That's right, we're doing it again with another episode about zoom lenses. While many of us are prime lens sort of people, a zoom lens can offer up a lot of versatility when we either don't want to or cannot, due to space constraints, bring a selection of prime lenses. So with this episode, each of our team members brings up a trio of zoom lenses with the following criteria, one that surprised them with how good it worked, one that they will always reach for, and finally, one that sucked so hard they wanted to toss it in the Hudson River. Please note we had some audio issues with this episode due to equipment issues.

From Plus-X to Panatomic-X and Fujifilm colour stocks, join Alex, Bill and James as they discuss their favourite discontinued film stocks and what they try and do to recreate the magic. While far from perfect, there is a lot you can do with modern emulsions to recreate those looks you enjoyed in the past. Plus, a discussion around how Alex can get that Panatomic look without paying for TMax 100 and retain a classic grain structure. Plus, there was a bit of discussion around what film we'd want to bring back, the new Ferrania P33, and some developer discussion. It's a classic CCR roundtable episode.

While we're still far from summer vacation, many people are already starting to figure out where they're going on holidays this year. As photographers, especially film photographers, it can be challenging to choose what camera(s) to bring and how to keep things to a minimum! There is a temptation to bring everything plus the kitchen sink along for the ride, and if any member of the CCR team knows this full well, it's Alex. But when space is limited, and extra bags cost airlines money, we may need to rethink and start packing a little lighter. This is a follow-up to the original episode recorded in 2015, where Alex discusses his travels in Europe from Europe. But this time around, with another ten years of experience and often some back-breaking loadout, he sits down for a solo show and discusses some ideas on how to travel lighter and get the most bang from a slimmed-down kit.

Family albums, photo projects, books and double exposures. Jess, Chrissie, and Alex all sit down with the talented local Toronto photographer Tawnya Mahoney for our ongoing interview series. If you haven't had the chance to check out Tawnya's feed, you're in for a treat, as her work is intentional, ethereal, and inspired, not to mention her inspired captions that go along with her images. There are lots of double exposures, experimental and wild. And yes, there is a lot of fanning from our host team! And, of course, the usual chat about gear, first cameras, home development, scanning and film choices.

Check out Tawnya on Socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/phototee83
Threads: threads.net/@phototee83

When it comes to Nikon, tons of cameras and lenses are available, and you might feel a bit frozen when making that choice and where to jump in. Well, we aren't going to hide that we're a bunch of Nikon fanboys, so Bill and Alex sit down for a bit of a meandering episode talking about some good places to start when buying Nikon cameras. From the original rangefinders to the mechanical and hybrid SLRs of the 1950s to 1980s. And, of course, the brilliant AF models of the 1990s and 2000s. There's something here for everyone.

Even though this year's winter has not exactly been the best so far, with the lack of snow and almost a continuation of the weather we expect through  November, the CCR gang isn't letting that stop them from getting out and enjoying the weather put also preparing for when we finally do get some wonderful winter days with sun and snow. From film to cameras, clothing to best practices, James, Alex and Bill break it all down for when it's cold outside.

As part of revisiting some of our classic episode topics, this episode traces itself back to Season 2, Episode 13. The idea is that it is more important to invest in a lens system for your interchangeable lens systems; camera bodies are often cross-compatible once you're in the mount. Camera bodies come, and camera bodies go, but lenses are forever. In today's episode, each host will discuss a lens system they invested heavily in for their 35mm and 120 systems. While many of us have multiple systems, it would be an incredibly long episode if we all discussed every system. Today, we're talking about two Nikon systems, the autofocus and manual focus (mainly AI(-S)), Canon FD system, Olympus OM-System (manual focus), and in medium format, Pentax 67, Mamiya RB, Mamiya C-Series (TLR), and Mamiya m645!

We're kicking off season ten with a little game, which is much harder than it sounds! Join Alex as he sits down with Daren from Learn Film Photography, Dmitri from Analog Cafe, and Yvonne Hanson, a fashion photographer and YouTuber who are the force behind the online game "What the Film", a game that pits your knowledge of film stocks against the images created by members of the online community. The conversation also spills over into discussing everyone's plans for 2024, what got them into photography and a little tasty camera made from Gingerbread.

You can play the game at https://www.analog.cafe/app/what-the-film and see how you stack up.

You can also find a couple of demos online:
YouTube (Learn Film Photography): youtube.com/watch?v=4yVNyTqXerQ
YouTube (Yvonne): youtube.com/watch?v=VBjHHT9dI5k

Darren
Web: www.learnfilm.photography
Instagram: instagram.com/learnfilm.photography
YouTube: youtube.com/@LearnFilmPhotography

Yvonne Hanson
Web: yhansonphotography.ca/blog
Instagram: instagram.com/yhanson_photography
YouTube: youtube.com/@YvonneHansonPhotography

Dmitri 
Web: www.analog.cafe
Instagram: instagram.com/analog_cafe
YouTube: youtube.com/@analog_cafe

Well, we made it to the end of another year, and the whole team is back around the table for one final episode, including a special guest, John Meadows. If you remember, at the start of the year, we all shared some of our photographic and personal goals, so we're coming back around and sharing how we all did. Not to feel guilty if we didn't make it but rather to be encouraging. The team also discusses the joy of photography and what photography can bring during the holiday season.

Here are some handy links for those new to the show this season!
CCR Episode Archive: alexluyckx.com/blog/classic-camera-revival-episode-list
CCR Facebook Page: facebook.com/classiccamerarevival
CCR Instagram: instagram.com/classiccamerarevival

Our host's Instagram Accounts
John Meadows (Emeritus): instagram.com/johngmeadows
James Lee: instagram.com/james.lee.photo
Bill Smith: instagram.com/wbsmith200
Jess Hobbs: instagram.com/jesshobbsphoto
Alex Luyckx: instagram.com/alexluyckxphoto
Chris Wu: instagram.com/wutography

The Frugal Film Project is a collective photography challenge to help reign in the cost of photography. Starting in 2018, it encourages using budget cameras, lenses, and film over a year. The framework in which those participating work includes a camera/lens that costs no more than 75$ (USD) and a relatively inexpensive film (no Portra). And shooting one roll of film a month. Bill has been participating in this for several years now. This year marked the first time Alex joined in, so we're bringing in a small cross-section of those who participated in a couple of chats on today's episode. This is the first time CCR has done a round-table 'open source' style episode, so it is split into two parts recorded on two separate days. If you want to join in on next year's FFP, you can head over to the Facebook group and join in the fun!

To Find the Frugal Film Project...

Facebook: Official FFP Facebook Group
Instagram: instagram.com/frugalfilmproject
Web: rr1photography.com
The Original 'Zine: magcloud.com

Throughout its history, Nikon cameras have been primarily aimed at the professional market, from their stunning rangefinders in the S-Range to the original Nikon F and beyond. However, the mid-century and post-war economic boom brought a new group of photographers, the advanced consumer. Now, hobbyist photographers have always been around. These new photographers want access to the same quality cameras and optics as the professionals. And while Canon and Minolta were certainly starting to fill that gap, Nikon wanted a piece of the action. While their initial offerings under the Nikkorex line fell flat, save the Nikkorex F, it was their second attempt, the Nikkormat or Nikkomat line of SLRs, that proved to be successful. And these lovely cameras make for an excellent addition to any Nikon photographer. What set these cameras apart is that Nikon went with the Copal Square shutter for each camera, starting with the Nikkorex F rather than building in-house shutters. Also, the Nikkormat EL is the first Nikon camera with a semi-automatic exposure system. Overall, the Nikkormat line was replaced by the small-form-factor SLRs of the FM and the FE.

Nikkormat FT (1965) - The Original Nikkormat body that featured a full F-Mount (Pre-AI) and a metered prisim using the same metering technology as the Nikon Photomic T metering head.
Nikkormat FS (1965) - An unmetered version of the Nikkormat FT.
Nikkormat FTn (1967) - An improved version of the Nikkormat FT, it now uses a classic 60/40 center-weighted metering. An improved match needle display in the viewfinder. The FTn underwent a number of changes over the course of the camera's production that lasted for nearly a decade.
Nikkormat EL (1972) - Uses a CdS meter cell and provides semi-automatic aperture priority auto-exposure.
Nikkormat FT2 (1975) - Rolled all the improvements of the FTn into a single camera, and changed the power source from a mercury cell to a silver oxide cell.
Nikkormat ELW (1975) - Basically the same camera as the EL, but added the contacts for the AW-1 autowinder.
Nikkormat FT3 (1977) - Basically took everything from the FT2, but updated the mount to accept the new AI lenses natively.
Nikon EL2 (1977) - An improved ELW, with a SPD metering cell, AI lens support (native).