2 and S2A and issues with foam seals which need to be replaced on pretty much all Bronica S-series cameras. Anthony shares his experience on a new (to him) Contax D SLR he picked up and that spawned a lengthy discussion on the Contax SLR’s shutter and the unique sounds it makes.

Jeremy shares the pickup of a lifetime at a recent estate sale in rural Oklahoma where he bought a Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide, Canon f/0.95 “Dream Lens”, and other highly sought after wide angle lenses.

Mike discusses an upcoming storage locker of cameras in Texas he will be picking up soon, along with his pickup of a very early Contax S and an Orion Miranda T with the rare Zunow lens.

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.

For our next episode, we are going to cover AGFA. As the German equivalent of Kodak, AGFA has a long history of making both cameras and film stocks, so our intent is to do their history some justice and cover their most memorable models and emulsions. We will record Episode 96 on Monday, July 28th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.

In This Episode

Jumping Straight into GAS / Bronica S2 vs S2A / Mamiya C33 Professional / Who Used the Mamiya TLRs?
Anthony Buys a Murder Scene Camera / Paul Sold Cameras to Coroners
Bronica vs Hasselblad / Nikkor Lenses on Medium Format Cameras
All Bronica S/S2/S2A Cameras Will Need Their Foam Replaced or Images Will Be Out of Focus
Anthony Receives and Shoots a Zeiss-Ikon Contax D SLR
Mike Gives a Very Poor Explanation for Why 100 and 125 are the Safest Shutter Speeds
The Contax SLR and KW Praktina Have a Similar Design Language / Contax vs Pentax?
Asahi Pentax ES II and It’s Horrible Battery Compartment
Why Are Black Cameras Often Worth More than Chrome Cameras?
LOMO LCA Wide 120 / Hasselblad SWC
Jeremy Scores Big at an Estate Sale / Zeiss-Ikon Hologon Ultrawide / Canon 0.95 Dream Lens / Canon 7SZ
The Voigtländer Bessa L is an Economic Alternative to the Hologon Ultrawide / Bessa R Series
Everyone Talks About Ultrawide Lenses / Voigtländer 12mm and Canon 19mm Lenses
Reveni Labs Lumo Incident and Direct Light Meter
Mike’s GAS / Contax S SLR / Orion Miranda T with Zunow Lens
AJ Buys Himself a Minox B for his Birthday
Many Young People Associate the Film Look with Degraded Photos from When They Were Younger
Stephen Sold All His Nikon F Cameras and Lenses Then Bought New Ones / Everyone’s First Nikon

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, 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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