Here, you’re going to find a collection of platforms I participate in, as well as sites and blogs by people, I consider an inspiration and asset in sharing, presenting and preserving interesting information. Like everything on my site. it’s all highly subjective and I don’t try to make this a comprehensive list of everything I consider valuable sources, since this would clearly go beyond the scope.
If you have any ideas for cooperations or suggestions for interesting online spaces besides the crowded mainstream social media, I’m always thankful for that and am happy to hear from you.
Flickr has been my homebase from the start of my endeavors. While tiny in comparison to any of the big social networks of today, and perhaps in some ways outdated, it’s still a great place for photographers and people with an interest in photography apart from mere self-promotion.
As mentioned in the About section, this incredibly ambitious project, initiated by Mark Welsh, features the most extensive and deep database of alt-lenses (enlarging, repro-, projection and industrial lenses) I know of and in addition does provide lots of lens tests, written overviews and a several deep dives into unique topics. Check it out and consider constributing via sharing some knowledge.
dpreview.com – adapted lens forum
The dpreview adapted lens subforum is an excellent place to have discussions about adapted lenses of all kinds and particularly interesting, if you share my fascination with fast projection lenses. Great people there and a good variety of different lenses used.
One of the main knowledge hubs still around after many other sites have ceased to exist. It might not be as populated as some other places, but there are some great regulars and many old topics with unique information and sample images.
Espen is a photographer and old lens afficionado from Norway and one of the most knowledgeable people about old unusual lenses I’ve met so far. He has a beautiful site with lots of unique information and deep dives on several topics. Highly recommended.
An artist of various talents including photography, and friend of mine from Portugal is responsible for this site. You can find lots of great experimental images there and I appreciate the conversations with its owner very much.
When someone new appears in the (admittedly quite small) circle of enthusiasts for very unusual projection, cine and taking lenses, and starts to look for a very specific rare lens, the reason behind it can often be found in Toby Marshall’s images. He’s a master at using these unusual old pieces of glass to great effect and travels all around the world, looking for interesting photographic opportunities.
From the first time I’ve read one of the write-ups by Marco Cavina, I’ve been extremely impressed by his knowledge and ability to find information seemingly no one else is able to. His excellent work certainly was a major inspiration to continuously try and improve my own research.
This site is focused on macro photography and was created by Robert Otoole, whom I’ve considered a friend and who was one of my main inspirations for attempting to do my own research and write about unusual lenses. Unfortunately, he passed away, way too early in 2024.
Nikolaus Burgard has created an impressive number of highly detailed and well-thought-out (mostly vintage) lens reviews on his site including thousands of wonderful sample images.
Erik Schlicksbier is a photographer, lens nerd, writer and podcaster from Germany. Check out his excellent work on his site including his free e-zine where he writes in depth about photography and associated topics and also shows lots of his beautiful and interesting portrait series.
Bram Stolk – Ultra Large Format (Youtube)
Bram Stolk is a guy from Canada who loves to think outside of the box and created his own Ultra Large Format camera, the AbraCam, to which he adapts the most out-there and size-wise enormous lenses. The results are incredible.
Maoby – History of digital cameras
Maoby is a talented photographer and collector from Canada. In addition to showing lots of great street photography shots, he has collected and documented a vast number of digical cameras and created an extremely impressive overview ranging from the earliest days to more modern variants and covering both DSLR/ML as well as digital compact cameras.