Articles from Nathan McMahon

I like beer. I like film. I like beer and film together, especially when you can process film with beer!

Mathieu Stern has a great YouTube channel where he explores affordable and overlooked vintage lenses that may not be in the photographic community's zeitgeist quite yet. His latest video follows that same pattern but adds a small twist.

Lensrentals is a great resource for gear rentals but somewhat in the background of their main business, they also have a blog run by their founder, Roger Cicala. His ins-and-outs of the technical aspects of gear they rent is often detailed and entertaining for gearheads.

I've always enjoyed seeing what Jonas Rask has to say about the latest Fujfilm gear releases. He's insightful and focuses more on the abstract of the gear than the nitty-gritty numbers and curves.

Leica is known for their occasional gear releases that have cosmetic features different from their normal offerings. They are often limited runs and some sell out fast. These three lenses are the latest edition to that small-run lineup.

I stumbled across this lens in a consignment shop in Gloucester, Massachusetts last fall. I was aware of its existence but had never considered it as a lens for my needs, but the price was too good to pass up and if I didn't end up using it, it’d go into the ever-revolving, buy and sell, gear pile.

With the amount of used camera gear I come across in my adventures across Southern California, I often run into pieces that invariably need some sort of minor repairs. The more labor intensive or skilled technician tasks get sent off to an appropriate repair-person. It sucks to eat that cost but reserving it for pieces that command a higher sales price means eating that cost is much more palatable.

What caused my obsession with camera bags? It was a simple question I asked myself to prepare for this article. The answer was much easier to find in my head and I didn't have to dig as deep as I thought. It was Indiana Jones.

As photographers, I think we often ponder the next steps we want to take in our photography and in our photographic careers. I've hit that next phase and have been considering my options for exhibiting in a gallery environment. An article by Simon King addresses questions I had for going down that path and has some useful insights for a first-timer.

Hamish Gill, who runs a fantastic film-centric blog, 35mmc, has a great article up that addresses an often-asked question he receives: "Which film camera should I buy?" The spoiler is he doesn't have an answer.

With the wealth of options out there for lens-adapting and DIY modifications, many industrious photographers are taking things to the next level. The process of adapting anamorphic projection lenses to a take-up lens has been well-established for years now.