Fast lenses are everywhere these days, and they have been around for a while, with lenses having wide-open apertures of f/0.95 and f/1.2. But these days it seems everyone wants their wide-angle and standard lenses to have open apertures of f/1.4! So, the team gets around the table to discuss what makes these lenses unique and where they have saved their bacon. Shooting wide-open has some downsides, such as when you need that speed and when you don't.

When it comes to iconic films, there is no black & white film to reach that level than Kodak Tri-X. First introduced in 1940 as a 200-speed sheet film, it hit the market as a roll film in 1954, replacing Kodak Super-XX as Kodak's fast film offering. That means in 2024, it is celebrating its 70th anniversary! With that in mind, the CCR team sits down to discuss Tri-X. What they shoot with it, how they develop it, the frustrations with the film and even some alternatives to Tri-X when the iconic film stock is a little out of reach.

If you're looking for a photographer doing exciting things in the fashion field, especially with experimentation and Kodak Tri-X rolls, look no further than Ted Smith. Ted takes some time to sit down with James Lee for an interview. Together, they discuss his creative work with film, conceptual photoshoots, the creative process, his love of working with people, and portrait photography!

These days, there is a tonne of fantastic film chemistry available, but it can be hard to decide where to go next or even where to start. And while Alex has been developing his film at home for over ten years, he still hasn't touched some developers. But in today's show, he is going to break down a tonne of developers, including Kodak D-76, HC-110, Xtol, Rollei Supergrain, Rodinal, FX-39, Atomal 49, Studional/Hydrofen, Pyro developers and much more. It's a lot of information in a tiny podcast.

Joining Alex and James in the studio today is Andrew Reynolds, a fellow Canadian from the East Coast! Join the trio as they talk about the good things about limiting your camera choices, the joy of photography, Nikon, Lighthouses, and where to explore when visiting Canada's Maritime provinces.

You can check out Andrew's Work on Instagram: instagram.com/randrewreynolds

With September being back-to-school for many, the usual crowd sits down for a roundtable to talk about the lessons they have learned with photography! From handling good business practices, including getting contracts, pricing, and double-checking gear. There are also discussions about chemistry foul-ups, knowing when to give up and realising that some things a deal is too good to be true.

Joining James & Bill on today's show is noted long-time photographer and camera seller Paul RyBolt. Paul is one of several hosts on the Camerosity Podcast and is a wealth of knowledge from the camera retail world, collecting and using all sorts of cameras and film stocks. The conversation covers everything from the vast collections, including Kurt Igram's that Paul has helped sort through to shooting slide film, 6x9, Cibachrome, Corn Sweat, Stereo gear, Ansel Adams as a piano player, and single-malt scotch.

Listen to Camerosity (and even join in): mikeeckman.com/category/camerosity-podcast
Check Out Paul's eBay Store: ebay.com/str/paulkris
Instagram: instagram.com/ryboltcox

You will have to pry these cameras from our cold, dead hands! Yes, back in May, a group of bloggers released another coordinated set of blog posts outlining the five cameras you'll pry from our cold, dead hands! We thought that would be an excellent topic for CCR, so here we are! But we aren't just letting this stay in our hands; we also invited the Toronto Film Shooters Meetup group to join! And it's only fair that our first 'open source' episode includes the TFS, as that is the group that formed the foundation of this podcast!  The cameras in today's episode all seem to represent the personalities of the people who shoot them!

It's been a while since we've done an entire episode dedicated to Canon cameras, and today, we have some real treats! We're discussing the earliest Canon cameras, those LTM rangefinders that put Canon on the map and, more importantly, Canon LTM glass; some talk about the AE-1 and AE-1 Programs and a little about choosing the right EOS camera for you. And if you are looking at getting into Canon's rangefinder line, Bill cannot recommend enough the wonderful book Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933-68 by Peter Dechert! We're also welcoming a special guest who is no stranger to CCR; Alex Smith is back with his extensive collection of Canon LTM glass.

No shade on Polaroid....

Today, we have a pair of Chrises on the show; Chris Erickson is joining Chrissie! If that name isn't familiar, he's Just Another Chris who loves his instant film! He went from producing and being behind the scenes of various other YouTube channels to putting out his own content focused on instant film. He shoots everything from Instax to modern Polaroid. He produces many amazing videos and isn't afraid to present his reviews, warts and all, making his channel one of the best sources for reviews of Polaroid and other Instant products.

You can find Chris' work on the following social channels.
Instagram: instagram.com/just_anotherchris/
YouTube: youtube.com/@JustAnotherChris

Infrared photography is one of the more unique niches of the hobby and can produce some amazing and wild images using light beyond our visible spectrum. In this episode, Alex digs into black-and-white infrared photography specifically. Infrared light is part of the overall electromagnetic spectrum, which includes our human visible light spectrum, which ranges from 380nm to 700nm or violet to red. Most infrared photography uses specialised film and filters to capture light between 700nm and 900nm. Today, we don't have dedicated IR films being newly produced like Kodak HIE, Efke IR820 or Konica Infrared 750, but we do have extended red sensitive films that can get into the near IR range. These films include Rollei Retro 80s, Rollei Superpan 200, Rollei Infrared, Rollei Retro 400s and FPP Black & White Infrared. These films have sensitivities beyond 700nm and between 740 to 750nm. Pairing these films behind a deep red (092/89b) or a true IR filter like a 093, RM90, or R72 filter will produce results typical of a traditional infrared film. You will have to consider the filter factory and over-expose your metering. You can use this website: www.fineart-photography.com to get started. Be prepared to spend a bit extra on the filters as a quality filter, which is an IR filter, will run at least 200 minimum for a quality unit.