Episode 84: Hip to Be Square

We are back with the first new episode of 2025!  The Camerosity crew hopes you had a good start to the new year.  Unfortunately, the episode we had planned to have Jeff and Gabe from the I Dream of Cameras podcast had to be postponed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.  Instead, we went to the Camerosity mailbox (aka Facebook) and did an episode about square format cameras.  We had intended to cover all cameras that shoot square format, but found so much to talk about with 35mm and 127, we didn't have much time for 120 6x6 cameras, so we can save that for a future show!

Whenever you talk about square format 35mm, one of the more popular ones for collectors is the Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II, and whenever you mention the Tenax II, the Wes Loder's "Spidey Sense" starts tingling, so we were happy to welcome back Michael Wescott Loder for the first time since Episode 74!

Joining Wes, Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on this episode were A.J. Gentile, Ira Cohen, Miles Libak, Mina Saleeb, Robert Coates, and Will Pinkham where they all shared their favorite square format cameras.

We attempt to start off the list of square format cameras in alphabetical order with the Altix and quickly move into the Berning Robot and Bilora Radix, but our plan quickly goes off the rails as we jump around the alphabet with cameras like the Akarette (which isn't even square format), Metz Mecaflex, Yashica 44, and the Purma Special.  We also cover the popularity of square format Rapid film cameras from Japan like the Minolta 24 Rapid, Canon Dial Rapid, and Fujica Rapid S2.

One of the more sought after square format cameras is the Mamiya Sketch, a camera that Mike has previously reviewed, but Theo desperately wants to acquire to round out his Mamiya collection.

Mike shares his tips on rolling your own 127 film using bulk 46mm film, and Will asks for recommendations on affordable entries into square format 35mm.  Although the group is initially stumped, Mike comes up with an off the wall solution that is quite affordable!

As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show.  We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!

The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.

For our next episode, we are excited to revisit a topic that we love to talk about, Camera Auctions, specifically high dollar auctions.  Our special guest for the next episode will be Jo Geier from Wetzlar Camera Auctions.  In addition to Jo, we will be welcoming back Dan Tamarkin from Tamarkin Auctions in Chicago.  In order to accommodate Jo's time zone, this will be a "European Friendly Time Zone" episode.  We will record Episode 85 on Monday, January 27th at 1pm Central Standard Time, 2pm Eastern Standard Time, 7pm Greenwich Mean Time, and 8pm Central European Time.  For Theo, and those of you in Australia, this will be very early in the morning on Tuesday the 28th.  Please check your favorite time zone calculator to find out the exact time in your region if you'd like to participate.

In This Episode

• Square Cameras Come in All Format / Using TLRs Over Your Head or Around Walls
• Eho-Altissa Altix / Altix I Through III Shoot 24mm x 24mm
• Berning Robots / 90 Degree Viewfinder / Robot Junior
• Large Wind Knob Robots / Loading a Robot Camera / Accidental Redscale Surprise
• Anthony and West Love the Zeiss-Ikon Tenax II 
• Lenses Used by the Navy Required Lens Coatings
• 35mm Square Format Was Driven by the Technology of the Time
• Aka Akarette / AGFA Square Format Cameras Usually Shot Rapid Film
• Japanese Rapid Cameras / Fujica Rapid S2 / Minolta 24 Rapid / Canon Dial Rapid
• AGFA Karat Film and Bilora Radix Cameras
• Japanese Bolta Cameras / Sida Extra and Bolta Photavit
• The Mamiya Sketch is a Sought After Square Format Camera
• Metz Mecaflex is the only 24mm x 24mm SLR
• Quite a Few 127 TLRs Shoot 4x4 / Many Called Baby or '44' Cameras
• Yashica 44 / Adapting to Use 35mm Film
• Purma Special Shoots 4x4 and has a Gravity Shutter
• Kodak Vest Pocket / Other Vest Pocket Cameras
• Super Flex Baby / Karmaflex / There Were a Lot of Japanese 4x4 Cameras
• Bencini Comet 44 / Czech Kola Camera
• The Doris 3a probably had a 1a and a 2a / Diana Mini
• Super Slides Were Popular For a While / Reloading 127 with 46mm Bulk Film
• Photo Labs Hated Non-Standard Film Formats
• Chroma Cube / Stereo Cameras are a Cost Effective Way to Shoot Square Format 35mm

Links

The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.

The Camerosity Podcast is now on BlueSky @camerosity.bsky.social.  This modern, and clean replacement for Twitter is a nice alternative to cluttered social networks out there.  Follow us there for show announcements and other content.

If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.

The Official Camerosity Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast

Camerosity Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/

Theo Panagopoulos - https://www.photothinking.com/

Paul Rybolt - https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris - https://thisoldcamera.net/

Anthony Rue - https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/