Just some of the cameras Ive been braving London weather to test (Pic: Stephen Dowling)
Hi everyone
January rolled around this like it always does – long and grey and filled with bills.
For some reason known only to me, I've set up some of the vital services needed to keep the Kosmo Foto blog going to renew in January and February – which times in nicely with the after effects of Christmas and the tax bills that need to be paid.
However, this year I had some help – the kind souls who dipped into their pockets and took out a subscription for the paid version of this newsletter. Thanks to you, the not inconsequential costs for the site's web hosting were taken care of for a year, which was a huge weight off my January mind. So thank you all!
The partial collapse of the web publisher advertising models thanks to the rise of AI Search is part of the reason why more site owners like myself are asking for help. It's been something I've struggled to get off the ground, partly because I'm keenly aware that we're being asked for subscriptions for just about everything these days. A decade ago, you bought software and only paid again for it when you needed a new version for a newer computer. Now the tech industry has decided that it can make more money off you by making you a renter. Hello monthly fees.
But a subscription model for a website/newsletter that you visit because you enjoy reading the content? That makers sense if it's voluntary, which it most certainly is. Publishing has never been "free" – the ads you put up with on online sites take the place of a cover price that you paid to pick up a newspaper or magazine. I started my career in journalism in New Zealand in the early 1990s, before the internet existed, and when the daily newspapers I worked for required you to put hand in your pocket before you could read them.
This might be the future if we want to continue to enjoy stories written by humans.
The Kosmo Foto website has had a quiet start to the year, and that's partly due to a busy day job and tax returns, but it's also because I've been beavering away on two big pieces. One is my review of the Lomography LOMO MC-A compact (you can read the first impressions I had of it here) which has been delayed somewhat due to the fact that the first example Lomography sent me turned out to be a bit of a lemon…
The other is a long read looking at the return of the film compact camera, and includes some interviews with some very interesting people.
Both these stories will be published on the blog and will be free to read. But subscribers to 'Advance/Rewind' will get sneak peeks at both (whether you're a paid subscriber or not.)
The Cameraburo shelves have also been a little quiet in 2026 too – though there has been a lot of camera and lens testing going on. In early March, I'm planning to do a big restock with 50 new items dropping on the online shop the same day – hopefully there will be plenty of interest. I'll let 'Advance/Rewind' subscribers know about it before anyone else.
If you're not already signed up to a paid tier and are thinking 'how do I sign up?" you can upgrade using the link below.
Help support Kosmo Foto - sign up to a paid subscription
I'm having fun building up this newsletter community without the usual negatives of social media, so to all who have signed up and are sticking with the posts, you have my grateful thanks. Hopefully there will be plenty more to stick around for in the coming months.
Happy shooting
Stephen Dowling
Kosmo Foto