Latest articles by David S Young
How Porsche, Carl Zeiss and Yashica teamed up in secret to build the legendary Contax RTS camera after Pentax walked away
Classic cameras “Top Secret Project 130”: The forgotten 1970s scheme that completely changed camera history
This budget vacation camera had a secret weapon – and it was so successful that over 5 million were sold!
Classic cameras The genius behind the Olympus Trip 35 and its astounding 40mm lens
30 years ago, this monster futuristic Leica camera shot digital photos at a resolution that was over 20 times better than its rivals – but there was a catch
Classic cameras This futuristic Leica camera weighed 8 pounds and took 3 minutes to snap one photo in 1996
The Swiss watchmakers who accidentally built the world’s most eccentric camera
Classic cameras This classic Alpa camera featured two completely different ways to focus
Film photographers are still obsessed with the Plaubel Makina 67 – in fact, this medium format camera is worth far more today than when it was new!
Classic cameras From Germany to Japan: The strange, but brilliant history of Plaubel Makina cameras
The world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera is a tiny mechanical masterpiece
Classic cameras This forgotten pocket camera was way better than its film format allowed it to be
Wildfire flames are only a mile from my front door, but the photo opportunities are remarkable if you stay safe and sensible
OPINION What 22 years of photographing wildfires in my Canadian home has taught me about taking incredible photos without endangering myself – or getting in the way of firefighters
I have photographed seven solar eclipses, and it was the internet that changed everything for the last three – and not in a good way!
solar eclipse This is how the Great American Solar Eclipse became the Great American Traffic Jam!
This was the worst film format that Kodak ever invented – but millions still bought the cameras
Classic cameras Why the Kodak Disc camera became one of photography's weirdest collector's items
Confessions of an eclipse photographer: shooting my first ring of fire eclipse and discovering that photographing from a Caribbean cruise ship is much harder than it looks!
Solar eclipse In the second of a three-part series, David S Young how things have changed over 47 years of chasing totality with his camera
Before Japanese cameras took over, this brilliant German design ruled the world
Classic cameras This 1930s camera company survived World War II bombings – but couldn't survive peace
I've been photographing total solar eclipses for over 40 years – and this is what it was like chasing totality with a film camera back before the internet
Solar eclipse In the first of a three-part series, David S Young recalls what it was like to photograph a total solar eclipse with film cameras and without the aid of the internet
This titanium masterpiece was the most advanced film camera of the 1990s – but is now a beautiful ticking time bomb
Classic cameras This Porsche-designed camera changed how we think about autofocus forever – and is still a masterpiece if you can find one that works
Everyone thinks Leica made the first digital rangefinder – but this forgotten camera brand beat Leica and forced photographers to fake-wind film before every shot
Classic cameras This rare, modular, 2004 digital camera enabled you to completely hide its screen to make you feel you were still using film
It cost US$995 but, if the battery of this 1990 digital compact camera died, ALL your photos vanished forever!
Classic cameras The first commercial digital camera required a docking station and a computer just to boot up
Kodak’s Fling failed while Fujifilm’s QuickSnap conquered the world – but the first disposable camera actually dates back 160 years!
Classic cameras The Fujifilm QuickSnap is now 40 years old, and the disposable camera boom isn’t stopping – but the history of the disposable camera is much older
This revolutionary 1980s camera changed photography forever – but helped bankrupt its creator
Classic cameras The secret history of autofocus: How Leica invented it, but Minolta paid the $96 million price for it
The world's best-known underwater explorer created a camera that went on to rule the waves
Classic camera Collectors are now hunting for this notoriously flawed half-frame film camera
Why left-handed photographers fell in love with this otherwise awful 1980s bridge camera
Classic camera Collectors are now hunting for this notoriously flawed half-frame film camera
Kodak sold 50 million of these cheap plastic cameras, so why did they suddenly vanish?
Classic camera Before smartphones, the Kodak Instamatic was the ultimate point-and-shoot gadget that everyone owned
Nikon built this camera to replace a legend – but professionals refused to buy it, despite its rugged beauty
Classic camera Photographers refused to buy Nikon’s most advanced camera for over a decade, sticking with its predecessor
Wide load! The history of panoramic cameras – from the iconic XPan to the old and new Widelux
Classic camera Panoramic cameras have existed since the 1800s. Here's how we got from obscure German models to Jeff Bridges' favorite camera
More expensive than a Nikon F: The rise and fall of the "Bullseye" camera
Classic cameras The secret history of the Zeiss Contaflex and the 35mm TLR that changed everything
