Medium format is a great opportunity to try a Twin Lens Reflex camera (those weird looking box cameras with two stacked lenses on them). Rolleiflex is kind of the crown jewel, but they're expensive. The Yashica ones are at a more reasonable price range, and the Rolleicords are good too. The experience of them is a bit disorienting - you look down into a waist-level viewfinder that's on a piece of glass, and the image is reversed, but I found that this challenged me in a good way in terms of composing images and taking my time!
Related Recs
I recommend the Minolta XE (linked). I learned on basically this camera. It has full manual control for learning the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and iso. It has a semi auto mode for connivence and a good light meter. Well made and a good camera system to get into.
Start out shooting on Kentmere 100 and 400. Great stock and very affordable. Once youโre comfortable with composition in BW, start exploring color films.
Mar 28, 2025
Much like the T4 but goes for less on ebay. Super fun camera, has a top-view mirror as an alt framing device. Is pleasantly ugly. Sharp lens, and the built-in flash is powerful and produces a really nice vibe. A camera that yearns to be at a party.
Feb 28, 2024
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Do you want a compact or interchangeable lenses?
Fujifilm and Ricoh GR lines are good recs for compact fixed lens options. Expensive tho.
I rock a Sigma fp. Expensive and fiddly interchangeable lens system. But extremely flexible and modular.
One of my first cameras was from the Casio Exilim line so I'd rec one of those out of pure nostalgia. Might be fun to play around with.
Apr 25, 2024
Top Recs from @theclack
The perfect lil snack for when you donโt want a big snack
Apr 3, 2024
Here it is, folks! Volume I of what could very well be a continuous project. Thank you so much to everyone that submitted - I smiled the entire time I was putting this together. It's best listened to with headphones โบ๏ธ
Liner Notes:
This collection of field recordings is a collaborative effort with users of PI.FYI, each of which recorded their own pieces. It features audio from all over the world and exhibits eclectic moments from London Underground commutes to cuckoo bird calls in Dhaka to the sounds of a century-old American diner.
Online communities like PI.FYI often represent a diverse set of people, places, and experiences, but together, the submissions form a living collage that highlights the commonalities of modern life - a unifying message for such a tumultuous time. The first track features all of the sounds played at once in an attempt to create an audio snapshot of an online community but in their offline lives.
The individual recordings are unedited except for minor gain and compression adjustments for consistency across the collection.
Mar 29, 2025
