Kodak Technical Pan, Super XX, and Verichrome Pan films – Were these better film stocks than what we can find today?

I ask my friend Greg why really old expired Kodak Tech Pan film fetches insane prices on eBay and his reply was, “It’s God’s film”.   He said that with the right developer, it would provide incredible grainless detail and long smooth tones and that it was better than say the ADOX CMS 20 II film which isn’t sensitive to all colors like Tech Pan was.   Greg is the one who also introduced me to Kodak Verichrome Pan which I immediatelyRead more

Kodak Tri-X vs. Ilford HP5 – A photo comparison by The Darkroom Photo Lab

I thought this was a very useful film stock comparison and wanted to post it both for other and also so I can come back to it.   Personally I mostly shoot T-Max 400 and Ilford Delta 3200, but now that I’m shooting 8×10 and 11×14 I’ve started to shoot a lot more Ilford film stocks since they are available and less expensive.  What film stocks do you like? WHAT DO YOU LIKE? Kodak Tri-X 400 classic grain structure, contrast, deep blacksRead more

AuRA Rotary Assist Film Developing Machine by Viktor Falendysh — Kickstarter

Here’s a rotary film processing assistant on kickstarter that looks very well made.   I’m curious about how much difference in processing times a rotary drum makes, and whether drum speed, reversal matter.   I see that the AuRA’s standard processing turns fast for 30 seconds then slows down.  Is this really the equal of agitation?   Should a vane or other protrusion be put in the drum to assist with mixing?   I’m guessing that the film reels will provide enough opportunity forRead more

A secret stash of hundreds of Soviet cameras found in a Kazakh warehouse – Kosmo Foto

A secret stash of hundreds of Soviet cameras found in a Kazakh warehouse Source: A secret stash of hundreds of Soviet cameras found in a Kazakh warehouse – Kosmo Foto This was a pretty amazing to learn that warehouses of new cameras and lenses may be out there waiting to be discovered!   And I have a Smena that looks new that I bought on ebay last year… maybe one of them?  I bought it because I read an article whereRead more

Rolleiflex Buying Guide | Colton Allen | Film Shooters Collective

As the US Rolleiflex importer and dealer since 2013, I get a lot of questions about the older TLR’s and I think this is a pretty nicely put together buyer’s guide.  Seems everyone has their favorite – I’ve even seen photographer’s go to huge expense to have a digital back added to their Rolleicords (which aren’t reviewed in the linked article) but just goes to show even the lower cost TLR’s were capable of producing amazing images.  Most people don’tRead more

8×10 film vs IQ4 150mp | On Landscape

8 years ago I was fascinated by Tim Parkin’s article comparing film to the then best digital medium format backs – and one of the reasons I began to explore film in a more serious way.  I’m excited to see that he’s recently updated this with a new comparison of 8×10 film to the 150mp digital backs.  For me this is a re-confirmation of what I’ve already found myself while shooting 6×6 mf, 4×5 and 8×10 LF film.  Besides theRead more

Film Simulation vs Actual Film: Fuji ACROS Comparison

Interesting film vs digital comparison posted on Peta Pixel by Dale Rogers.  This is with the new version of the Fuji Acros pitted against the same film emulation on the Fuji digital camera.  Different lenses but similar equivalent focal length.   What do you think?  In most cases I actually liked the real film shots better. The recent release of the Fujifilm XPro3 camera coincided with me getting some recently re-released Fujifilm ACROS 100II film. Given my love of Fujifilm Source:Read more

Zenit-E review – Kosmo Foto

Here’s a great review of perhaps the best selling SLR camera in the last century that maybe you never heard about?  Definitely worth a read. These days these cameras are really inexpensive on Ebay and you even can get more modern versions with motor drive for about $140 with a f/2.0 lens Kosmo Foto review of the Soviet Zenit-E SLR camera, one of the cheapest M42-mount SLRs available. Source: Zenit-E review – Kosmo FotoRead more

Wikipedia’s List of Photographic Films a great reference

Source: List of photographic films – Wikipedia Recently I landed on this great and very complete film stock reference page at Wikipedia and thought I’d share it. What makes it so useful is one can quickly find the particular characteristics of each film stock, ie. fine grain, pushes to ISO 3200, etc.   If you find yourself wanting to test different emulsions coming out or happen like me to get old film stock in lots of cameras and want to knowRead more

Source: Filmtypes – Explore the world of analog film This is a really useful film comparison site….and I think it will improve as more reviews are added.    Hope they add sheet film!  I almost never shoot 35mm, but only 120 and LF films….Read more