I Dream of Cameras kicks off the new year with another blockbuster XL episode! Jeff chillingly limns the hundred-degree delta between Jamaica and Iceland, and how the Fuji GA645 and Hasselblad XPan fared in each. Gabe exhumes some old warhorses from the back of the camera cabinet. And they top it all off with some STRONG OPINIONS about a new film-camera book. Tune in for all the fireworks!

a scant 13 days after returning from a beach vacation in Jamaica, Jeff jetted off to Iceland for New Year’s, toting along the Fujifilm GA645 Professional and the Hasselblad XPan — how did they fare?

Gabe recounts a recent photo shoot with the lovely Lyliana Wray, featuring the Nikon D700, Canon Sure Shot Owl and Jeff’s beloved Olympus 35 RC

in the course of reorganizing, Gabe unearthed a few long-neglected cameras he wants to shoot with:

Exakta VX IIa

Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta

Pentacon Six TL

and the mighty Graflex Super D

at Jeff’s behest, the heroes at Ausgeknipst made a PX450 adapter for the Alpa 10 series

welcome to another edition of Jeff’s deeply nerdy “Nobody Cares” Corner! this time he does a lengthy exegesis of camera serial numbers — there’s so much you can learn! some examples:

Fujifilm

Hasselblad, using the VHPICTURES code

Kodak, using the CAMEROSITY code

Konica, using the MY BEST KONICA code

Leica

Polaroid SX-70

Rollei 35

Jeff reviews Ralph Bellamy a.k.a. Bellamy Hunt a.k.a. Japan Camera Hunter's new book Film Camera Zen. shots fired!! come at me, Ralph!

and finally, we take a graceful swan-dive into our Prodigious Mailbag™

Episode № 84 is a special rush-released super-sized Christmas / Hanukkah episode — unwrap it and enjoy!

Gabe’s been shooting with the Polaroid Big Swinger, Rolleiflex 2.8E2, Nikon F2, Leica M4…

he had a lab mishap! they made it right, but it still shakes your confidence

Polaroid peel-apart camera rollers vs. blades

Gabe went to Alcove Café with Rafael Hernandez and Dave Tada, members of the elite Fuji X100VI club, and now he's lusting for one

submitted for your approval: the mighty Fujifilm GF670 Professional

when was the last time Jeff shot with the Leica M6 TTL? August 2021… so we’re both culling our collections! message us!

is there a camera that’s too perfect? that you shoot too quickly with? like the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 or Canon 5D?

Jeff didn’t shoot much in Jamaica, and here’s why: he wanted no barriers between him and the experience - do you sympathize?

the Fujifilm GA645 Professional gave Jeff a scare - as with the XPan, Fuji’s battery indicators are wildly deceptive

are CR123 and CR123a the same battery? maybe!

final reckoning: which cameras will Jeff bring to Iceland? meanwhile, Ollie’s bringing a Kodak Medalist!

expired 220 film is super-intriguing!

Gabe feels he can always count on his Rolleiflex - what are the cameras you rely on?

our Prodigious Mailbag™ is bigger than Santa’s bag of toys

next episode, Jeff reviews Bellamy Hunt a.k.a. Japan Camera Hunter's new book Film Camera Zen - tune in for the tea!

I Dream of Cameras storms into the fifth year of its five-year mission with new life and new civilization! Gabe went on a photo tear through New York City. Jeff cut an astounding deal on new gear at the Chelsea flea market. And there are imminent trips to Jamaica, Iceland and downtown LA. Will your enterprising interlocutors boldly go where no XPan has gone before? Pluck our latest pod and find out!

welcome to IDOC Year Five!

Gabe recounts his visit to B&H Photo in New York with rockstar street-shooter Sissi Lu and repair guru Shlomo

who killed Fotografiska NYC? could it be… Satan?

to find out, Jeff and P watched Finding Vivian Maier

at Sissi’s behest, Gabe will be giving the controversial Pentax 17 another half-a-shot

Jeff’s coveted 24mm Angenieux for the Alpa arrived, and it's gorgeous

he also made an impulse buy at the 25th St. flea market in Chelsea…

a Fujifilm GA645 Professional, complete with original box, papers, case and caps!

it’s a medium-format half-a-cookie autofocus point-and-shoot! 6x4.5 but not a big ugly box!

negotiation strategy: Jeff and Ollie cut a package deal with the seller for the Fuji, a Contax III and a Konica Big Mini - what a bargain!

the GA645 image size is 56×42mm = 2,352mm² (XPan is 1,560mm²), so should it replace the XPan on Jeff’s forthcoming trips to Jamaica… and Iceland?

Gabe’s planning a night shoot with Leicas M10, Monochrom and M4.. and flash!

and of course, we close with an exceptionally informative and Prodigious Mailbag™

• • go to our merch page for all your holiday gift-giving!

“Four more years! Four more years!” Could you have ever imagined, when these two miscreants launched I Dream of Cameras on 11/20/20, that four years later the show would be an unstoppable juggernaut and the toast of seven continents? Neither could we! In this epic-sode, Gabe dons a dopey hat and Jeff a dopey visage to reflect upon IDOC’s journey from to zygote to Smash Hit. There’s a quiz! A truce! A song! A rundown of panoramic aspect ratios! Tune in for all the persiflage and badinage, which is NEVER, EVER BORING!

It’s our fourth anniversary show, and Gabe wore a stupid hat! Celebrate four years of our Smash Hit Podcast™ by giving us notes!

Gabe went to a Beers and Cameras meetup at Canyon Coffee in Echo Park…

… and William Piper let him try his Plaubel Makina 67 - but Gabe has an issue with it!

Gabe quizzes Jeff about how well he knows his podpartner

Jeff bought himself a birthday present, the rare and coveted 24mm Angenieux for the Alpa… waited all day for it to arrive… and the mailman passed him by! We invite you to share your own maddening “waiting for new equipment” stories

Jeff embarks on an ill-advised and deeply nerdy rundown of panoramic aspect ratios (XPan, Minolta P’s, Widelux) vs. various cinema formats

No more animosity with Camerosity! we love those guys, and not just ‘cause they wanna collaborate on an Alpa episode

Gabe went to a Catalina wine mixer, POW! - USC’s Distinguished Leaders Program - and led the participating CEOs through a cool photography exercise

finally, we take a relaxing dip in our prestigious and Prodigious Mailbag™, perhaps our best yet! prepare to be moved!

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