2025 started out rough for me. I have been in the middle of a full blown flare-up with my Crohn’s disease, so everything in my life has been turned upside down. One thing I didn’t want to have to worry about was losing my love for taking photos in the midst of all the craziness. Therefore, I decided to make this year simple: I am going to shoot with only one camera each month for the entire year.
Now this may sound silly to some of you because not everyone has many cameras to begin with. However, I started out as a collector. As you can see from the name of my website, I love vintage cameras. So I’m blessed to have a lot to choose from, and in the past I would have many cameras loaded at once. This often led to a little bit of organized chaos and right now I want to avoid that.
This article is not going to be reviews of each camera, but I will link to reviews I’ve done in the past. I will just share what I have learned so far, pictures I’ve taken, and a little bit about my experience with this so far. Lets go!
One Camera for January: Voigtlander Bessa R2C
I started the year with the Voigtlander Bessa R2C, mainly because Mike Eckman lent it to me and I needed to send it back, but also because I couldn’t wait to try it out once I got back on my feet.
I really enjoyed using this camera. The lenses Mike sent with it were great, particularly the wide angle 25mm because I very rarely shoot any wider than 35mm. You can read more about it in my review linked below.
Read more about the Voigtlander Bessa R2C here.
One Camera for February: Leica IIIF
My second camera choice of the year was the Leica IIIF. This camera has long been an adversary for me. I’ve written many articles on my adventures with it, but it wasn’t until I decided to finally review the camera that I found a place for it in my heart.
You can read about all of that in my review, linked below, but in the end I found that the more I practiced the easier this camera became to use. With certain issues resolved, it made me realize how much I really like this camera. It’s compact, and utilizes some amazing glass.
A big lesson I learned is that very often things we struggle with taking to, often become our most memorable. In all the years I have been doing these reviews, the most memorable cameras, and the ones I miss the most are the ones I struggled to get the hang of. The IIIF is one of those.
Read more about the Leica IIIF and my experience with it here.
One Camera for March: Canon AE-1
For the month of March I chose the Canon AE-1 because my wife got it for me for my birthday. I couldn’t wait to finally try out this infamous camera!
Over the years I’ve always heard about this camera but never picked it up myself. It’s often the one people recommend to beginners. I haven’t spent enough time with it yet to really form an opinion, ill be reviewing it soon, but I can see why this one is so beloved.
Kodak Portra 800
One Camera for April: Nikkormat FT2
The 4th camera I shot with this year was the Nikkormat FT2. This is a special camera to me bacause when I came home from the hospital, and I couldn’t walk, I was lying in my bed depressed. I got this feeling that I just really needed a pick-me up and of course what better to do that than a new camera!
So I contacted my good friend Bill from the Classic Camera Revival podcast, because he’s never steered me wrong when I have GAS. Haha. I told him I wanted something that would give me that old feeling I used to get when I first started buying film cameras. Something affordable. He right away suggested the Nikkormat FT2.
Nikkormat FT2
I don’t know how Bill always knows exactly what I will like in a camera, but he did it again. I absolutely love this camera. It ticked off every box I was hoping to check at that time. I wanted something that felt substantial in the hand, with that 70’s camera style. I am very excited to review this one soon. Stay tuned for that.
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One Camera for May: The Rolleicord
For the month of May I chose to shoot with the Rolleicord I rescued from a shop while I was in New York in 2023. I’m currently working on the review for this one and learning more about it.
One thing I’ve noticed so far is that the lens sometimes can be so sharp and photos come so clear and high quality. Then other times light seems to fog the lens and it looks like I’m shooting with a Holga. That kind of inconsistency can be a little frustrating. But it’s character that you only find with film cameras. I find that if I want tac sharp and close to digital, then a Leica M6 or Mamiya 7 is the way to go. But I love that character.
One Camera for June : Leica M2
For my 6th choice of the year, I chose to use the Leica M2. I have been working on the review for this camera for a while now. Honestly, I’ve been hesitant to review it because I don’t want people to think that my channel is all about Leica. It is quite the opposite. In fact, I created blog to show people that you don’t need to use the Leicas and Mamiya 7’s to make good photos. I have always gravitated towards that obscure underdogs, as you can see from my past camera reviews. But the M2 is very special to me.
I continue to love this camera, especially paired with the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4. It has been my family camera since I started using it to record our journey to start our family. Not having a meter built in sometimes hurts me when I’m out because of lighting changes, but I’m getting the hang of sunny 16.
Rediscover the Charm of Film Photography
Final Thoughts on One Camera One Month
So far this year, I have really enjoyed this restriction. It has helped me to focus more on my photography rather than always just on the camera, and it has taken away a lot of the anxiety I often put on myself for making the right choice.
I think that so far I have enjoyed the Bessa R2C and the Nikkormat FT2 the most. Be sure to subscribe to this blog to stay tuned for the follow up at the end of the year, as well as my next camera review. Also, follow my Instagram to see what cameras I’ll be shooting with next. If you’d like to check out any of these cameras for yourself, please see my links below.
Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
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- To Buy a Rolleicord from KEH CLICK HERE From eBay CLICK HERE
- For a Bessa from KEH CLICK HERE and from eBay CLICK HERE
- To pick up a Leica M2 from KEH CLICK HERE and from eBay CLICK HERE
- For the Leica IIIf on KEH CLICK HERE and from eBay CLICK HERE
- To get the Nikkormat FT2 from KEH CLICK HERE and From eBay CLICK HERE
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a great article Aly, but one point, for May, with the rollie, You don’t necessarily need an M2 or Mamiya7 to get tack sharp, I shoot Hasselblad 500c/m (6×6) and H1(6×4.5) and they are BOTH tack drivers, so to speak, the H’s 80mm f2.8 /50 & 35 f3.4 and the 500c’s 120 and 180mm CF lenses are bokeh beauties, like the Vouge magasines, that kind of tack sharp; with a degree of subject separation that is a wow to behold, as you say it takes a bit of a learning curve, especially with loading, and finding the right workflow (these are flare and glare prone; so you have to use lens hoods and ND filters to get you out of trouble), And use a cable release and tripod to get stable shots but its all worth it, once you see the 6×4.5 negatives on an 8×10 sheet of darkroom paper, it wows you straight away, was that my shot??, yes it was, and you get so much pride as an artist that you did that.
I more was talking about that digital look whereas the Rollei has those imperfection’s that give it character. When I want perfect focus and for it to just be a straight shot, I shoot with my Mamiya 7 or Leica M6. But I do have a Hasselblad 500c/m and I love that camera. I do not use it enough. I need to use it for one of the months this year.
I have a deep desire to get my hands on a film era Leica M to pair with my M10—I already own a fair amount of M mount glass and really want to be able to carry them together. The only criteria is that it is an M and hopefully doesn’t break the bank. Do you have any recommendations?
My goal is to one day have an M10 or 11 to pair with my film M LOL
I purchased the M2 because it was more affordable than the others as well as it has frame lines for 50mm and 35mm lenses.
A film and digital M would be the ultimate pairing, right?! I considered the M2 for some time. Perhaps it’s the one. 🙂
I’m a little biased 😆