The Bronica has been described as the poor man’s Hasselblad. That is just wrong, as I hope to demonstrate through this article. When I began my journey back to film photography, I looked at Rolleiflex cameras first, but finally settled on the Hasselblad 500C/M — of which I have two now. I recently decided to […]
Category: Reviews
Find all EMULSIVE reviews, covering photographic films, cameras, lenses, bags and other film photography gear, hardware and software, right here.
Posted inLens Reviews
Rolleinar: it’s German for Sorcery
Lots of chatter about Rolleinars lately, I’ve only had mine since October ’15. A Rolleinar is a set of close-up lenses that fit on the front of your Rolleiflex. This shortens the working distance to your subject at the cost of minimal distortion and arguable loss of quality. The magnifier goes down below on the taking […]
Posted inArticles, Film Notes, Film stock reviews, ILFORD Film Stock Reviews, Kodak Film Stock Reviews, Reviews
Film Notes: Current high-speed films, ILFORD Delta 3200 Professional and Kodak T-MAX P3200
I’ve often described how I think that people looking for a different “look” from film would be better suited exposing and developing in a different way before they’d see any benefit from switching emulsions. Unless someone is searching for a specific “effect” in terms of grain structure, or halation, then most films will produce fairly […]
Posted inYashica film camera reviews
Yashica-B review: the lovable “rare” TLR camera
I’ve been fascinated with Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras ever since I can remember, and even before I knew what a TLR was — I just knew them as these beautiful, quirky little photograph-taking boxes that appeared in the hands of famous and not-so-famous people dressed in 1950s and 60s attire. They had appeal, they […]
Posted inLeica film camera reviews
An in-depth guide to: The Leica M6 TTL
Made for only four years between 1998 and 2002, the Leica M6 TTL was the successor the 1984-98 Leica M6 and brought with it a couple of new party tricks: an ergonomically designed shutter speed dial and TTL flash metering. That huge shutter dial might not seem like a big deal today, in fact, you […]
Posted inRollei film camera reviews
NOT Being Vivian Maier: NOT really a Rolleiflex 2.8F camera review
It has nearly been 12 months since I got my hands on my Rolleiflex 2.8F, and whilst I’m not usually a reviewer of equipment, I’d like to share my experience of using this iconic camera and the inspiration behind me finally owning one. Like many who were first made aware of the story of Vivian Maier, I was completely […]
Posted inCanon film camera reviews
72 frames per roll: The surprisingly sharp Canon SURE SHOT MULTI TELE
I’ve enjoyed shooting half frame 35mm film photography for quite some time now. Of course, being a broke college student, the thought of 72 photos in a roll is quite intriguing. However, it’s not all about the money; I feel that this “abundance” of shots also provides a new perspective when walking around and shooting. […]
Posted inMamiya film camera reviews
Why I love Twin Lens Reflex cameras: A quick Mamiya C220 Professional review
As the title suggest this article is a love letter to TLR cameras, specifically the Mamiya C220. Before I get to that, I’d like to start with a little personal history. When I first got into film photography back in 2002, My parents bought me my first SLR, a CANON EOS 300. Boy was it […]
Posted inCerto film camera reviews
Camera review: the Certo Six and “lightweight” 6×6 film photography
The Certo Six is a camera I will own for a long time. If you’re looking for the short version of the article that follows, here it is: the Certo Six is light enough to carry up a mountain, and takes sharp, beautiful photos, with less faffing around than a large format, with more consistency […]
Posted inRollei film camera reviews
Camera review: The Rolleiflex MX
I’ve been trying to come to grips with how I ended up owning a 60-plus year old machine as a daily-and-only camera, after a truncated career with the latest and greatest at the time. I’m not sure if this will be a camera review or another personal journey into the philosophy of my own craft, but we’ll […]
Posted inKodak Film Stock Reviews
Trying out night photography with Kodak Tri-X 400 at EI 1600
I love street photography, though I don’t consider myself a great photographer neither a master but I really enjoy shooting film. My work as an interiors and boudoir photographer is of course 100% digital and does not leave me much time for my personal projects and I almost forgot the pleasure I feel each time […]
Posted inLeica film camera reviews
An in-depth guide to: The Leica M6 (aka M6 Classic / M6 Non-TTL)
The Leica M6 — also commonly known as the Leica M6 Classic or Leica M6 Non-TTL — is a 35mm film rangefinder camera designed and manufactured by Leica in Germany between 1984 and 1998. The camera was the successor to the Leica M4-P, which was produced concurrently for the first two years of the M6’s […]
Posted inReviews
Release the Kraken: accessible 6×12 wide format film photography for all
I am Graham Young and I am one of the hosts (along with Ethan Moses and Nick Lyle) of the Homemade Camera Podcast. We yammer on every fortnight about making cameras and taking pictures with those cameras. The Kraken 612 with Super Topcor 105/4.5, printable glassless finder, optional bubble level and rangefinder. I’ve been messing […]
Posted inFilm stock reviews
An on-the-cheap private investigation into European BW films: ORWO or Kentmere, to be or not to be?
The whole idea behind this article started as I was looking into finding a “daily” use black and white film, on the cheap, so that I could bulk roll my own. As I’m from Europe (Romania, just one sharp right away from the Black Sea), I first looked into Foma Bohemia films, which are quite […]
Posted inPentacon film camera reviews
Camera review: Fixing a bad rep… It’s time for the Pentacon Six to shine
Can the Pentagon Six take pictures as sharp and contrasty as a Hasselblad or a Rolleiflex? After all, this is the only question that matters apparently and — spoiler alert — I would not have written this review if it couldn’t. Overlapping frames, unreliable shutter times, frame counter off sick, jammed self timer, blurry images […]
Posted inReviews
Still life in lockdown: Yashica MAT-124 and Fomapan 200 Creative
Greetings and salutations from Quentin Quarantino at Club Lockdown! I’ve always appreciated still life but never really practised it at a photography level. If you need encouragement may I recommend having a look at the work of Josef Sudek. What this master can do with just an egg and a glass, is outstanding! Even though […]
Posted inLens Reviews
Mini-review: Making portraits with the Lensbaby Composer on film
A few years ago, when I was first getting into serious photography and before I started exploring analog, I purchased a Lensbaby Composer lens for my Canon DSLR. For those who haven’t heard of the Lensbaby, it’s a (rather expensive for what it is) selective focus manual lens. Basically, you decide which part of the […]
Posted inOlympus film Camera reviews
Camera review: The Olympus XA, Downhill longboarding, Madeira Park and Agfa Vista Plus 200
“Of course they are..” I remember thinking to myself as I read the headline that Agfa Vista films were being discontinued. Why? Because it had just cemented its position as my go-to roll for weekend getaways. An almost perfect companion to the tiny must-pack-with-me Olympus XA that’s always in my pocket for casual trips. Best […]
Posted inKodak Film Stock Reviews
Film stock review: Kodak EASTMAN DOUBLE-X (5222) – 35mm format
Any cinephiles reading this have seen Kodak’s DOUBLE-X 5222 shine its magic even if they didn’t know it. It’s the stock that Manhattan, Schindler’s List and Raging Bull were shot on, as well as parts of Casino Royale, Kill Bill, and Momento. When shot properly, it yields fantastic results. Those familiar with Cinestill’s films may […]
Posted inFujifilm film camera reviews
A look at two uniquely different medium format Fujifilm cameras: The Fuji GA645Zi Professional and Fuji GW690III Professional
From the fully automatic point and shoot Fujifilm GA645Zi to the totally manual Fujifilm GW690III, Fujifilm’s medium format cameras encompass a wide range of types and functions and formats. I purchased both of these cameras based on recommendations from very different sources and as different as they are, I enjoy them both. I first learned […]
