The XA is one of my favourite pieces of gear. Don't let it's looks fool you -- it may seem like a compact P&S on the outside, but it's really a well-made Aperature Priority rangefinder with a pretty decent lens. It's the camera the L-CA should have been.

The Other Martin Taylor also has a great page about his. This is the camera I bring with me whenever I don't have my backpack (or Carla's purse) to store my Coolpix digital camera. It fits easily in to my pocket, and is very inconspicuous. So what are you waiting for? Go get one!

Despite it's status now as a "junk store camera", there will always be a special place in my heart for my Minolta Hi-Matic 7s rangefinder. This was my first "real" camera -- it was given to me by my Grandfather when I was about eleven years old, after I found it at the back of a closet.

The Hi-Matic is built like a tank. It's solid, and the light meter still works great. It uses the now-illegal PX-625 mercury battery, but luckily most good camera stores have mercury-free replacements, or even adaptors. I think I'll have to get one of those soon.

This will mark my third Maxxum SLR. First was a 5000, then a 7000, and now I finally own the model I drooled over as a kid -- the 9000. It was pre-ordained I do thinks. I'll put the full story of their lineage up on the category page when I get the chance. My brand loyalty to vintage Minoltas is more built on sentimentality than any performance metrics -- although there's no denying that the original Maxxums were revolutionary cameras for the time they came out.

I got my Nikon Coolpix 4500 as an early Christmas present from my wife Carla. It wasn't really much of a surprise, as we both went to Henry's together to pick it up. ;) After quite a bit of research, I settled on the 4500 because I liked the split-body design, and it had the right combination of nice features, macro ability, and a decent lens within the budget I was going for.

I love it. I carry it around almost everywhere. Most of all, it gives me the freedom to experiment, without having to worry about paying for the prints.

What can I say but I love my Mat? I picked up my Yashica Mat 124G from Vintage Visuals in Calgary. I originally bought a Yashica Mat EM, but it had shutter problems and I had to send it back. After it came back "repaired" and still didn't work, I made a deal with the manager to exchange it for a "mint" 124G. It took a while, but in the end it all worked out. And when they said mint, they really meant it -- the light meter works (and accurately as far as I can tell), the lenses are flawless; it literally looks and feels like it just came out of the factory. So despite the problems with the EM, I'd still recommend VV for any used/vintage equipment you want -- fast delivery, their prices are pretty decent, and most importantly (with vintage gear at least) they stand by their products.

Anyhow, the Mat is another camera I have a bit of sentimental attachment to. My dad used to shoot with one, and I remember admiring it even as a small child. I used to think it was the prettiest camera I ever saw. I still do in many ways. Of course, if you were to send me a free Rolleiflex 2.8 GX, I might just change my mind... ;)

I found this little gem at a Pharmacy of all places, while I was visiting my mum in Campbellford, ON for Christmas. The 35mm Vivitar PN2011 features one shutter speed, one f stop, freedom from the hassle of any focus controls, and a cool "panorama" mode too. By panorama of course, they really mean the camera just cuts the top and bottom off the frame to give you a thin strip in the middle of the negative... But for $3 CDN I just couldn't resist!

Unfortunately I made the mistake of shooting off most of my first test roll using the boring old "normal" setting. But it's the panorama mode that really makes this camera interesting and fun. I'm looking forward to playing around with the unique aspect ratio that this little toy provides. Even more so after I've seen what some other folks have done with it.

I picked up my Lubitel 166B on eBay for $20 CDN. It's got some fungus on the viewing lens (and maybe the taking lens too, it's had to tell), and it has definately seen better days -- but for the price I have no complaints.

Despite it's tenuous ties to The Church of Lomotology©®™, it's still a genuinely fun camera to use. While the lens isn't exactly amazing, it does produce some nice, unique effects. I've got to shoot some more with it, especially some colour film.

So I jumped on the bandwagon and got myself the photographic equivalent of the ironic trucker hat . I picked up my Holga at Downtown Camera for $39.95CDN ($30USD). Not a bad price I suppose. But when you consider this is a cheap plastic toy camera from China that needs to be taped up just so it doen't leak light -- even shelling out $30 seems a bit much. But hey, in the end it's a fun camera to play with, and (with the possible exception of the Rainbow) it's still cheaper than going out with a friend to see a movie...