By:
On:
In: Developer Review Blogs
With: 3 Comments

When keeping things simple, look no further than a monobath. As the name implies, a monobath developer will do all the steps for you, from developing to fixing. All you’ll need to do afterwards is clear and wash the film. It can also act as an almost universal developer being able to develop multiple rolls of film for the same period. Perfect if you need to develop film in the field to avoid it getting cooked in an airport scanner or want to keep your life simple at home for development. Monobaths are nothing new, they’ve been around for a while, and I’ve worked withRead More →

By:
On:
In: Film Review Blogs
With: 0 Comments

When it comes to instant film, there isn’t much that draws me to the medium. Other than the fact that it’s an instant film, it’s amazing that after Polaroid pulled the plug, someone was able to backwards engineer and recreate it. And I’ve been with them since the beginning from those early steps and some pretty terrible prototypes. And while Impossible Project turned to Polaroid Originals to reclaim the Polaroid name, the spirit of this has remained and started to produce normal repeatable products. Sure they may have lost their spirit of adventure, having a colour instant integral film in the 21st Century is somethingRead More →

By:
On:
In: Camera Review Blogs
With: 3 Comments

This was truly Minolta’s last hurrah; the age of the film SLR was starting to come to a close. Rather than let it go out with a whimper, Minolta took things by the reigns and rode out into the sunset with a sixth and final generation of film cameras before merging with Konica and leaving 35mm behind. Meet the Maxxum 70, elsewhere known as the Dynax 60 or α-70. While much of the final era of cameras from Minolta were continuations of their original three market segments, the Maxxum 9 (Professionals), Maxxum 7 (Advanced Amatures), and Maxxum 5 (Consumers). But this final subset of camerasRead More →

By:
On:
In: Developer Review Blogs
With: 0 Comments

Once you have it down, one of the most satisfying parts of home development is taking it to the next level is building your B&W developer. And the first developer for many photographers that they brewed up themselves, including me, is Caffenol. As the name implies, it’s a developer with a coffee base. Specifically, the caffeic acid that is found in instant coffee. While it’s easy to buy all the raw material in your average grocery store to build your caffenol, there is something nice about having a ready-made pack. And it should come as no surprise that the fine folks at the Film PhotographyRead More →

By:
On:
In: Film Review Blogs
With: 0 Comments

I love black & white in all forms, film, digital, and even instant. And up until only recently, the only way to get B&W instant film was through Polaroid (formerly Impossible & Polaroid Originals). From the start, the B&W stocks from this new generation of the instant integral film have been the strongest performers. But it only got better as the formulation was improved. Today the new BW600 is perhaps the instant film I reach for the most, although not too much due to the cost of the stock. It gives pleasing images and is always a fun go-around and works in almost all generationsRead More →

By:
On:
In: Film Review Blogs
With: 3 Comments

There is a legendary film that many professional photographers whisper about in hushed tones of reverence. Part of a lineup of professional films held near and dear to many photographers’ hearts. Especially regarding its sharpness and fine grain, that film is APX 25. I have shot this film many times; it’s one that I always will seek out when hunting through boxes of expired films or in the fridges at camera stores or when offered up by former professional photographers. Despite being a slow film, it is fun to use in almost any situation, and though it has been gone for twenty-two years now, itRead More →

By:
On:
In: Camera Review Blogs
With: 3 Comments

If you’re a long time listener of the Film Photography Podcast, this camera would be one of the more familiar ones, especially the iconic sound bite by Dan Domme, “Agfa Clack.” The camera earns its name by the clack sound the shutter makes, compared to the Agfa Click, also named for its shutter sound. Despite having many amazing cameras that perform perfectly, I have a soft spot for box cameras, so I started looking for an Agfa Clack after getting the Click-II. I should also note that the Clack is known as the Agfa Weekender in US Markets. Camera Specifications Make: Agfa Model: Clack Alternatively:Read More →

By:
On:
In: Developer Review Blogs
With: 1 Comment

If you’ve followed my photography journey, one of the first developers that became a favourite is Kodak HC-110, which switched to Ilfotec HC last year when I finished off my final bottle of the OG HC-110. But sometimes, you have to send in the clones. I’ve been aware of LegacyPro, and other clones HC-110 developers for some time but have never thought to give them a try. But after learning that Ilfotec LC29 is a variant of Ilfotec HC, I made a point to try L110. L110 is HC-110 but in an easier to pour format. To make the point that it will perform exactlyRead More →

By:
On:
In: Film Review Blogs
With: 0 Comments

It’s been a long road getting Silberra films; from their initial crowdfunding campaign, delays, communications blackouts, and other released products, I doubt I will ever see any of the 120 films I initially backed. But then I got word that I shouldn’t expect them, and I was offered up an alternative, replacing the rolls of 120 of Pan50 with rolls of 35mm. I’ve wanted to try this film for a while now, so I jumped. And the rolls arrived in a timely fashion; sadly, because there has been almost no stock reaching the wider world, there is not much information online, including processing times. Thankfully,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Camera Review Blogs
With: 2 Comments

I’m not one for point-and-shoot, automatic everything cameras. I’m not knocking such cameras; they’re excellent and have introduced many photographers to the world of film through their ease of use, pocketability and appeal in popular culture. Not to mention the Instagram and Celebrity crowd. Sadly this has also caused the price of certain premium and even primary point-and-shoot cameras to skyrocket in price. However, I do love a good unique camera, and the Minolta Weathermatic 35DL certainly fits that criteria. There are two reasons for this; the first and most apparent is that the camera is designed for underwater applications, fully watertight but can alsoRead More →