I Dream of Cameras

Like “Man in Black” Johnny Cash, Gabe Sachs is never seen without his signature ebon apparel. So what could coax him into donning a white dress shirt? And while we’re asking questions: who’s shooting 220 film, what’s a Zunow, and can Jeff actually perform Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements” on command? Find out in the latest obsidian-dark episode of I Dream of Cameras!

Gabe was plied with birthday gifts!

a camera-print shirt from a Paris boutique

Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of Leica Photography

a Polaroid Big Swinger and three precious packs of Fujifilm FP-3000b

Jeff made a world-wind trip to LA, where he and Gabe dined with Jeff’s friend and Renaissance-woman Cathy Rogers of indiepop legends Heavenly and Junkyard Wars a.k.a. Scrapheap Challenge

Today is Jeff’s 12th Alpaversary, yet his cherished 11si does not exist!

to celebrate, he replaced the mirror foam in his Alpa 10s, and has a sexy how-to tip!

Gabe bought a thrashed Rolleicord with Rolleinar close-up attachment and is wracked with regret

Jeff shot the Heavenly show with a Pentax 6x7 and 45mm lens and does not recommend

yet he was quite pleased with his wedding shots from the XPan and Olympus XA4

Gabe loved the documentary Uncropped, produced by Wes Anderson, about photographer James Hamilton

also take note of Glen E. Friedman, seminal skateboard, punk and hip-hop shooter whose work is all over Dogtown and Z-Boys

now some questions! ever tried Shanghai 220 film?

ever heard of the fascinating and ultra-rare Zunow SLR?

did you know Tom Lehrer did a version of “The Elements” for a Polaroid sales meeting?

and finally, our Prodigious Mailbag™, featuring a truly devastating missive from John Kelly, late of the Washington Post, in which he compares IDOC to the obscure and little-heard Camerosity podcast

Our blockbuster eightieth episode includes talk of wedding shoots and model shoots, German Rolleis and Swiss Alpas, plastic Pentaxes and Pano Portrait Snobs. Tune in for all the badinage!

Eighty episodes — even the hosts can’t remember the highlights! So which three episodes would you recommend to the uninitiated?

Gabe went to a Cameras & Coffee meetup at the Culver Steps…

…where he drooled over an Olympus OM-4Ti and a Mamiyaflex

He also brought five cameras to a shoot with Claire Hinkley:

the rare and coveted Tele-Rolleiflex lent to him by the sainted John-Michael Mendizza

the old faithfuls: Rolleiflex 2.8E2 and Leica M4

the mighty Nikon FM3a

and a long-languishing Hasselblad 500C

When Jeff and his siblings met up in Philadelphia for their yearly Fourphans™ Weekend, the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 with 40mm lens was his faithful plastic companion

He also went to Unique Photo and gaped at some rare Alpas, including the freakish 8b, which is both an SLR and a rangefinder

Which cameras did he use to cover his girlfriend’s son’s wedding?

Canon EOS Rebel 2000 for pre-wedding prep

Olympus XA4 with A11 flash for the rehearsal dinner

and of course the Hasselblad XPan for rooftop beauty shots of the betrothed

Yearning to get some new gear, Jeff grabbed an 24mm Angenieux lens for the Alpa at KEH… only to return it because it was not Alpa mount, but Exakta

He also handled a Pentax 17 and recoiled from its icky extruded body

And despite his devotion to the XPan, he bombed at the Epson Pano Awards — could he be a victim of the pano portrait snobs?

As requested by faithful listener Gaetan Cormier, may we present the “So good” t-shirt, a loving tribute to Gabe’s catchphrase

And finally: a deep dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

Gabe Sachs, 25 years after Freaks and Geeks, is the Astrid Kirchherr of American comedy; Jeff Greenstein, 25 hours after Paris Fashion Week, is the Derek Zoolander of European modeling. Tune in for their rollicking adventures!

Jeff’s just back from a wild trip to Paris! Including:

P did a runway gig for Balmain for Fashion Week…

while Jeff modeled for renowned photographer Leslie Kee of Super magazine…

suffered hand-check travails at Orly Airport…

and browsed overpriced gear at Euro-Photo

our friend Chloe Kissner now has a photo business

Gabe did a photo shoot with Raven-Symoné

mysterious lightning marks on film - could it be static electricity?

Freaks and Geeks just turned 25, and Gabe Sachs is the Astrid Kirchherr of contemporary comedy

Gabe did a lightning-fast photo session with new dad Eoin Macken

is the Wandrd Prvke Lite the platonic ideal of camera bags?

our Prodigious Mailbag™, including a passing mention of lost folksinger Connie Converse, whose music and new biography you should investigate

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!

Hurricane Debby brings a downpour of camera gear! Gabe’s out with his Leica III and Mamiya C330, while Jeff samples some digital Leicas. Gabe chats with Toronto photographer Jessica Devic, and Jeff recounts his acquisition of a rare Alpa 10s from a seller in Alaska. Tune in for all the fish stories!

It’s raining cameras! So much to report…

Gabe figured out how to adjust his Leica III rangefinder

and he’s acquired a Metz 45 CT-1 flash, the Bruce Gilden Special

and he’s been shooting his Mamiya C330 with the chimney finder

Jeff wanted to shoot portraits with a Leica M Typ 240, but the charger was missing…

…so he tried a Leica V-Lux 4 and did not enjoy it

meanwhile, his girlfriend’s Nikon F5 turned up under a pile of winter clothes and ski boots

his “poor condition” Petri Color 35 Custom turned out to be perfect

but most improbably, he found an insanely rare Alpa 10s on craigslist… with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and tons of accessories… from the original owner in Alaska… for only $400! However…

it was missing the takeup spool — thank goodness for eBay

and there’s a tricky battery problem, for which he MacGyvered together a neat solution

speaking of batteries, there’s a new thingy in town! Could KaptainKugelkopf’s rechargeable Varta V80H + this inexpensive charger be the ideal replacement for the long-discontinued PX625 battery? Jeff ordered one to find out!

Gabe’s bookstore recommendation: Untitled Books in Echo Park, Los Angeles

Fred Coury

is loving his Leica Q2

turns out Gabe does know who Vincent Peters is

Gabe’s interview with Toronto photographer Jessica Devic

Gabe’s friend is a descendant of (and dead ringer for) the mighty Ernst Leitz!

finally, a dog-paddle around our Prodigious Mailbag™, including how Jeff’s Strong Opinions about Vivian Maier cost his brother Steven a chance at love

One of the Best Photography Podcasts To Listen To In 2024 (per Amateur Photographer magazine) returns to bask in some praise for a change! In this blockbuster XL episode, we run down our travels in Europe and Canada, recap recent celebrity photo shoots, exult over exotic gear acquisitions, and dive to the bottom of our Prodigious and Informative Mailbag™! Tune in to see what the fuss is about!

THE BIGGEST NEWS: our smash hit podcast earned global acclaim, as Amateur Photographer named us one of the best photography podcasts of 2024! Thanks, Jess Miller!

you’d be wise to consult Lina Bessonova’s invaluable hand check guide before traveling

Jeff once again experienced sudden XPan battery death after less than a month (= 30 rolls), so mock his spreadsheet at your peril

a Czech photographer picked on Jeff for daring to do portraits with a pano camera - also, he failed to make the cut for Brooklyn Film Camera’s photo show - the shame!

finding film in far-flung locations is HARD, so stock up

Jeff recounts an extremely bad experience with a Rome photo lab

not to be out-traveled, Gabe went to Canada with his Leica M10 and Noctilux - what’s more, he:

…visited Leitz Road in Midland, Ontario so his lens could see its birthplace

…hung out with Jessica Devic at Youthful Vengeance Coffee in Toronto - she’s a tremendous photographer, check her out

…toured Memento Film Lab in Toronto

…shot Claire Hinkley with the peerless Olympus 35 RC and monstrous Mamiya C330

…and had a Fred Coury rock ’n’ roll idyll at the Rainbow and Whisky a Go Go with Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat

Jeff harpooned a long-sought white whale you’ve never heard of: the Petri Color 35 Custom

Gabe bonded with a TSA agent at Toronto Airport who turned out to be a film shooter

behold the B&H Lego set!

check out the Half Frame List of half-cookie cameras in current production

we’ll be at the Bruce Gilden and Vivian Maier shows at Fotografiska in August

and finally, our Prodigious and Informative Mailbag™, featuring plenty of fierce clapback about the Pentax 17

Two glasses of white wine reduces Jeff to drunkenly raving about travel cameras, airport hand-check injustices and (predictably) his usual cast of bêtes noires. Meanwhile, stone-cold-sober Gabe offers sharp, reasoned takes on the new Pentax 17 and the cameras of 1955. Tune in to Episode № 74 (not 75) for all the mayhem!

Jeff recorded this episode from Rome after imbibing two glasses of cheap white wine, which is why he keeps calling it Episode 75

Why the two cameras Jeff picked for his extended European trip — Olympus XA4 and Hasselblad XPan — have been ideal

Lisbon Airport is the worst — they abjectly refused to hand-check Jeff’s film!

Jeff had 18 rolls developed at Ars Imago in Rome, and here’s what he learned: Kodak Portra 160 needs tons of light

Gabe unexpectedly presents: Cameras in Focus 1955!

Miranda T

Canon IIs2

A $200,000 Leica accessory the Leica UW underwater housing

Olympus Wide

Gabe visited our lovely friends at LA Film Camera and you should too

The boys drop some Strong Opinions™ about the new Pentax 17 half-frame film camera

Gabe considered trading his Rolleiflex 2.8F for a Plaubel Makina and finally opted not to…

…but because he’s Gabe, he stumbled across a garage sale in Pacific Palisades and came away with all this for only $200:

Olympus 35RC

Topcon RE Super with three lenses

Leica V-Lux 3

Gabe revisits his chronic bouts of which-camera-to-bring anxiety

We drop a small I Dream of Pizzas travel tip: the best pizza Jeff’s girlfriend has ever had was at Ai Marmi in Rome

A dip into our paltry yet Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Gabe reacts to the NY Times article about film shooters trashing their negatives

And Jeff offers one more shout for the RitchieCam,  an iPhone app that can emulate the XPan

“I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. I have your review before me. In a moment it will be behind me.”

— Max Reger, German composer (1873–1916), responding to a savage review

Jeff’s in Lisbon at the start of a month-long European trip; Gabe’s in LA developing his own film for the first time in years. But what’s obsessing them the most? Their first rotten review! Tune in for all the merriment and NO PRAISE!

Jeff’s choice of cameras and film for a month-long European trip:

the Hasselblad XPan with both the 45mm and 90mm lenses

the mighty Olympus XA4 macro

24 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 and Portra 160

Gabe’s eBay misadventure in pursuit of the Pentax 50mm 1.7: 

the “as-is” Pentax ME Super and S1 turned out to be nonfunctional, the lens was dented…

…but he did get a Watson bulk loader!

He lent his Canon EOS 3 to Martin Starr… so he had to buy a replacement: the EOS Elan 7NE. Which was perfect — even better than our beloved Rebel 2000!

More eBaying: Gabe also got the Nikon 85mm f1.4D

and he got his beloved Leica M3 repaired by our trusty dusty camera repair guy! whom he interviewed! and who may finally be unmasked in an upcoming episode!

Jeff was on the cusp of buying an Olympus OM-3 when his cherished 12” Retina MacBook dropped dead… hence no OM-3

Gabe went shooting with the Elan and his Rolleiflex and processed the film himself — it’s a new era!

In Lisbon, Jeff visited Vintage Dream Cameras and took a hard, hard look at a Snoopy 110 camera and a rare Leica IIIc with sharkskin leatherette

We got a terrible review!

Gabe compared Rolleiflex TLRs with Dave Tada, but it turns out there are lots of differences between the 2.8E and the 2.8E2! Also, Dave’s has an RZ67 finder!

Our friend Oliver’s exotic Chinese Pearl River SLR

Jeff experienced sudden XPan battery death

We empty out our Prodigious Mailbag™ 

Some notes on our composer Fred Coury: his former band Cinderella’s Night Songs was released on this day in 1986; also, Fred just won his 6th Emmy!

A transformational live-on-locational supersensational IDOCstravaganza! First we go to a Los Angeles Photography Club Cameras and Coffee meetup in Koreatown to talk to folks about their cameras and dogs. Then we SPAN THE GLOBE to interview Jo Geier, proprietor of Mint and Rare, a phenomenal camera shop in Vienna, Austria. You won’t want to miss this one, so TOON IN!