His Lomography Home and the photographs submitted for this feature does not give justice to the number of classic film cameras this mister from Ohio has.
Functioning or not, Steve Moose has a certain affection for cameras old and new. He keeps on buying them that definitely become part of his collection whether it’s for his photographic needs or for a visual pleasure in his camera shelf. It’s an addiction he can’t stop!
Now drool into his list of cameras and film as we interview this Lomographer. Enjoy!
Name: Steve Moose
Location: Strongsville, Ohio (USA)
LomoHome: stevemoose76
How long have you been collecting film gear and how did it start?
I started into the world of film photography early this Spring after finding out that Lomography still made 110 format film. I purchased a cheap 110 camera from eBay to experiment with and decided to do a “Summer of Film” project where I would shoot nothing but analogue. This curiosity for analogue has become an obsession and I have not looked back!
Can you possibly itemize every camera, film roll, and accessory you own?
That’s hard, as my gear is scattered at home, at work, my car ,etc. The current stock of film in my fridge at the moment is three rolls of Ilford Delta 400 in 120, one roll of 1969 expired Tri-X Pan 120, a roll of unknown B&W panchromatic 620 film that looks quite old, a pack of 1967 expired Polaroid Black and White pack film, and a plastic bag with about 20 rolls of expired 35mm film including Kodak Gold 400, Kodak BW400CN, Fuji 200 and 400 ISO color negative, and a roll of Ilford 35mm B&W.
I also just acquired 10 rolls of expired Velvia 50 35mm from Lomography, some Fuji Neopan, TX-100, and Velvia 100 35mm from Craigslist, and 20 rolls of Kodak BW400CN from CVS down the street from work who were liquidating their stock of film. I stocked up! I have probably more than 45 cameras. Here is my list from memory, but I know I will miss a few of them:
Kiev 88CM
Minolta Autocord
Ricoh AF-5
Canon Canonet QL19
Minolta Hi-Matic F
Olympus 35 ECR
Original and a vintage Diana F and a clone from the same era called a Hi-Flash
Pentax K1000
Pentax ME Super
Pentax ZX-M
Canon AE-1 Program
About a dozen generic 35mm plastic cameras with various names
Holga 120 CFN
Lomography Fisheye 35mm
Lomo Smena 8M
Polaroid SX-70 (2)
Polaroid One-Step Time Zero
Polaroid 330 Land Camera
Polaroid Pro Pack
Fuji Instax 210
Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash models (3)
Kodak Duaflex 2
Argus Seventy-Five
Sunbeam 120
Kodak Pocket Vest Model B
Polaroid Model 95a
Polaroid Model 80
Kodak Brownie 620 Model D
Kodak Automatic 35
Kodak Vigilant 620
Kodak Baby Brownie Special
Vredeborch Vrede Box
Yashica Electro 35 GSN
and several other Polaroid SX-70 One Step rainbow models in black and white.
(Whew!)
Have you used every camera in your collection or you just adore them from the camera shelf?
I have used, or have planned to use, most of them. Some are broken or otherwise non-functioning so they serve as nice decorations around my apartment. Since I particularly enjoy vintage and antique cameras, I try to purchase ones that have good shutters, clean lenses and viewers, and are in great shape. I have been gifted some that are in not so great shape but they still are nice conversation pieces. I might even eventually try to repair them or modify them to be used as pinhole cameras.
What is your favourite camera? Film? Accessory?
Wow, that’s a tough question to answer. I guess I have my favorites in each format. For 35mm, I have fallen in love with my Pentax K1000. It was the first 35mm camera I purchased this year and have found it capable of producing images as sharp as my digital Nikon D-90. It has a great feel in the hands, and the sound it makes when the shutter fires reminds me of exactly why I have fallen in love with shooting film in the first place.
For medium format, I love my Holga 120 CFN but also have enjoyed my 1954 Argus Seventy-Five box camera. I have recently acquired a Kiev 88CM, which is a Russian copy of an early model Hasselblad, and I am looking forward to seeing the images I get from using this camera which came with a Carl Zeiss Biometar 80mm f2.8 lens!
To browse this gallery please read this post on our website
Another recent find is a Minolta Autocord TLR in mint condition. I have a roll of film loaded into it already and plan on using it this weekend! I have quite a few Polaroid cameras that take Impossible Project film, but my favourite so far is a Polaroid 330 Automatic Land Camera that shoots Fuji FP-100C and FP-3000B pack film. The Impossible Project film is really neat, but expensive and I don’t find the results consistent.
My favourite film so far has been Kodak Tri-X for medium format and Kodak BW400CN for 35mm. Kodak Ultramax 400 has also proven to be a good choice for consumer grade 35mm color negative film and gives nice colors with fine grain.
Do you think you’ll ever stop collecting? Why or why not?
I don’t think I’ll ever stop, but I will probably slow down a bit since I have run out of shelf space for the cameras I use for decoration and my closet is becoming cramped with all my usable ones. Every so often, I might see a gem in a vintage store or garage sale that is begging to be rescued and put to use again and it’s always hard to pass up especially if the price is too good! I just can’t say no to a beautiful rangefinder!
Is there a camera you still don’t own and want to be part of your collection soon? What is this and why?
I have three cameras in particular that I really want to own someday. One of those is a Hasselblad 500c. The second is a vintage Rolleiflex TLR. Medium format is becoming my favorite film to shoot because of its large negative and the beautiful cameras that shoot this type of fim. To own a Hasselblad is comparative to owning a finely crafted Swiss timepiece. The quality that goes into these cameras is beyond compare. The same goes for Rolleiflex. Plus, when you are using one of these cameras, it really does take you back in time to simpler days. TLR’s in particular have such a neat look to them and I always get approached by strangers when using them. Most people don’t even know that film is still produced for these and able to be developed.
Lastly, I would love to own a vintage Leica rangefinder. Again, these beautiful cameras were the go-to choice for photographers and photo journalists for decades and are responsible for thousands of beautiful images seen in museums and magazines all around the world.
Insane, right? I bet you’ve seen your favourite film camera in his list, too! Thanks for showing your collection, Steve! Want more? Then see the whole Camera Collections series here.
Care to share your Camera Collection? E-mail mayee.gonzales@lomography.com with the contents of your camera shelf, film fridge, and what not, and you could be our next featured film photographer!