Precision Camera Staff Picks Vol. 1

Looking for some sweet new gear? Check out what Precision Camera's staff has been loving lately! 

Justin Heron, Photolab 

Recommendation: CineStill Film 800Tungsten Xpro C-41 Color Negative Film

Review: "I would say a good start for a film camera for anyone, would be like an Ae-1. Occasionally we'll have clients just bring them in, but one of those for sure. Pretty much any analog 35 millimeter camera is always fun to use. When we occasionally get like rare medium format cameras, they're in and out. The higher the price point, the faster it goes out usually. But if I were to talk about film as well, what I'm really enjoying right now is CineStill Film 800T as well as Cinestill double x, 35 millimeter (CineStill BwXX 135-36)."

Joseph Prather, Photolab

Recommendation: Video Transfer Services

Review: "I recommend people using our video transfer services, because I think a lot of people don't realize that any home video you have shot on VHS only has like a 20 year shelf life. If it was shot in the 90s, you're already past that 20 years. So this stuff is just going to start degrading, so you'll want to get it digitized. You can have it for the future, give it onto your children, grandchildren, however you want to disseminate it after it's done. But I think a lot of people just don't realize how important that is right now, but they will!"

Matt Schneider, Sales

Recommendation: NanLite LitoLite 5C RGBWW Mini LED Panel

Review: "I recommend the NanLite LitoLite 5C because it's cheap and affordable light and you can get a few. It has full RGB and Kelvin scale. It has fun, different modes you can put on there, like paparazzi and stuff like that. In a pretty dark apartment you can light up the whole room pretty much, so it's a cheap alternative to small LEDs."

Duncan Smith, Photolab

Recommendation: Ilford Ortho Plus Black and White Film Roll

Review: "I recommend Ilford Ortho film stock. It's a black and white film, stock a slow speed, but it's simulating orthochromatic film from the early 20th century. The film is not sensitive to red light, so any sort of pure red light will show up as black, pink tones show up as like a darker gray. It does really well simulating that like old portraiture style so you get more bronze kind of skin tones, and it really highlights blemishes. It's really cool for like rugged portrait shooting, stuff like that."