We love hearing from members of the community as a whole, especially when they reach out to us to talk about life, photography, film and more. So in today's episode, join Alex as he sits down with Raf to talk about his journey from starting with photography to developing his own film at home. From Brazil to New York City, it's a couple of nerds just enjoying life, the process and more. And almost everything is covered, from music to scanning, gear, film stocks, halation and even film simulations!

If you want to check out more of Raf's work, you can find him online here. SubStack: substack.com/@raflopes Instagram: www.instagram.com/rafalop.es/

Join John and Bill with special guest Jeff Greenstein of the smash hit I Dream of Cameras to talk about everything Leicaflex. Everyone connects the names Leitz and Leica with rangefinders, from the classic Barnack to the modern M-Series. And while that is what Leica is known for, they also saw that SLRs were becoming popular in the 1960s and decided to throw their hat into the ring. In 1964, they released the Leicaflex, an SLR based around their own R-Mount. The program dates back to 1955, when Ludwig Leitz was urged by Walther Benser to develop an SLR, as Benser believed SLRs would become popular. The Leicaflex was followed by the SL in 1968 and the SL2 in 1972. A technology-sharing partnership with Minolta in 1971 led to the introduction of the R-Series of Leicaflexes, starting with the Leica R3 in 1976. The R4 in 1980, the R5 in 1987, the R6 a year later, and then the R7. The 1990s brought a radical redesign of the R-Series with the R8 and R9. The entire series ended in 2009. The one thing to look out for is the R-Mount lenses; these come in several categories. One Cam lens works only with the original Leicaflex. Two Cam lenses are good for the SL and SL2. They will work on the R3, but you need to do stop-down metering. Three-Cam lenses are the cream of the crop, as they work flawlessly on the R3 through R9 and the SL/SL2. There's also the R-Cam for R3-R9 only, and the R-ROM for R8 & R9 only.

All Fujifilm, All the Time! We've been talking about doing a show dedicated to Fujifilm for a while now, and the time has finally arrived! While Fuji often catches flak for the number of product line cancellations, especially in the film world, they have maintained a core set of worthwhile products. Today's show, we're talking cameras, lenses, film, and chemistry. From the Texas Leica to Acros 100 II and Microfine. Plus, remembering some of the other products that we enjoyed that are no longer available. The whole team has something to add as we peek inside the massive secret freezer under Mount Fuji.

There's something to be said about OEM lenses with full compatibility, native mount support, and a high level of quality control. That all comes with a cost attached. Then there are third-party manufacturers: companies that often offer the same level of compatibility, quality control, and multiple lens mount options, but many don't carry a price tag as high as the original manufacturers'. So today, we have John and Bill, joined by Mario and Brian, to discuss all things third party, from classic Tokina, Tamron, and Sigma. Modern options from TTArtisans and 7Artisan lenses, and of course, Light Lens Labs, who are painstakingly creating modern, affordable versions of classic Leitz Optics.

So, back in December 2025, Alex handed out some expired film to James and Bill, and today we're back revisiting the topic of expired film. And while Bill & James haven't had the chance to shoot their rolls, Alex did shoot his odd duck of a roll. Everything from colour shifts to fog and bad chemical packs, it's all about shooting and using expired film. From developing without any data to best practices, techniques and chemistry needed.

Today, Alex is joined by David Smith, a Biology professor and researcher at Western University in London, Ontario. While we mostly talk about cameras on the show, David has something unique: microscopes. As many history nerds know, many camera companies we know and love today began producing optics, including microscopes. Dr Smith came by this affinity for collecting honestly, as his mom is an antique dealer. David talks about his microscopes, how he started the collection, and how it led to film photography and a fantastic collection of Leica rangefinders, lenses, and medium-format cameras.

You can find Dr Smith online. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arrogantgenome/?hl=en

Last year, we were so caught up in our own tenth anniversary that we completely forgot about the fifth anniversary of the K-Mount! While the K-Mount is most often associated with Asahi/Pentax, it was a joint invention by Asahi and Zeiss Ikon. Like the M42 mount, the K-Mount was intended to be a universal, open-source lens mount. But the partnership never materialised, and the two companies parted ways, with Pentax retaining the mount and one Zeiss lens design. Since its introduction, the K-Mount has changed slightly as technology advanced. To celebrate, the team is here to discuss the cameras and lenses for this iconic mount, from K to K-AF4!

Last year, we chatted with James McFarlane about his journey and pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. What we did not count on was finding a second film photographer who took his own film on his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Today, Tyler Cahoon of the Retro Film Project joins Alex and John to talk about his Camino journey, the reasons behind his pilgrimage, the people, the photos, the cameras, and the film that came along.

You can find more from Tyler online... YouTube: www.youtube.com/@retrofilmproject Watch Tyler's Camino Journey Here: youtu.be/uOl7Dkm9VEE Instagram: www.instagram.com/retrofilmproject