Every artist has his tools, and I love few things more than exploring the equipment of passionate professional creatives. I stumbled onto Dabito’s blog Old Brand New last year, and was instantly drawn in by his hazy, sunny, intimate photography. I’ve had a hankering to experiment with older cameras myself, but the technology can be a bit intimidating. I’m thrilled that not only has Dabito chosen to portray himself through his collection of beautiful cameras, but that he’s sharing his expert advice on various models. Thank you for sharing, Dabito!
My first SLR camera was the Nikon FM10 given to me by a friend in college. I used it for my intro to photography class in Santa Cruz and fell madly in love with photography and have been using film cameras ever since.
Over the past decade, I’ve been collecting different cameras, and shooting mainly 35mm, 120 and polaroids. Because processing film has gotten more expensive, more people are purging them which is sweet news for me because I’m finding all these awesome cameras from thrift stores, all for a song! My prized possession is the Contax T2. I gasped when I saw it sitting in a smelly, junk-filled glass case. It has the super sharp Zeiss lens with a sleek metal body. Probably one of my favorites to carry around for all occasions.
My other favorite is the Polaroid SX-70. If anyone wants to get into Polaroid, this is the one, It’s a collapsable SLR camera which gives you more control. Polaroids are the most unpredictable film to shoot but it’s also the most special.
I’m not letting go of film cameras anytime soon. There’s a magical quality to them. It’s more experimental. I don’t develop photos myself anymore (wish I did though!) so I never know what I’ll get after I pick up my photos from the labs. It can be a good thing because it’s out of my control and sometimes, I can be a control freak. The whole process of film just feels more raw and real to me. —Dabito
CAMERAS //
Nikon FM10, Diana F+, Konica AutoReflex TC, Polaroid 420 Land Camera, Yashica T4 Super, Minolta Hi-Matic G, Yashica D, Holga, Argus C3, Contax T2, Konca C35, Kodak Jiffy, Yashica Pentamatic, Minolta Hi-Matic AF2, Polaroid SX-70, Ansco Memo, Polaroid spectra, Yashica Lynx-14, Canon Canonet Ql17, Olympus Ecru, Olympus X2 , Olympus Stylus Epic
