A hand holding a small wooden pinhole camera with brass fittings and a cylindrical lens. The camera has a simple, boxy design with a polished finish. The background is black, providing contrast to the camera's warm wood tones.

Smaller is Better: My Tiny Wooden Wet Plate Camera

When it comes to camera’s they can come in all shapes and sizes. I want to tell the story of this little, as I call it “Klein Special”, wood box wet plate camera made by my good friend Kevin Klein in Valley City, North Dakota. Coincidently “Klein” means “small” in German. Something that I was unaware of at the time of giving the camera its name.

An 18-40mm Lens and New Firmware Give the Lumix S9 a Second Wind

Person holding a black camera with an 18-40mm lens, surrounded by yellow flowers in the foreground. The person is wearing a red plaid shirt, and a blurred outdoor background is visible.

When I first tested the Panasonic Lumix S9, it took a while to truly understand the intention behind it. Although compact and adorable, the it lacked an EVF and had a very basic control structure. Clearly, the S9 was intended for beginner photographers or creators who desired a simple and approachable camera.