Classic Camera Revival

While everyone always associates the term "normal lens" with the 50mm focal length, here at CCR, we're going with more of a range between 28mm and 60mm. In reality, normal human vision ranges from 31mm to 43mm, which can be difficult to replicate with readily available lenses. So on today's episode, we're featuring the Pentax-M 40mm, AF Nikkor 35mm, Leica Summicron 50mm, AI-S Nikkor 28mm, Zuiko 35...

We're finally doing it, a full set of four episodes, a "tetralogy" all about lenses. In this first part, we're covering ultra-wide lenses. To help keep things ultra-wide, we're using the same criteria as Matt (from Matt Loves Cameras) and going with lenses that are 25mm or wider. Each host picked three ultra-wide lenses from their own kit. And we ended up with a fantastic set of optics, including...

In today's episode, Alex sits down with Kevin Ealaín, the founder of Darkroast Arts, a name he chose after discovering the joys of working with Caffenol. Since then, he's expanded into photographing local events and protests, and into promoting the art of working in the traditional darkroom. The conversation goes from camera gear, darkroom practices, coffee, some politics, and a little bit of subj...

We love hearing from members of the community as a whole, especially when they reach out to us to talk about life, photography, film and more. So in today's episode, join Alex as he sits down with Raf to talk about his journey from starting with photography to developing his own film at home. From Brazil to New York City, it's a couple of nerds just enjoying life, the process and more. And almost...

Join John and Bill with special guest Jeff Greenstein of the smash hit I Dream of Cameras to talk about everything Leicaflex. Everyone connects the names Leitz and Leica with rangefinders, from the classic Barnack to the modern M-Series. And while that is what Leica is known for, they also saw that SLRs were becoming popular in the 1960s and decided to throw their hat into the ring. In 1964, they...

All Fujifilm, All the Time! We've been talking about doing a show dedicated to Fujifilm for a while now, and the time has finally arrived! While Fuji often catches flak for the number of product line cancellations, especially in the film world, they have maintained a core set of worthwhile products. Today's show, we're talking cameras, lenses, film, and chemistry. From the Texas Leica to Acros 100...

There's something to be said about OEM lenses with full compatibility, native mount support, and a high level of quality control. That all comes with a cost attached. Then there are third-party manufacturers: companies that often offer the same level of compatibility, quality control, and multiple lens mount options, but many don't carry a price tag as high as the original manufacturers'. So today...

So, back in December 2025, Alex handed out some expired film to James and Bill, and today we're back revisiting the topic of expired film. And while Bill & James haven't had the chance to shoot their rolls, Alex did shoot his odd duck of a roll. Everything from colour shifts to fog and bad chemical packs, it's all about shooting and using expired film. From developing without any data to best...

Today, Alex is joined by David Smith, a Biology professor and researcher at Western University in London, Ontario. While we mostly talk about cameras on the show, David has something unique: microscopes. As many history nerds know, many camera companies we know and love today began producing optics, including microscopes. Dr Smith came by this affinity for collecting honestly, as his mom is an ant...

Last year, we were so caught up in our own tenth anniversary that we completely forgot about the fifth anniversary of the K-Mount! While the K-Mount is most often associated with Asahi/Pentax, it was a joint invention by Asahi and Zeiss Ikon. Like the M42 mount, the K-Mount was intended to be a universal, open-source lens mount. But the partnership never materialised, and the two companies parted...

Last year, we chatted with James McFarlane about his journey and pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. What we did not count on was finding a second film photographer who took his own film on his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Today, Tyler Cahoon of the Retro Film Project joins Alex and John to talk about his Camino journey, the reasons behind his pilgrimage, the people, the photos, the cam...

We're back for Season 12! While we wanted to include a Mystery Camera Challenge as part of our 10th anniversary season, it just didn't work out. So James, Alex and Bill head into Toronto to kick off the new season with another Mystery Camera Challenge, our sixth! This time around, we each drew a name and used that person's camera, and then grabbed a roll of film from the other person! The cameras...

Well, we all made it through another season, and not much worse for wear. The team had a relaxing time sitting around the table and discussing everything they did this year, the gear they acquired, the films they tried, and the developers they worked with. Plus a brief discussion of social media, AI, and more. Just some middle-aged guys chatting about photography. It's a little bit of everything t...

The one thing that will always keep a photographer humble is that we all make mistakes, some big, some small, some fixable. So join the gang as they talk about foul gear, forgotten steps, chemical mix-ups, and general issues that keep us humble. Yes, mistakes were made.

It's been a while since we've done one of these shows. It was back with the Nikon FA, and in that case, we just passed the camera around the table. But today we have something special, the Pentax MZ-S, the last professional camera from Pentax/Asahi with a rich history. The camera was provided by John Roberts (who is back on the show today). It was used by Alex, James, and Bill, along with the thre...

It's still 2025, and it's still Leica's 100th birthday. And as part of the global celebration, they recently released their first Leica-branded film, Monopan 50. And the Internet was abuzz with speculation about what the film was under the cover. Well, all signs point to Adox HR-50, which makes sense. HR-50 is sharp, fine-grained, and high-resolution. That got us thinking: why not discuss other AS...

Our co-host Chrissie did something to push themselves out of their comfort zone and decided to take a solo trip to Iceland. Armed with a Samsung phone, Sony A7 and a Polaroid I-2 in an effort to rekindle a passion for photography. Join Chrissie and Alex as they discuss the trip, including the reasons, gear, and of course, the photos.

Here in North America, we're fortunate to have several camera and photography stores dedicated to keeping film shooters like us happy. However, today's guest recognised a need for such a store in the city of Porto, Portugal. Fourteen years ago, Pedro started a small shop dedicated to selling cameras, watches and other antique technologies. Calling it Máquinas de Outros Tempos or Machines Out of An...

Officially, fall has arrived here in Southern Ontario. Although with the warm weather we've been having recently, it's hard to tell other than the fact that the days are getting shorter. And with the change of season, the team sits down to talk about everything related to fall photography, from capturing the bright colourful leaves on your favourite film stocks to showing off the late fall gloom i...

We're at the end of summer, and, like you, we don't know how it went by so quickly. Also, the constant heat warnings here in Southern Ontario limited when and how long we could get out and practice photography. However, James, Alex, and Bill all had the opportunity to get out or at least intended to practice photography. And today, they sit down to discuss mostly film stocks, such as Phoenix II an...

Photography is a journey, and sometimes that journey intersects with another, and that's what today's episode is all about. For those who don't know, the Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James is a network of pilgrim ways all leading to the Shrine of the Apostle James at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. And a couple of months ago, it was completed by a frie...

When it comes to photography, there's always going to be the popular items. The ones that everyone wants to have and use, we're talking the Leica M3, Canon AE-1, fast prime lenses, trending film stocks like Portra, and all the normal developers out there. But what about those things that are often overlooked, underrated and underappreciated? Well, that's exactly what James, Bill and Alex sit down...

This episode is another live show from the streets of Toronto during our 10th Anniversary Photo Walk & Brewery Tour. The tour took the gang from Sugar Beach and the Great Lake Brew Pub on Lower Jarvis, through Old Town Toronto and into the Distillery District for Old Flame Brewing Co., and then into Riverside for Eastbound Brewing. There were other breweries planned, but due to the weather, we...

It's hard to believe that CCR has been on the air for ten years and produced more than 200 episodes, so Alex sits down and thinks back on how CCR got started and some of the favourite episodes from the past. Including the mysterious Episode 0 and the far better Episode 1, which was recorded. Some good interviews, some of the more nerdy episodes, and the ones that certainly got CCR a tonne of atten...

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Leitz Camera, or as we know it today, Leica. The Leitz Camera Co. is far older than the cameras they produce. In today's episode, Bill leads a panel of photographers, including Alex (Smith), John Roberts, and David, who all have one thing in common: their love of Leicas, from the Barnack rangefinders to the iconic M-Series of rangefinders and even the c...