My Top Three Cameras of 2022

*Edit* I have added four more excellent blogs for you to read at the end of this article.

My friend and fellow blogger Alex Luyckx wrote an article as a collaborative exercise with a few other bloggers about three cameras they enjoyed using in 2022 or maybe haven't reviewed yet and want to give a little taster of things to come in 2023. I had to be cheeky and ask if I could join in the party and Alex being a thoroughly nice bloke said yes go for it. I will post links to a few of those blogs at the end of this article.

This week I am going to talk about three cameras that I have already raved about and want to rave about a little more. 2022 has been an interesting year that took my photography in a new direction with an unexpected gift, so my first choice is no surprise to my regular readers.

1: Goodman Zone Z1
Little did I know that "making up the numbers" would see me win this camera in a giveaway from PetaPixel.com in conjunction with Dora Goodman Cameras in December 2021. That's the mindset I had when I dutifully ticked the boxes to complete my entry, I figured I was making up the numbers and wouldn't win. When Dora emailed me telling me I had won first prize I had to read it twice before replying in case I was seeing things. Nope, it wasn't an illusion, I really had won! When it finally arrived I must have stared at it for an hour wondering why the Photography Gods had seen fit to smile upon me with such a beautifully made camera.

It took me a little while to fix the method of using this camera in my mind. It's a hybrid of a Large Format Schneider-Kreuznach 90mm f/8 Super Angulon lens and a 3D printed box designed to take a Mamiya RB67 Pro S film back or the bespoke 3D printed 6x6 film back the camera came with. I saved up to buy a Mamiya film back whilst I got used to using the 3D printed one. The "First Ten Rolls" learning curve definitely held true as I got aquainted with my Goodman Zone Z1. I went through a lot of Fomapan as I battled with my nemesis, the Dark Slide!

When I was able to buy a Mamiya film back I fell in love with its 6x7 format and used the camera even more. I was even gifted a Dark Cloth by a chap named Dan in Hong Kong. It was the missing link that finally pulled all the pieces together to make using my Goodman Zone an absolute pleasure. I love the #BelieveInFilm community, it's filled with folks like Dan who are a constant source of inspiration. I was so inspired I produced an e-book of photos I have taken with my Goodman Zone which is for sale in my Ko-Fi Shop.

 

2: Minolta X-700
My second choice surprised the heck out of me when I discovered the joy of using it. I purchased this from a friend for the price of a £50 donation to a charity here in the UK that we both support, The National Association for Bikers with a Disability. He had bought it from a mutual friend for the same donation, so I was happy to do the same deal. I had wanted to try a Minolta camera for a while and had already bought a fully auto all singing and dancing auto focus Minolta Dynax 500si that I really enjoy using, but I wanted a manual camera too. The X-700 was a whole new level of awesomeness.

It's a Manual Focus camera with Aperture Priority and Full Auto modes to chose from and boy does it deliver. I tried the full auto mode first to see what the camera could achieve and then tried to match it on manual. Let's just say the X-700 set the bar high. I was used to aperture priority with my Olympus OM-2, but the electronics in the Minolta X-700 have a decade more of development behind them and it shows. All my fully auto exposures were absolutely bang on the money.

I have since used it many times in manual mode and it's a joy to use. Matched with a Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 or a Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 close focus lens it produces the goods time and again, advancing my skills in the process. It's a camera that a seasoned pro or an amateur like myself could load up with film and go out happy in the knowledge that it will reliably produce the shots we want. If this camera has a downside, I have yet to find it.

3: Pentax SP500
My third choice is an old favourite and the camera I shot my Frugal Film Project 2022 photos with. The bargain bucket Spotmatic may not have the hot shoe or self timer that its more capable siblings have, but don't let that fool you into thinking it isn't worthy of your time. The Pentax SP500 just works every time. I was fortunate enough to buy this camera back in 2017 when I returned to film after a 15 hiatus. It came with a Helios 44m-4 58mm f/2 and for a few months it was all I used. I could get Agfaphoto Vista 200 from Poundland for £1 a roll and I got through a heck of a lot of it as I learned the basics again. Developing was still cheap then too and I gt to know the staff at Max Spielmann in town quite well.

The Pentax SP500 is the perfect student camera. Cheap to buy and with an M42 lens mount, it opens the door to some of the finest lenses from that era. The Pentax K1000 always gets put forward for the crown of perfect student camera, but it also put the price beyond the reach of many, myself included. I bought my SP500 with Helios lens from ebay for £20 and I was lucky, the light meter works. Even if it doesn't you can pick up a Gossen light meter for £10 or less, or use an app on your phone.

Keeping it simple with this camera taught me the shutter triangle better than any of my fancy dan cameras with lots of bells and whistles. I like automation to keep me covered for any eventuality, but sometimes you just want to go commando! Pentax were bloody good at producing reliable workhorses, at 50 years old mine is still going strong. I used it for the Frugal Film Project 2022 with a Meyer-Optik Gorlitz 30mm f/3.5 Lydith lens and shot Ilford HP5. It never let me down all year.

 

That's my three cameras of 2022 that have taught me a heck of a lot, surprised me even more and given me the most joy as I have continued my journey. I have grown a lot as a photographer this year, thanks to my Goodman Zone in particular, and I know I can develop my skills even more as we head into 2023. I'm looking forward to it and I shall be back at it in January for the Frugal Film Project 2023. They will not be shelf queens in 2023 as I have a plan to use my favourite cameras as often as I can. I can't just go out with one camera, a guy has to have a plan B, right?

Check out the links below to see what my friends and fellow bloggers have been using in 2022 or what they will be raving about in 2023. Maybe they can inspire you to try some different gear out or even pick up a film camera for the first time and share the joy we all have for photography. I hope you enjoy their blogs. I'm having a break for the holidays, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope you enjoy health and happiness in 2023.
 
Alys Vintage Camera Alley
Down The Road - Jim Grey
Camera Go Camera
Alex Luyckx
Photo Thinking
Mike Eckman 3 outstanding cameras from 2022
Kosmo Foto - Three Cameras For 2022
Canny Cameras
Johnny Martyr - Trois Cameras De 2022
Aperture Preview - Three Other Cameras Of 2022

Frugal Film Project 2022 - December

 The Frugal Film Project 2022 is drawing to a close with my final submissions of the year shot on 35mm Ilford HP5 using my Pentax SP500 camera and Meyer-Optik Gorlitz 30mm f/3.5 Lydith lens. I chose the camera and film as I am most comfortable with them and the lens was one of my bucket list lenses. I have to say I learned a heck of a lot this year with this combination. It proved that "Keep It Simple Stupid", also known as "KISS Theory" really does work.

I managed to shoot this last roll of film during a cold snap that hit the UK in mid December, plunging temperatures ensured frost and ice was everywhere. I'm not exactly fleet of foot these days and I waited a day or three before venturing out to Mesnes Park in Wigan to take some photos of the Coalbrookdale Fountain.

The freezing temperatures had an amazing effect on the fountain. It didn't just freeze, it produced wonderful icicles and built up ice around the cherub at the top that almost totally encased it. Just the nozzle at the top was clear. As water was pumped upwards to it, it kept the fountain going and stopped it from freezing completely.

I couldn't leave it alone. I tried to take other photos around the park, but the fountain held me in its thrall. I was not alone either as a steady stream of folk were also paying the fountain a visit to take photos as it has been a long time since it froze to this extent. I certainly haven't seen it freeze in all the years I have lived here.

It was nice to talk to people and share this experience with them. We are living in tough times here in the UK. Seeing the Coalbrookdale Fountain and Nature put on a wonderful display put a smile on plenty of faces and helped us forget the worries we face, if only for a few moments. It wasn't long before I had finished my roll of film and headed on my way.

I shot my film at 800 iso and developed it as 800 iso for 7 1/2 minutes in HC-110 dilution B and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I scanned it with my Ion Slides2PC 35mm scanner and tidied my photos up with Affinity Photo. Here are a few of my favourites and I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project 2022 album on Flickr. I hope you enjoy them as it brings this years project to a close.

I have had a lot of fun this year and I'm happy to say I will be taking part in the Frugal Film Project again in 2023 with a different camera and film format. Ilford have recently made Kentmere 400 available in 120 medium format, something I have wanted them to do for a few years and I simply had to buy a few rolls for the project. I will be shooting it in my Agfa Isolette I 6x6 vintage folding camera, the point and shoot of the 1950's. Let the fun commence!

Frugal Film Project 2022 complete 

Goodman Zone and Rollei Superpan

 This week I managed to get out and about with my Goodman Zone. I haven't touched it since I shot a roll of Ektachrome with it in August, so I made a point of making that right. A bright Sunday afternoon made my choice of film easier as it was asking for a roll of Rollei Superpan 200, which I duly loaded into my RB67 film back ready for an hour or two walking around the local woodland and see what was happening.

It was bitterly cold despite the sunshine as winter has well and truly arrived here in Wigan. We had a bit of snow at the start of the weekend that froze in the sub zero temperatures, thus making me a little hesitant to step out the door. However, I was determined to get out and make the most of the sunshine and boldly went forth to the woods.

I wanted to take photos at a couple of locations I visited in spring and summer and practice some compositions I hope to study in 2023. I have watched plenty of videos on my favourite you tube landscape photography channels and they have inspired me to take a year long look at my local woodland. I would use this walk as a reconnaissance and to see if I could navigate my way around in the icy conditions.

Most of the trees have all shed their leaves now, with the exception of the Beech trees that manage to hold on to their copper-brown leaves a lot longer than the rest. There's a few conifers mixed in too. When the Coal Mine that once stood there was closed and demolished the council took on the land and planted several varieties of trees which have been left to grow naturally. This has brought a rich eco system to a once industrial landscape and it's thriving.

I really enjoyed using my Goodman Zone again. I know I have neglected it of late, but I took my time and gently eased myself back into the method I had worked out earlier in the year when I was using it a lot. It still makes me think a lot more about my photography than 35mm does and that's a good thing as it has taught me to be patient. On a sunny day like this one I could afford to take my time and it paid off.

When I got home I developed my roll of Rollei Superpan in Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 6 minutes and I soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I got a full ten shots with no double exposures or missed frames. Yay me! I digitised my film with my Nikon D700 and tidied the images up with Affinity Photo. Here's a few of my shots from my afternoon out and I have put them all in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Rollei Superpan - Goodman Zone

Frugal Film Project 2022 - November

November was almost over when I headed out with my Pentax SP500 loaded with Ilford HP5 for the Frugal Film Project. I left this one late and paid for it with possibly the dullest, flattest light of the year thus far and to be fair it totally matched my mood. I had long been contemplating my first bust since joining the Frugal Film Project back in January 2021. I keep thinking of my Dad and decided I had to keep going and headed out on the last afternoon in November with probably 2 hours of daylight remaining.

I was feeling really melancholy and I decided to have a wander over to the cemetery near my home. I know there's a lot of people who think photography in a cemetery is a bit of a taboo thing, but when done with care it can be a therapeutic experience. I really needed some photographic therapy and the conditions were the most challenging I have encountered in quite a while.

One thing I was having bother with in the really dull light was focusing. My Lydith lens has a widest aperture of f/3.5 which doesn't quite let enough light in on dull days and my eyes are getting old and knackered. I decided to use the zone focus method of setting the aperture on the lens at f/8 and using the markings on the lens to allow me to have decent depth of field between 4-5 feet and infinity The only thing I had to worry about was my shutter speed.

There's a small pond on route that has Moorhens living there. It's been nice seeing them raise their chicks this year and the family was out and about foraging when I came by. The lack of wind made the pond good for a reflection, despite the lousy light, which I dutifully took advantage of.

There was a few people at the cemetery paying their resects to loved ones and I was no different. My friend Tony passed away earlier in the year and I wasn't able to attend his funeral. I found his resting place and spent some time thinking about the good times over the years. He was a damn good bloke. I said my goodbye to Tony and headed home, capturing a few shots along the way and I finished my roll of film.

I developed my film in HC-110 dilution B later that evening and soon had it hanging to dry. I scanned it with my Ion Slides2PC 35mm scanner and made the shots look presentable with Affinity Photo. It was during that post production where Ilford HP5 yet again showed me how well it copes with crappy light. I was able to tweak some life into the photos with just a couple of adjustments with Affinity Photo. In hindsight I should have pushed it 2 stops, but I wasn't thinking straight when I left the house. Hurrah for HP5 and it's dynamic range.

Here's a few of my photos from my November roll of Ilford HP5. It was without doubt the most challenging of the year, but I'm glad I persevered. I have put them and a few more in my Frugal Film Project 2022 album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. My melancholy mood definitely comes across in them, I have no doubt about that. I will try to go out on a better day to shoot my December roll and bring my second year of taking part in this project to an end.

I have already decided I am coming back for a third year. The Frugal Film Project has been a great education and there's always something new to learn. I have a camera and film in mind for the Frugal Film Project 2023 and will reveal all when I share my December photos. Until then, I hope you enjoy my November photos.

Frugal Film Project 2022