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Nikon F-301 Review – Third Times a Charm

Nikon F-301 35mm SLR Camera

One of the most underrated 35mm film SLRs in todays world has to be the Nikon F-301. I suppose that is to be expected considering it had a very short production life and was generally hated in its day by the Nikonista fraternity.Launched in 1985 and withdrawn around 1987 the Nikon F-301 was almost the…

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Canon AE-1 Review – Look Out! There’s a Monster Coming!

Screaming woman and Canon AE-1

This Canon AE-1 review was originally titled ‘Why I Hate the Canon AE-1’ – But I decided against it. There are so many reasons I actually do hate the AE-1 it would be hard to know where to start or finish and it might have ended up like one of those horror TV shows that…

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Nikon 50mm Repair Guide f1.8 AiS

Mount the lens

A step by step Nikon 50mm Repair Guide f1.8 AiS with notes on managing the Series E version of the lens. Copyright 2022 High5Cameras, Free to use, copy and distribute so long as no charge is made for use, distribution or access and authorship and web address is freely acknowledged. The Nikon 50mm f1.8 AiS…

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The Last of Us – Minolta XD Series – XD, XD7 and XD11

Minolta XD7 35mm SLR Camera

On the 1st September 1914, a small grey bird fell from its perch at Cincinatti Zoo…… The mid 1970s saw a rash of camera developments.  While these produced amazing technological marvels the headlong rush to ever more sophistication while keeping the price down meant compromises. The first casualty of any price war is almost always…

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Pentax MX – The sense of an ending

Pentax MX 35mm SLR

Endings are strange things. It’s often hard to see where the ending of anything is until years after the event.  Rome wasn’t built in a day they say but it didn’t fall in a day either.  It’s only on reflection, after the passage of time, that you can put a pin in a calendar and…

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Minolta X-700 Capacitor Replacement

Minolta X-700 Capacitor Replacement

A step by step guide to Minolta X-700 capacitor replacement in the popular 35mm SLR Camera. Copyright 2023 High5Cameras, Free to use, copy and distribute so long as no charge is made for use, distribution or access and authorship and web address is freely acknowledged. The Minolta X-700 is one of the most popular cameras…

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The ‘X’ Factor  – Minolta X Series X-700, X-500 and X-300

Minolta X Series 35mm Cameras X-500 X-300 X-700

Before we discuss the Minolta X Series (X-700, X-500 and X-300 etc), let’s step back in time. Back in the mid 1970s and early 1980s the 35mm SLR camera market was in turmoil. The big boys were busy forcing the smaller companies out and there was a rush of developments as each manufacturer tried to…

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Nikon E Series Repair Guide

Nikon Series E 50mm f1.7

A step by step Nikon E Series Repair Guide to the first version of the Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 lens. Copyright 2022 High5Cameras, Free to use, copy and distribute so long as no charge is made for use, distribution or access and authorship and web address is freely acknowledged. The Series E 50mm f1.8…

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Testament – Agfa Silette

Agfa Silitte

As a New Year comes in I get mellow and like to reflect on the years gone by, and hopefully the ones to come. On my mind today is a question and a reflection.When is a camera more than a camera? What is any camera REALLY worth?Sometimes, and this may happen only once in your…

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What is Lens Fungus: – The Reason Why

How to manage fungus

What is Lens Fungus: – 2,400 Million years ago fungus developed.  Long before most life on the planet and it’s been going ever since. These days if you’re an avid photographer with a penchant for classic lenses you’re most likely to discover it in a lens and will want to remove lens fungus quickly. So,…

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