I Dream of Cameras – Details, episodes & analysis

Hear the crushing steel, feel the steering wheel! Gabe lingers in NYC for more photographic and culinary adventures, while Jeff sees his reflection in the luminescent dash of his newly beloved Alpa 10s. But what will happen when he gently caresses its warm leatherette? Tune in and find out!

presenting… our bad-review mug! however, you gotta listen to the episode to find out where to get it, ‘cause it’s not on our merch page

Gabe recounts further New York exploits with Sissi Lu, Chris Chu and Chris Lowell

Sissi gave each of the boys one of her super-cool DO NOT X-RAY film travel bags

Gabe test-drove the Pentax 17 and had some criticisms - pictures came out great, though!

Gabe’s palate was enslaved by Xi’an Famous Foods

he visited the new Leica Store in the Meatpacking District - turns out they are still carrying used equipment

his only dud of the entire trip: three rolls of film purchased from Willoughby’s turned out to be both expensive and expired

erratum! apologia! mea culpa! we found Louis Mendes, namesake of our last episode (oops), and he’s a national treasure

Jeff has been finding the Alpa 10s an utter joy to shoot with

but beware of dry (ba-dum-bump-bump, ba-dum-bump) leatherette - Jeff did a quick fix with a replacement strip from cameraleather.com (and also procured a replacement sheet from Polar Bear Camera)

Jeff bought a tiny Reveni light meter Mk. 1 on eBay and it is nice

Ausgeknipst

(“switched off”), makers of the charger to replace the PX625 with the rechargeable Varta V80H, make their own version of The Thingy and so much more - check ‘em out

Mint’s new Rollei 35AF will cost $800, making the Pentax 17 seem like a bargain

we urge you to learn the story of the Salmon of Knowledge so you will be spared Jeff’s Irish accent

P

dusted off her old Nikon F5 and 85mm f1.8 Nikkor to shoot a newly engaged couple, burning through two rolls of FPP Color 125 in fifteen minutes

exciting news! John-Michael Mendizza plans to lend Gabe his new Tele-Rolleiflex

we take a shallow dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

and finally, our art director Keith Greenstein wrote and illustrated a new children’s book - it’s called Why Don’t You Marry It? and you should buy it!

It’s Talking Heads: 77 as the boys convene in New York City for a pilgrimage to B&H Photo, where they ambush veteran camera guru Michael Armato at the used counter for what proves to to be a truly phenomenal interview. Then it’s off to Fotografiska for the long-promised visit to the Vivian Maier and Bruce Gilden shows. Who will emerge victorious when Jeff confronts his photographic nemesis? Tune in and find out!

It’s an xlent xlerated xtralarge xtravaganza as Gabe and Jeff hack and slash their way to the bottom of the Prodigious Mailbag™, which features a slew of emails penned by celebrities under the pseudonym “Alan Peres.” Also discussed: cameras of ’55, cameras of ’24, Dune 2, SB2, SL3, FP4, HP5, Number Six and Zippora Seven! Tune in as we run the numbers!

Cameras in Focus 1955:

Olympus Wide

Rolleiflex 2.8D

the Nikon SP was in development (which prompts a reprise of Jeff’s astonishing SP acquisition story)

Pentaflex

Graflex Stereo Graphic

a 1955 survey of 35mm cameras by price range

Jeff briefly acquired an Asahi Pentax SB2, rare variant of the H3/S3 sold only on Japanese military bases… but it was broken, so back it went

Gabe launches the Under $40 Camera Challenge!

The soon-come Pentax film compact camera will be a half-frame model with zone focusing

For the third straight time, Leica reports record revenue, plus the new SL3 is out

Gabe rhapsodizes about the monstrous Gowlandflex

Dave Tada picked Gabe up a coveted Nikkor 28mm f2.8…

…but he still yearns for an ugly black Nikon F

Dune 2 was shot on a $50 Helios-44!

Nikon is buying RED

Jeff watched the great Yu Tsai in action at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue 60th anniversary shoot in Fort Lauderdale

We go XL to empty out the Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Our IDOC Discord channel is hoppin’! Join us!

“Pablo Larraín, the film’s Chilean director, felt [Jackie] Kennedy’s love of beauty was so integral to her character that he requested [Natalie] Portman utter ‘I love beauty’ at some point during the shooting of every scene.” This is absurd, but not as absurd as Episode № 67 of I Dream of Cameras, “Your Extra Time and Your Kiss,” in which we discuss cameras called Beauty and Kiss and Super. Tune in for all the mayhem!

Jeff made yet another math error! 64 is 2 to the fifth

Gabe presents… Cameras in Focus, 1956:

Canon VT

Pentacon FB / Contax FB

Mamiyaflex Automat BII

Beauty 35 Super(“I love beauty”)

Beier Precisa IIA

Bolta Photavit 36

Duplex Super 120

Flexora III

Kodak Signet 40

original Leica MP

Jeff snagged a Canon EOS New Kiss Panorama (a.k.a. Rebel G, a.k.a. Rebel 500N) for $14.50 and gave it to his brother Steven

After much equivocation, and after handling the lens at B&H, he concluded he does not need the extravagantly-priced 30mm for the Hasselblad XPan

Gabe did an all-film photo shoot with Claire Hinkley during the recent L.A. monsoon

Also shot Kylie Silkman and her sister Danica with the stunning Helios-44 lens

Jason Schneider's books on camera collecting are amazing

Perplexity.ai is a useful tool for camera comparisons

We will try to chat with y’all on Discord - check the #idoc-podcast channel under Sunny 16

Don Goldberg at DAG helped Gabe fix the broken strap guard on his Leica M6 TTL

And finally, a deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™!

It’s a voyage to the bottom of the Prodigious Mailbag™ on our Smash Hit Podcast™, but before that there’s talk of the year in photography 1957, the revived Southern California camera show, Jeff’s trip to the Caribbean with a sexy Swede and also his girlfriend, eBay execs sending pig fetuses to their critics, and so much more!

Jeff made yet another major math error! 64 is 2 cubed

Sorry, but Parenting Hell is not a smash hit podcast

Gabe presents The Year in Focus 1957:

Nikon SP

Ilford Sportsman

Hasselblad 500C

Kodak Retina Reflex

Concava Tessina watch camera TLR

Leica M2 (for real) which when new went for $276, or $2,884.37 in today’s dollars

Arsenal Salyut

Asahi came out with the original Pentax

Olympus Wide E

Gabe went to the new Huntington Park camera show (very exciting) and nearly bought a Contax T

Jeff visited 5R Photo Lab in New York and met proprietor Alec

A trip to St. Barth’s, French West Indies occasioned the return of the XPan, and a love affair was reignited

Jeff shot with both Portra 400 and 160… and liked 160 better!

Gabe visited Jeff and P in NYC, went to B&H Photo, bought nothing…

…but then ordered an Exa 1B and a Helios-44 lens

Mint unveiled their coming-soon Rollei 35AF — apparently anyone can license the name “Rollei” for a buck fifty — but who needs this thing?

A bunch of eBay execs were creepy criminals

Jeff got a cool Minox film slitter from camerhack.it

Check out RitchieCam, a camera app for iPhone with an XPan emulation mode

A dive so deep into our Prodigious Mailbag™ that it requires a bathyscaphe

Gabe wants to hear about online photography websites you love - blogs, magazines, whatever

You want more and you want it fast? Tune in to Episode № 65 of I Dream of Cameras, “Rebel Rebel,” in which Gabe and Jeff wax rhapsodic about the trash-table treasure Canon EOS Rebel 2000. How did this grubby chunk of plastic capture the hearts of two men devoted to the cult of Leica? Pluck this pod and find out! Also, we call out great cameras NOT from the big-name brands, recount recent shooting adventures, and take a shallow dip into the deep and prodigious mailbag!

Jeff made a major math error! 64 is 2^8

Cameras of ’58:

Nikon S3

Leica M2

Rolleiflex T

Minolta SR-2

Mamiya Elca (and from ’59, the fascinating square-format Mamiya Sketch)

Ricoh 519

Zeiss Ikon Ikonette

And now, the long-promised Minority Report (great cameras not from the big-name brands)

Alpa 11si (of course)

Pentacon Six

Petri Color 35

Plaubel Makina 67 (Gabe’s gonna get one!)

Rectaflex

Balda Baldaxette II

Voigtländer Vitessa L

Widelux

The trash-table Canon EOS Rebel 2000 is dirt cheap and packed with features — we both love ours!

There’s also an even-cheaper EOS Kiss Panorama with a stupid panorama switch!

The 40mm f2.8 pancake lens is delightful

Check out Casual Photophile's impassioned defense of “Dorky AF” SLRs of the late ‘90s

Gabe’s been shooting portraits (?!) with Leica’s 28mm Elmarit

And finally, a dip into our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

The big news in Episode № 64 of I Dream of Cameras is the release of Harman Phoenix, a brand-new experimental color film from the company we insist on calling Ilford ‘cause they didn’t give us free stuff. Also covered: notable cameras of 1959; fun with Lomochrome Turquoise; Gabe’s recent five-camera all-film photo shoot; the growing cult of the Minolta P’s; last-minute holiday gift ideas; and tons of blowback in the Prodigious Mailbag!

Cameras of 1959:

Leica M1

Minolta SR-1

Tele-Rolleiflex

debut of the Nikon F

the original one-lug Olympus Pen (made not by Olympus, but Sanko Shoji)

Asahi Pentax S2 / H2

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super

The Russian Mir (a simplified Zorki 4)

Gabe went to The Darkroom for the exciting debut of Harman Phoenix, a brand-new film from a company we insist on calling Ilford ‘cause they didn’t give us free stuff

Labs working with this film are running smack into The Scannenberg Uncertainty Principle

Jeff had a blast shooting Lomochrome Turquoise with his rare and exotic Mamiya/Sekor 2000 DTL

Meanwhile, Gabe’s been shooting with his cheap ’n’ cheerful Canon Rebel 2000 + 40mm f2.8 pancake lens — the results blew him away!

He also recently did an all-film shoot with the Contax 645, Rolleiflex 2.8E2, Yashica T4, Leica M6… and Minolta P’s! P's Mania rolls on! 

Directing NBC’s new sitcom Extended Family, Jeff did some set photography with his beloved Olympus Pen EE-3. 78 shots on a roll!

Holiday gift ideas! Jeff recently acquired some excellent photo books:

Apollo VII - XVII

Hasselblad - The Camera System 50 Years 1948-1998

New York in Photobooks

Why not our new Alan Daly t-shirt, or something else from our burgeoning merch page?

Or Rachel's Brewster-Wright’s Ultimate Film & Darkroom Workbook

A dip into our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring:

More Vivian Maier blowback from our 50th episode - as revenge, Viv will be getting a one-woman show at Fotografiska New York in May 2024

An excellent photo club, The Slow Camera Exchange

A wonderful 1942 article from The Atlantic, The Dream Camera

It’s our third anniversary episode, featuring celebrations galore and talk of cameras past, present and future. Plus the return of our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring NO PRAISE! Tune in for all the merriment!

Cameras of 1960:

Nikkorex 35

Nikon S3M

the original Canonflex

Pentax Spotmatic shown at Photokina

Rolleiflex 2.8F

Rolleiflex Rollei Magic

Zeiss Contarex Special

Yashica 35M

Leica R5

Gabe and Jeff got great birthday gifts!

the original Kodak Instamatic

Kodak Retina IIIC

Lego Rolleiflex

Leica IXMOO

A golden Minolta P’s

Gabe’s been trawling eBay for early LIFE magazines

Please tell Jeff he doesn’t need a Nicca IIIL

He’s also fascinated by the ridiculous Contax Preview

Gabe’s got some shoots coming up, and plans to use:

Contax 645

Minolta P’s

and the super-cheap Canon Rebel 2000 with the 40mm pancake

Jeff’s quasi-repaired Pentax ES II is cursed… never again!

…but he’s loving his rare and delightful Mamiya/Sekor 2000 DTL

…and will soon be shooting on set with his beloved Olympus Pen EE-3

A deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

and finally: Gabe throws out the Under $95 Camera Challenge!

Gabe goes to a celebrity wedding; Jeff appears in Vogue Portugal. Gabe has a birthday; Jeff has a breakdown. And all the while, they scour the globe in search of the world’s finest vintage camera shops. Tune in for pulled pork and wienerschnitzel and much, much more!

Cameras of ’61:

Olympus Pen EE

Canon 7

Rolleiflex wide-angle

Pentax H1/S1

A vintage Hasselblad 500c ad: What could possibly make a camera worth $550?

Gabe had a birthday and received a photo-themed gift: Life Magazine and the Power of Photography, featuring his beloved Gordon Parks

Our corporate retreat in Austin, Texas featured visits to The Camera Exchange and Austin Camera, followed by BBQ at Rollin’ Smoke, where you get a free beer with your tip

Gabe’s verdict on the Nikon 28Ti: he agrees it’s boring and prefers the Yashica T4!

Jeff’s Pentax ES II mega-saga: if your stuff gets damaged by UPS, submit a claim! As for Electro Spotmatics of all sorts, never again!

The new I'm Back digital insert for 35mm cameras is larger than it appears - would you do it?

We were gifted a complete set of Atlanta Film Co. films from Bill Manning

Jeff returned to Vienna, which is vintage camera heaven! Notable stops included Camera 31, Westlicht, Jo Geier, United Camera and the astounding Photo Börse

More security hassles in Frankfurt - next time, lie about your ISO!

Gabe’s been shooting with his Rolleiflex and Leica M6

Jeff spent some time with Leica photographer Pat Domingo

Also a shout-out to Branislav Simoncik, who shot P for Vogue Portugal

Starting with Episode 17, the subtitles on the episode page at idreamofcameras.com became delightfully obscure references, yet nobody ever mentions them. Y’all paying attention?

A rare treat: IDOC № 61 is dedicated to you, our legions of devoted listeners. In this XL episode, we take a deep, deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™, which as of recording ran 46 emails deep. Tune in as Gabe and Jeff respond to inquiries, sympathies, clapbacks and condemnations. It’s sixty-wonderful!

Cameras of ’62:

Minolta Hi-Matic

Nikon F Photomic

Hasselblad 500C in space! Wally Schirra aboard Mercury 8

Canonflex RM

Pentax SV

Miranda DR

Fujicarex

Ricoh Singlex

After we revealed our eBay watch lists, people did indeed skunk us! The mint Minolta P’s, the bulk roll of Panatomic-X, the rare Pentax SB2, the Alpa 10d half-frame and one of the two Nicca IIILs are all gone!

and for the remainder of the episode, a deep dive into our Far Beyond Prodigious Mailbag!