The Camera Notes

Keeping notes is essential to the orderly mind and to the orderly collection.

I have never had a great memory
and it is getting worse as I age.
I developed the habit years
ago of keeping notebooks. I
have one for house repairs, a couple
for travel planning, and several for 

subects of interest that I research. And so you can imagine that I have notebooks for my camera collecting. I page number them and at the end of each I create indicies for my camera notebooks to that point. That way I can go back to any subject I want to review.

When the spirit moves me to post in my blogs these books are the basis of those posts. I should post more often but that distracts me from my photography and collecting. There is just not time for everything. However I do hope you find these scratchings to be of interest.

The Camera Notes are strictly about the tecnichal aspects of cameras. If you are interested in my thoughts generally on art and photography then check out the Joy of Light on the top menu. Very little about cameras there: just photography.

How do you start a Camera Collection?

How do you start a Camera Collection?

How do you Start a Camera Collection?The Canon AE-1 was the first of the Canon "A" Series and an amazing camera in its day.I had an e-mail this week from Chris in the Eastern US who was looking at my website and thinking about beginning a camera collection. He asked...

Using the Mirror Box 2

Using the Mirror Box 2

Shooting with the Mirror Box 2This is my Model 7 (Ser. No. 835801) witha Mirror Box 2  and M 135mm f/2.5 (Ser. No. 19686)telephoto lens. This is the gear I took for a walk last week.One of the great things about collecting old cameras is being able to take pictures...

A Book Report

A Book Report

And Now forA Book ReportI have not bought this book before now because of the language barrier. But now, with Google Translate, that is no longer a problem. And what I found in its pages is wonderful.This is different! I have never reviewed a book on this site, or...

Lens, Book and Camera

Lens, Book and Camera

Another day with the GuysLens, Book and CameraOctober 1st was the latest Camera Show here in Vancouver and as usual I had my table. Again I went to this show with very little in the way of cameras to sell. I did take lots of camera cases and other stuff that I have...

Filter Ring Dents

Filter Ring Dents

Fixing the Problem ofFilter Ring DentsI was on the FD Lenses Facebook page the other day and a question was posted about what to do with lens filter ring dents. The front edge of the lens into which you can screw a filter gets dented when the lens is dropped or the...

Interesting Show

Interesting Show

April 30th wasA Very Interesting Camera Showwherein I learned a bunch!Yesterday, the 30th of April, there was another camera show at the Croatian Cultural Center. This time I was not that enthused about going. There was a lot going on at homee and I had a lot of work...

Why Do We Collect

Why Do We Collect

The Big QuestionWhy do we Collect Cameras?then we'll discuss something simple like "What is Art?"Do you ever wonder why you collect something? When I look at the 400 plus cameras I have acquired I certainly question it. My wife does not however. She feels it is simply...

Hacked

Hacked

We've Been Hacked!And I thought it would Never Happen to Me!My hobby is photography. Although I have some experience in electronics and computer programming, that is not my interest. I like to take pictures, I like to collect cameras, and I like to shoot film in my...

Wynne’s Infallible Exposure Meter

Wynne’s Infallible Exposure Meter

Wynne's "Infallible"Photographic Exposure MeterOh How Far We've Come!Wynne's "Infallible" Exposure Meter out of the tin box with the rest of the contents: a Cue Card of Film Speeds, a package of replacement "Deadmatch" paper and an instruction manual.When you open the...

Helios 103 Cleaning

Helios 103 Cleaning

Zavod Arsenal Cleaning the Helios 103The Standard Lens for the Kiev 4M and Kiev AMWhen I received my Kiev 4AM from the Ukraine, which I wrote about earlier, it had on it the standard lens for that camera, a Helios 103 53mm f/1.8 lens made at the Zavod Arsenal in Kiev,...