Category: Featured
-
A look back at my personal One-Shot-Per-Week challenge of 2021 – by Tim Soderstrom
…or, forcing myself to take photos on large format film during a pandemic for an entire year. In 2021, I decided to give myself a photo challenge – to take one shot per week, on large format (4×5), for an entire year using. Though at times it certainly was a struggle, I’m happy to say…
-
My adventures somewhere in-between medium & large formats on 120 format Kodak Gold 200
Large format photography issue #1 – is it a 5×4 camera or 4×5? The answer seems to depend on where you live, and I’m in Australia, so I’m calling it 5×4. I’ve done a couple of workshops on large format cameras — a day learning the basics on a 5×4 field camera and another doing…
-
Unidentified Black Male, or 8 out of 10 frames: Creating a small body of personal portraiture on Fuji FP-100c instant film with a Graflex Crown Graphic
In my second year of participating in the EMULSIVE Secret Santa, I was fortunate enough to be gifted a box of discontinued Fuji FP-100c colour peel-apart instant film. For some of you, the mere mention of FP-100c might inspire heart palpitations, be it for the rare and somewhat elusive nature of this beloved, now-discontinued film…
-
Repurposing orphaned instant cameras: Creating the Polaroid “SX-450”
2016 hit me hard. 100-Series pack film for Polaroid cameras would no longer be produced and it was only a matter of time before all of my packfilm cameras would become orphans. By 2019, my film stash was running low and I was toying with the idea of making these cameras work with other film…
-
New Fugufilm 400 slide film: More test roll shots + Bellamy Hunt Q&A
I’ll admit to being taken back a bit by the two new film announcements so far this week (Kodak Gold in 120 format and CineStill 400D), and it looks like we’re capping it off with a third: brand new FuguFilm 400 colour slide film in 35mm format from Japan Camera Hunter and Street Silhouettes. I…
-
A new “everyday” film from CineStill: 400Dynamic in 35mm and 120 format
Initially only available through the CINESTILL FILM MAKER Campaign at cinestillfilm.com/400D, the motion-to-still-photography company, CineStill have announced the launch of 400Dynamic, a 400 ISO daylight-balanced color negative film in both 35mm and 120 medium format and later, in 4×5 large format. Expected (initially) in limited supply, the new film stock’s release is supported by a…
-
25% cheaper than both Portra and Ektar: the return of Kodak Gold 200 film in 120 format
Following months of speculation, and around two decades since its original discontinuation, Kodak Alaris* has finally announced the rerelease of its popular consumer-grade Kodak Gold 200 colour negative film in 120 format, which is available right now for stores to purchase in 5-pack “Pro Packs”. It’s going to take a few days before you see…
-
The new Lomography DigitaLIZA + / Max film scanning kits for 35mm and 120 film
I’ve been a long-time user of Lomography’s DigitaLIZA 35mm and 120 film masks. They work great on my Epson Perfection v750 and keep film generally flatter than Epson’s normal film masks — even when scanning 35mm film shot on a 6×12 format camera or 6×17 format. In terms of value for money and performance, they’re…
-
Enter the Leica M4: Upgrading my Barnack Leica
I had been planning to upgrade from my Leica IIIf for a while; it’s a great camera but it makes taking photos a complicated process. First, cut the film so that it fits the camera, place it on the spool, insert it, wind it, only then select the shutter speed and realise a few shots…
-
A creative machine: The Konica C35 EFP
I was 22 and we were eating at my grandfather’s. I knew he had a camera when he was younger, so I asked him “Do you still have it?” After his “Do not break it” speech he told me where to find it. I ran immediately upstairs to what used to be my father’s room,…
-
Crash! Bang! Rollop! What a Picture! A review and test of the Lipca Rollop II TLR
A year or two back I was given a box of old cameras, four in total. These included a Voigtlander Vito B. a couple of Soviet-era rangefinders, and a Lipca Rollop TLR. I tested the Vito B with a roll of film not long after receiving it, but not a single shot was even close…
-
Camera review: The LEGO VIP Rewards Vintage Camera + build video
It’s not a Leica, but if you’re a film photographer, you’re probably going to Like-uh-it a lot. If you like LEGO, you’ll likely be quite partial to it, too. Yes, it’s the (limited edition?) LEGO VIP Rewards Vintage Camera. This article reviews the camera in full with a start-to-finish video of the build (condensed to…
-
Mini-review: The RETO Ultra Wide & Slim – Experiences and a change in attitude to P&S cameras
Traditionally I have avoided the point and shoot class of camera because I wanted to be able to make my own exposure decisions. I either shoot Manual, or in Aperture Priority modes with one finger on the exposure compensation button. Most of my cameras date from the 20th century and most of those are entirely manual. In…
-
Instant Memory: Textile collages on vintage found Polaroids and contemporary Fujifilm INSTAX film
This series of textile collages began with finding a collection of seemingly random Polaroid images from my late Great Aunt Thelma’s house. As one of the executors of her estate, my father asked me and my mother to help go through her belongings at her small home in Oklahoma. Among our findings were boxes and…
-
New ADOX COLOR MISSION 35mm film: a “reverse Kickstarter”
A new, very limited ISO 200 35mm color film from ADOX is upon us just 41 days into 2022. It’s released on Thursday, February 10th, 2022, and is available for pre-order now in limited quantities in 36 exposure, 35mm cassettes. Say hello to ADOX COLOR MISSION: The film, described by ADOX as having “delicately vibrant…
-
The King’s Trail: Documenting my hike through the Swedish Lappland on the Leica M4 and Kodak ULTRAMAX 400
Above the Arctic Circle, amidst the wide green plains, enclosed in looming blue peaks, the ‘King’s Trail’ covers 400km of land devoid of civilisation, save for the indigenous Sami, their reindeer, and the occasional shelter. Here is where I found myself last year, Leica M4 in hand, photographing one of the most beautiful places on…
-
Photo story: Dérive, Panama City
In August of 2021, I was sent to Panama to work as a documentary photographer on a campaign. Because of one reason or another, I had a lot of free time on my hands to explore Panama City and its surroundings. I ended up spending two months in the country, strolling the streets, alleys and…
-
Found film: “EXPOSED. Tri-X. APOLLO 11” or, developing film shot on July 20, 1969, ~20:17 UTC
I like collecting old film as much as I like collecting old cameras. So, when I came across an auction for an interesting film container and exposed film from Europe, I bid on it…and I won.
-
Restoring the moldiest, most rusty camera lens I’ve ever seen: How bad (or good) could it be?
I think we’ve all been here, buying a camera and lens rated by a seller as “very good” and not realizing all the photos had the lens caps on. When the Minolta X-370 with this lens arrived, opening the box filled my living room with a smell like broccoli and fish had been dumped in…