Florida / Est. 2004
Cameras.
Repaired.
Kept.
I'm Jackson Laurie. I've been restoring and collecting vintage film cameras in Florida for twenty years. This is where I keep notes.
Leica M3 / Nikon F2
Hasselblad 500C/M / Rolleiflex 2.8F
f/8 -- 1/125 -- ISO 400
01 / About
Twenty
years
of this.
I started in 2004 with a Nikon FM2 I bought for forty dollars at a flea market in Gainesville, Florida. The shutter was sticking at 1/500. I took it apart on my kitchen table and put it back together. It worked. That was it.
Since then I've done CLAs on Leicas, Nikons, Hasselblads, Rolleiflexes, Contaxes, Olympuses, Canons, and Pentaxes. I shoot mostly 35mm and 120. I develop in a bathroom in Tampa. I print in a proper darkroom when I can get access to one.
This site is a notebook. Notes on cameras I own, cameras I've worked on, film stocks I use, and what it's like to shoot in Florida heat and humidity. Nothing is for sale. There's no newsletter.
Jackson Laurie
Tampa, Florida
Profile
Jackson Laurie
Location
Tampa, Florida
Active since
2004
Speciality
CLA, rangefinder repair
Formats
35mm, 120 medium format
I'm Jackson Laurie. I've been restoring and collecting vintage film cameras in Florida since 2004. It started with a Nikon FM2 from a flea market in Gainesville. The shutter was sticking at 1/500. I fixed it on my kitchen table and never stopped.
Twenty years later I've done CLAs on Leicas, Nikons, Hasselblads, Rolleiflexes, Contaxes, Olympuses, Canons, and Pentaxes. I shoot 35mm and 120. I develop in a bathroom in Tampa. I know what Florida humidity does to foam light seals and I know which lubricants hold up in the heat.
This site is a notebook. Nothing is for sale. There is no newsletter. If you found it, you were probably looking for something specific.
02 / Collection
The cameras
I keep.
03 / Repair & CLA
Clean.
Lubricate.
Adjust.
A CLA is not complicated. It is time-consuming and it requires patience. The Leica M3 has around 1,500 parts. The Rolleiflex taking lens has its own set of problems. I've written up the procedures I use most often.
Shutter calibration. Light seal replacement. Rangefinder alignment. Lubricating a Leica without over-oiling the shutter. Cleaning a Rollei taking lens without scratching the coating.
04 / Film Stocks
What's in
the camera.
In Florida, you're dealing with heat and humidity year-round. Film stored in a hot car is dead film. I keep everything in a cooler in the refrigerator and load in the shade.
I've shot most of what's available. Kodak Portra 400 and 800, Fuji Pro 400H, Ilford HP5, Kodak Tri-X, Cinestill 800T, Kodak Gold 200. Each has a character. None of them are interchangeable.
Film stock comparison →
05 / Florida
Shooting film
in Florida.
Heat warps film. Humidity destroys light seals. The light here is brutal at noon and extraordinary at dusk. I've been working out what that means for twenty years.
Florida film photography →06 / Journal
Recent notes.
March 2025
Why the Leica M3 is still the best camera ever made
I know how that sounds. I've owned most of the alternatives. The M3 finder is 0.91x. At f/2 on a 50mm, the depth of field preview is your eye.
Read →January 2025
What a CLA actually involves
People ask me what a CLA is. Clean, lubricate, adjust. That's the abbreviation. The reality is about six hours on a Leica M body if you're not rushing.
Read →November 2024
Shooting Cinestill 800T in Florida at night
Cinestill 800T is movie film without the remjet layer. The halation is real. In Florida at night, with neon and wet streets, it looks like a memory.
Read →Darkroom Notes
Developing B&W at home. Stand development. Split-grade printing.
Repair Guides
Shutter calibration, light seals, rangefinder alignment.
Where to Get Cameras Repaired
How to find a good technician. What to ask. Red flags.
FAQ
Is film dead. Which camera to start with. How to store film.