January is either a busy for quiet month around the Internet. With the cold weather and post-holiday slump all being a part of this trend. But for those who are writing and creating content, January can also be a good time to get back behind the keyboard and work on partly completed work. Here are the blog posts and YouTube videos that caught my eye in January.
My Journey Into Photography – Ferrania P30 Review
Jim is one of my favourite ‘new’ photographers who is loving exploring as much as he can around film and film cameras. And he finally did his own review on FilmFerrania P30. P30 is a nortoriously difficult film to work with due to the high silver content and incredibly high contrast. Even using 510-Pyro and over-exposing the film did little to help out. But even still he managed to get some amazing shots in December lights in the city of Wigin. Check out Jim’s full review over on: jimgravesphoto.blogspot.com!
©Jim Graves – 2023
NONS Instant Back Review – 35mmc
I’m not one for instant photography, I find the cameras that are produced these days in any mass quantity are cheaply made with optics to match. But back in the day there were instant backs for most major formats, 4×5, 8×10, 6×6, 6×7 and more. But like the cameras these are also getting old and most were aimed at the Polaroid Type-100 format, which is no longer made and the film is getting expensive on the used market for a slowly dying format. But with new instant integral film being made, NONS has produced some new instant backs. David Hume takes to reviewing the NONS instant back on his 503CX Hasselblad. And the opening sentance speaks volumes, after shooting 30 frames in my Hasselblad 503 CX with the NONS Instant back I stopped thinking about the back at all and simply thought about making images. In other words the back was doing its job. That’s the essence of this review; the thing works. Read the rest over on 35mmc.com!
The Pop up – Kodak i60 Review – Austerity Photo
2023 was the year that simple use cameras took off, and a tonne of these simple-use plastic filmtastic 35mm hits the market. These sorts of cameras certainly gained their own cult following, but one stood out to Alan over on Austerity Photo, the Kodak i60. While the box reads Kodak, the camera itself licenses the Kodak name and branding and comes from Meta Imaging Solutions Ltd, which basically makes the Kodak branded cameras. But what sets the i60 apart from the other offerings is the pop up flash, but is that flash worth it? Well for that you’ll need to read the rest of the review over on: austerityphoto.co.uk!
Minolta X-700 Review – Down The Road
The Minolta X-700 is not the first camera to feature full auto-exposure, but it certainly put AE on the map with the middle-of-the-road aimed SLR from 1981 that went on to remain in production well into the autofocus era. For Jim, the X-700 is a good camera to review because it is a little taste of nostalga, that like many X-700s ended up failing, but he’s happy to have one in his kit once again. Read Jim’s entire review over on blog.jimgrey.net!
The Original Rolleiflex – Aly’s Vintage Camera Alley
You will pry my Rolleiflex 2.8F from my cold dead hands. I love a good TLR and I love a good TLR with an amazing history. The Rolleiflex series has a story that goes back to the 1920s, and while the OG ones are rare my good friend Aly got her hands on one. And after much encouragement has gotten out to reviewing her copy. A lovely gift from her wife back in 2013, Aly describes the camera as the Rolls Royce of cameras, and for a 1920s camera the images it can produce are stunning. You can read more over on alysvintagecameraalley.com
Fun With Cameras – Dorset and Lake of Bays on Slde Film
While Bill fully admits he should have used a different film stock, the results he got from a trip on the historic SS Bigwin around the Lake of Bays area in Dorset, Ontario using Atlanta Film Co’s Euphoric 100 are incredible. But honestly, I’m not surprising, paring the film with his Nikon F3/T and various Nikkor lenses brought me a good reminder of how beautiful northern Ontario is in the fall. Check out the Full Post Over At: funwithcameras.blogspot.com!
©Bill Smith – 2023
Kosmo Foto – Ricoh’s proposed compact film camera now at prototype stage
One of the biggest bits of news from last year, other than new colour films, is the news that Ricoh (Pentax) is working to produce brand new film cameras. And it seems that they have a working prototype. Kosmo Foto reports that an interview that appeared in the Japanese magazine Barfout features and interview with Makoto Iikawa the product development manager and Takeo Suzuki a product manager who showed off the prototype. The one thing that was missing is an actual photo of the prototype, which makes sense given the release of misleading/wrong information earlier in 2023. You can read the full story at: kosmofoto.com!
Pic: Barfout!
Texas Girl Photography – Happy New Year! Here’s to New Projects!
I love the idea of setting out to capture anything that means something to you, for the betterment of others, so this project certainly stood out to me as someone who has also extensively documented my home town of Milton, Ontario. But this project by Amy Jasek has an even more personal (to her) twist, her father also extensively documented her home town of Waco, Texas and now she is picking up where he left off. Amy will be using various cameras that he gifted to her and make that into a body of work, similar to her father’s work that still hangs in one of the city’s hotels. You can read more on the plans over at: texasgirlphotography.com!
Pic: Texas Girl Photography
Film News: The new MiNT Rollei 35 AF is Coming
While many people are currently eye’s on Pentax and their new prototype, camera manufacturer MiNT has also been working on their 35mm compact offering and this month they dropped a bomb. While many have been commenting on the fact the teaser images looked like the iconic Rollei 35. Well MiNT has licensed the Rollei branding and put it on their new compact offering. Banking on the form factor, name, and a heavy dose of nostalga, but also some interesting backing tech might be what this camera is looking for to stand out. Read more over on: japancamerahunter.com!
Pic: Mint-Camera
Yvonne Hanson – Whats the Deal With Kono Delight?
When it comes to false/adjusted colour films, they aren’t my usual cup of tea. But they are starting to get a bit of traction and one of the companies behind it, Kono, a German firm has released a series of films that have been adjusted by a custom in-house process. Yvonne, covers four of their colour stocks in her video and gets some stunning results. But what also drew me into the video is the contextual information about Kono and that they have some B&W film offerings as well.
Lina Bessonova – Flying With Film: Are Airport Security X-Ray and CT Scanners Safe? The ULTIMATE Test!
One of the biggest things about flying with film is the dangers that may come from running your film through X-Ray machines and the modern CT Scanners that are cropping up at airports around the world. Well if you’re thinking of travelling this year and are going to bring film along, worry no more, because Lina is going to do the big test for you in her latest video.
Eclectachrome – Using the HOLGA GCFN for my Frugal Film Project 2024
Molly is going to try and get further than she did last year with the Frugal Film Project. Last year she made it all the way to August, and then things fall apart. And that can happen with projects, but this year she’s taking on the challenge again but with the Holga 120GCFN with Kodak Gold 200. Now I’m not much of a colour film shooters, but Gold 200 in a Holga is awesome, and the one she’s using is one of the glass lens varients.
Thank you, Alex. I freely admit I took a big swing at Ferrania P30 by shooting it with my FED 2 with Jupiter 8 50mm f/2 lens and metering with my Gossen Trisix. I have another roll that I intend to shoot in a more modern camera with accurate metering and see how it compares. If only I could have that afternoon’s winter sunlight again, it would be the icing on the cake.
P30 is a tough nut! Try some over exposure (asa/50).