Articles from Matt Murray

Move over compact point-and-shoots. There’s a new in-demand camera on the scene — and it’s so small it fits in the palm of your hand. The hype surrounding the Kodak Charmera is real. Pre-orders have sold out not once, not twice, but three times in the last month. On the second-hand market, they’re selling for 2–5 times retail price, and camera stores are begging people to stop messaging them.

I recently shot a roll of side-by-side photos in the Ricoh GR1 and the Minolta TC-1. I loaded both of these compact classics with Kodak Portra 160 and shot the images around Brisbane.

The Reto Pano is the latest addition to Reto’s growing family of affordable and fun film cameras. With its built-in flash and panorama mode, this little point-and-shoot promises a nostalgic 90s shooting experience at the accessible price of just $35.

Japan is one of the hottest travel destinations right now, with visitor numbers exploding since borders reopened in late 2022 following the pandemic. 

In an era dominated by social media algorithms and fleeting engagement, photographers often struggle to reach audiences in any meaningful way. With established social media platforms at saturation point, it’s become harder to reach the people who follow you, let alone new audiences.

Which focal length is best for street and travel photography: 28mm or 35mm? If you've been thinking about buying a compact camera but you're not sure if 28mm or 35mm suits your style better, hopefully, this article will help.

The king of kit lenses is dead. Long live the Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS!

This list of five film cameras I can't live without spans 35 years of photographic history—from the height of half-frame popularity in 1966 to the dawn of digital in 2001.

Since its initial release in 2019, the GRIIIx has been a popular addition to Ricoh's revered GR series. Sporting a fixed lens with an equivalent focal length of 40mm, it’s the ideal companion for photographers keen to get a little closer to the action than the GRIII’s 28mm lens.

I must admit, I’m out of the loop when it comes to the latest Nikon Z bodies. I shot with Nikon cameras almost exclusively from 2005 to 2014, but then I sold all my kit and switched to Fujifilm. Ten years later, I’m mulling a return to Nikon, but which camera should I buy?

If you’re thinking of buying your first flash, the Godox Lux Elf might just be the perfect choice. This new flash is easy to use and priced competitively. It’s compatible with a wide range of cameras, including Fujifilm, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, and even film cameras.

Vintage lenses have long been celebrated for their unique character and cinematic charm, captivating photographers and Hollywood filmmakers alike in recent years. Can a modern Chinese lens give the classic Soviet Helios a run for its money?

I’m never taking a tripod on vacation again. Last year I took a lightweight compact travel tripod to Japan but never used it once. This was because shooting long exposures on the OM System OM-1 was a breeze. The camera boasts incredible 7 stops of image stabilization, increasing to 8 stops with compatible lenses.

One of the things I was most excited about when I saw the launch of the Fujifilm X100VI was the new color film simulation Reala Ace. I was keen to find out how this new film sim compares to other favorites on X Series cameras.

Champ Camera has one of the world's best ranges of 35mm film for sale. Although their stores aren't huge, the range and variety of film they sell is incredible. Here are 20 interesting films I found in one of their stores late last year.

There has been constant talk about the new OM System OM-1 Mark II in Micro Four Thirds Facebook groups since it was first announced. So, is this new flagship camera worth the upgrade?

If you follow my TikTok or my YouTube shorts, you’ll know I have a thing for toy cameras. Over the years, I’ve picked up quite a few cool and quirky film cameras that I love to shoot with. When I saw earlier this year that Kenko had released a tiny toy digital camera, I had to try it. Before using it, I wondered if it could create unique images. After seeing the results, I'm left wondering: is this the worst camera ever made?

If you’re looking to add some versatility to your compact Ricoh GR III set up, a NiSi filter system is a fantastic choice. In this article, I’ll tell you about the Ricoh GR III Master Kit and why you might want to carry this super-lightweight bit of kit in your bag. 

There hasn’t been a huge amount of good news on the film photography scene this year. Every “new” film announcement either seems to be rebadged cinema film, rebadged Kodak film, or rebadged ORWO / Wolfen film. 

Is the Ricoh GR III the perfect compact camera for street and travel photography? Based on my time with the camera this year, I’d say yes. Having made the switch from the Fujifilm X100V to the Ricoh GR III I took the camera on a 3 week trip to Japan. It quickly became my most used camera - shooting with it was an absolute joy. 

If you had asked me a year ago what the best compact camera was, my answer would have been the Fujifilm X100V. I'm a big fan of Fujifilm's fixed lens compact line, having owned one ever since the original X100 was released in 2010. What captivated me about it 13 years ago were the straight-out-of-camera JPGs. The color rendition of the f/2 Fujinon lens was simply gorgeous.

One of the most frequently discussed topics in any film photography Facebook group is traveling with film. Newbies and old hands alike will share experiences of transiting through various airports, detailing their success rate of asking for hand checks of their film with security staff. 

If you’re looking for a vintage digicam for your travels, look no further than 2002’s Casio Exilim EX-S1. With a 1.3-megapixel CCD sensor, this ultra-compact digicam is sure to give your photos that early 2000s vibe. About the size of a credit card (though a little thicker), this is the perfect digicam for travel.    

From time to time you see images circulating on social media of Japanese camera store shelves awash with film. I’m not talking about half a dozen pro packs of Portra, I’m talking about hundreds and hundreds of rolls of film. More film than you could shoot in 10 years. Names of long-forgotten emulsions that many die-hard film shooters can’t even recall. 

When I was in Tokyo recently I saw a mysterious 35mm color negative film I'd never heard of before. The only course of action was to buy the film, shoot it, and see what it was like. So how did it turn out and what film was it? Keep reading and find out. 

Strap yourself in, Jason De Freitas is back with a new project. This time he’s attached a Super 8 Camera to a drone and the footage is astonishing. 

It feels like stories about AI have dominated photography news over the last year. Part of me keeps ignoring the headlines as an irrelevance, but chirping away in the background, the other part of me keeps asking: what does it all mean? What's AI capable of? Will it really be a revolution? And perhaps the biggest question of them all: are photographers at risk of becoming obsolete because of AI?

If you’re looking to add a hint of cinematic flair to your Fujifilm X100V images, I have the perfect accessory for you. 

On December 20, 2022, Ricoh Imaging made an announcement that few in the photography community saw coming. The owners of the Ricoh and Pentax lines of cameras announced that they are looking at making film cameras again. 

One of my favorite books of all time is a little gem by British advertising legend Paul Arden “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.” I read this little book about once a year, it’s funny, insightful, and full of advice and inspiration for creative people.

At last: fresh rolls of Lomography's stunning color shift film Turquoise are being shot all over the world right now. 

Looking for a competitively priced compact flash that will fit in your pocket and work with your Fujifilm X-T4, your Sony Alpha, and your Leica M6? Check out our review. 

Is CineStiil’s new 400D a replacement for Fujifilm’s legendary Natura 1600 film? Many devotees of Fujifilm’s high-speed color negative film would find this an absurd proposition, but bear with me.