Episode 68: April Fool's Day with Johnny and Dan

For this, the 68th episode of the World's Number One Open Source Film Photography Podcast, the gang invited our friend and film photographer Johnny Martyr to share with us his love of Leicas. As is the case any time the topic of cameras made by everyone's favorite Wetzlar based company is mentioned, the Force™ beckons our own resident Leica Master, Dan Tamarkin, who also joins us on our first ever April Fool's Day episode!

What is real and what is fake?! Are Johnny and Dan really here or did Mike just find a really convincing AI voice generator?! NO ONE KNOWS!

Helping Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike differentiate between reality and imagination, are returning callers Bob Rotoloni, Mark Faulkner, Patrick Casey, Raymond Nason, and first time callers Alan Peres, and Brock's Garage!

Starting off the episode, Johnny talks a bit about his business, shooting film and digital with his wife and what kinds of customers would hire a film photographer. Of all the reasons someone might want a professional photographer, there is one type of gig that people tend to favor film more, but what is it? Johnny also talks about how when he first got started, his customers struggled to differentiate his film shots from his wife's digital shots, so he sought out ways to come up with his own style.

For the second episode in a row, Leica R SLRs have captivated the Camerosity Crew, and Paul, Mike, and Dan discuss all of Leicas different SLRs, and what they like about each one. Mike recently shot three different Leica SLRs and clearly loved one over the others, but which one was it?

Have you ever struggled loading film into bottom loading Leica screw mount (and similar) cameras? Does trimming the leader to the necessary length cause you heartache and slow you down too much? If so, Johnny has found a new type of take up spool that works in most screw mount Leicas (and copies) that greatly simplifies loading film into these cameras without having to trim the leader. Enter Ausgeknipst, a small German company who 3D printed a new design that both Johnny and Mike have tested.

Finally, Mike shares his thoughts on a camera he thought would make a good April Fool's Discussion because of how well it "fooled" the community upon its release, but strangely, he ended up liking it way more than he thought he would. But what was it?

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, rather than discuss a certain brand or type of camera, we thought it would be fun to discuss an entire decade worth of cameras, and what better decade to start in, but the 1970s! Get out your hair picks, put on your bell bottoms, and spin up some Kiss records and call in to share with us your favorite 1970s cameras!

We will record Episode 69 on Monday, April 15th at 7pm Central Daylight Time (-5 UTC), 8pm Eastern Daylight Time (-4 UTC), and Tuesday at 10am Australian Eastern Standard Time (+10 UTC). We look forward to hearing from you!

In This Episode

• Johnny uses a converted 1930 Leica Model C converted to a III / Mostly uses the Leica M6 TTLs for most shooting in low light
• Shooting the Leica M6 With and Without a Meter / Paul does not like the Leica M3
• Johnny and Mike met over a Konica III article, while he got noticed on a humorous M6 article
• People should shoot their own way and not try and impose on others
• Dan subscribes to Johnny’s blog / Dan and a few others do not like the M3 viewfinder
• Paul prefers the M6 over the M6 TTL as it has more diodes
• Johnny also shoots with a Nikon FM2n and F2SB, but does not like the F3 / Anthony loves his FM2n
• Johnny had a shoot with Bill Clinton while he was working hybrid
• Clients don’t really care if shooting film or not, they like the photos
• There is a market for film shooters / Mark had hired Johnny for his wedding
• Johnny moved to black and white to distinguish from digital / The has been more interest in film at weddings
• Dan has seen more people wanting to get in film / Most people won’t know a Leica from a ratty old camera
• Wedding photographers get nervous seeing a Leica shooter
• Anthony wishes Johnny had shot his wedding / Theo’s wedding photographer ran out of film
• Alan brought his Leica IIIf to Dan to have it CLA’d
• The Leica R virus has spread through the Camerosity hosts / Dan rarely sells R cameras but the lenses are in demand
• Dan caused Paul to buy 2 M10s / The M10 might be the last great Leica
• Paul tested the 7Artisans lens and it surprised him in quality
• People should like lenses because of their “flavor” / Each of the older Leica lenses is unique
• Paul suggests the Leica SL2 is a good starter in the SLR range
• Mike has fallen in love with the SL2 in 5 hours, didn’t take to the R8
• Theo though thinks the R8 is his favourite SLR he shoots
• Dan thinks the R8 is ungainly, the R3 is good for pounding nails
• The R6.2 is the pinnacle of the R series / Paul got a great haul of R equipment
• Some people wanted the Camerosity shirts off Mike and Paul’s back!
• Johnny and Mike Promote New 3D Printed Quick Load Spools for Bottom Loading Leicas
• Simple accessories can make using vintage cameras much easier
• Both Paul and Mike missed a rare Argus lens at the camera show
• Was the Yashica Y35 an April Fools Joke? / Yashica name is being used with I’m Back micro 4/3 camera
• We don’t appreciate sometimes the technology and effort to bring a product to market
• Mint is doing some cool work / The panel goes 110 crazy

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.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Johnny Martyr - https://johnnymartyr.wordpress.com/

Dan Tamarkin - https://www.tamarkin.com/

Ausgeknipst Film Spools - https://petapixel.com/2024/04/01/a-new-quick-load-spool-for-barnack-leica-and-similar-cameras/

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris and https://www.etsy.com/shop/Camerasandpictures

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/ and https://www.facebook.com/VoltaGNV/