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6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography

29 Aug

The post 6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Tim Gilbreath.

Film photography, as an art form, is having a huge renaissance at the moment. This resurgence in popularity has been going on for a few years now, and the reasons for its existence is many fold.

Primarily, shooting film taps into our sense of nostalgia. Those are powerful feelings, and that power can push us on to do better and ignite our desire to learn more. At first, the general consensus of the photography community was that the return of film was a hipster’s game and almost became a cliche.

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Older, more experienced photographers reminded us there was a reason film had gone by the wayside when digital photography became widely used. What about all of the advancements in technology that made it easier, faster, and cheaper to take the same photos we took before?

In the end, the truth shows the mediums of film and digital sensors can, and do, coexist. An even happier truth is that not only is film photography still valid in this day and age, but its greatest purpose is also to bolster our knowledge of the craft and infinitely improve our digital picture-taking techniques and resulting images.

Let’s explore a few film photography challenges and their benefits a little further.

1. There’s no chimping after shooting a photo

“Chimping” refers to the practice of checking your display or viewfinder after every capture to see the resulting image. It seems nowadays everyone is speaking out against it. Film cameras, of course, having no digital display, didn’t have this ability. You didn’t know what the shot would look like until you developed the film.

6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography

While there are certainly advantages to this practice, such as quickly identifying an incorrect exposure or setting, it is easy to fall into a habit of methodically looking at your display and missing other opportunities to shoot. Most camera LCDs are very small. They don’t do a great job of representing details of how capture really looks.

Try adjusting the review settings in your camera and setting them to one second, or no review if that’s an option. This will simulate just shooting without spending time looking over the resulting image.

2. You are limited to 24 or 36 shots

Another limitation of shooting with a film camera is the number of exposures available to you. Depending on the film type, you could only have a couple of dozen exposures to use on a single roll. Once they were gone, they were gone – no deleting in-camera.

Shooting with a limited set of exposures compels you to slow down a bit and take your time when shooting. If you know you only have a small number of shots, you’ll definitely take more care with composition, settings, and lighting before clicking the shutter button.

6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography

Of course, this exercise can be practiced by mentally allowing yourself only 24 or 36 shots in a session, and then going back to review them after pulling them off of the camera. Did you notice an improvement in the technical aspects of the image after you had to stop “spraying and praying”?

3. You are stuck with a single ISO for a whole roll of film

In the film days, ISO wasn’t used in the same context as it is today. Now, we think of ISO as an adjustable setting on our cameras (which of course, it is). We know that raising the ISO on our DSLR or mirrorless cameras lets in more light to the sensor, at the expense of adding digital noise.

Film cameras didn’t have these adjustments, because the film you loaded dictated the ISO. To shoot indoors in a lower light situation, you’d buy and load an ISO 400 or ISO 800 film. Then, to shoot outside in the sun, you’d more likely go with ISO 100.

The caveat, of course, was once you loaded a roll of film, you were stuck with that ISO until you finished the roll.

Nowadays, we can change ISO for every shot, drastically improving the efficiency of our series of images captured in one sitting.

6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography

Try shooting with the same ISO through an entire set of images with your digital camera. Many of us will leave the ISO the same for extended periods. However, not changing it at all strengthens your knowledge and usage of the exposure triangle. You’re going to have to adjust aperture and shutter speed instead to get a properly exposed image.

4. You need to know how to use manual exposure controls

As stated above, today ISO is a setting or a dial, not a roll of film you can’t change until it’s finished. Film cameras are the perfect tool to learn the exposure triangle since most controls are manual on these devices. Some later SLR models had automatic aperture controls, but even these require a little more input than what is available on current DSLRs.

To simulate this, set your camera’s mode to “Manual,” and play around with the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture to see what happens when one or more of these are changed. What does it do to the needle in the light meter? How does that final effect change the image recorded?

Proper exposure is a game. Changing one part of the exposure triangle changes the final output. You have to find out what other settings you must alter to balance that change and produce a correctly exposed image.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on when you set your camera to Av (aperture priority) or Tv (shutter priority).

5. There is no autofocus, so you’ll need to focus manually

One of the greatest technological improvements available in DSLR cameras today involves how the user focuses on a particular point in the frame. In older SLR cameras, a manually rotating ring on the lens controlled lens focusing. It changed the distance between the lens and sensor, thereby increasing or decreasing the sharpness of the focus.

On the DSLR cameras of today, electronic autofocus systems allow the photographer to manually or automatically select focus points within the frame. Then the camera adjusts a motorized focusing mechanism within the lens to focus. This can all happen very quickly – in seconds – and greatly improved picture taking over the last couple of decades.

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As wonderfully innovative as autofocus is, not using it can help us reconnect with the mechanisms of film cameras. It helps us better understand the act of focusing a lens on increasing or decreasing sharpness in an image. Thankfully, most modern lenses give you the option of disabling the autofocus system altogether and focus manually.

To do this, simply look for the autofocus switch on your lens barrel (usually a two-position switch marked AF at one end, and MF at the other), and switch it to MF (manual focus). Doing this disables your autofocus system. You’ll be required to rotate the thin ring near the end of the lens to adjust focus.

6. There are no LCD screens, menus or advanced features to help you along

As camera systems entered the digital age and became more advanced, cameras themselves started to rely less on analog controls and more on menus available on bigger LCD screens. These menus allow you to control the finer aspects of the camera. They let you dig deeper into the options available.

Of course, film cameras had no menus. They didn’t even have LCD screens. Any options that you had control of you adjusted through analog knobs and switches on the camera body. With an old Canon AE-1 Program, you couldn’t change the file format (there isn’t one) or which autofocus mode to use (of course, no autofocus). To use “Program” mode, you simply turned the aperture ring on the lens to “A,” and the camera would then set the shutter speed and aperture automatically.

6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography

Naturally, you can simulate this by ignoring your LCD screen entirely. That means no chimping images after you push the shutter button, and not adjusting any settings in the camera. Using the analog dials (if available) on your camera will, again, help strengthen your understanding of the basics of taking photos. In the long run, this can only improve your photography.

In closing

So as we’ve seen, these film photography challenges can provide many benefits to modern-day shooters, whether you have an interest in analog photography or not. So take an afternoon out with your camera, and pretend it’s an old SLR, with none of the benefits of your newer model.

Get back to the basics. Concentrate on the bare essentials needed to capture a photograph. You will come out with a better understanding of how to capture light, and a more fulfilling enjoyment of the hobby. Also, you’ll produce better pictures, and more importantly, know exactly how you captured them.

Do you shoot with film cameras? Have you tried treating your dSLR like a film camera? Share with us your thoughts on these film photography challenges in the comments below!

The post 6 Film Photography Challenges that can Improve your Digital Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Tim Gilbreath.

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Interview: Colin Goudie, feature film editor

24 Aug

In the edit suite for The Show, a new film written by and starring Alan Moore

Colin Goudie is a feature film editor with a career spanning over 35 years, editing everything from 16mm film to Digital 65mm, and has cut films in big studios, hotel rooms and even tin shacks. Most recently, he’s known for his work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Monsters, though he doesn’t limit himself to big budget productions and can often be found editing lower budget documentaries and dramas too.

Colin talked with DPRevew about editing movies back in the film days, and the transition to a fully digital workflow.

How did you start out as an editor?

I got a placement at Nene College of Art and did a foundation course for two years where I discovered 35mm stills photography. I graduated from Nene and got a placement at Bournemouth College of Art School of film, photography and TV production.

Instead of just concentrating on stills photography, in year one I would actually go to the second and third year students and ask them if they wanted a unit stills photographer and, of course, everybody always wanted a free unit stills photographer. I did that, and of course the thing about a film set is there’s always too much work to be done and not enough people to do it, so people would start asking you to hold this boom mic, could you alter those barn doors on that light, so you start to learn the process.

Of course, if you don’t mess up people give you more and more responsibility. By the time I went into my second year people were asking me to edit their films, so I jumped ahead by a year. Then I left film school and I managed to get a job at the BBC in their trainee assistant film editor course.

Do you remember the first time you saw non linear editing and what was your reaction?

I left the BBC after 10 years editing on film and tape, and the very first job I was offered was for a tiny documentary series for the BBC about volunteering. There were 15 minute films and the director of one of the episodes had recommended me to the Series Producer. The Series Producer phoned up to talk to me; we got on well over the phone and he said I’d been highly recommended, but the film was cutting on Lightworks and was I OK with that? I said yes.

In year one I would actually go to the second and third year students and ask them if they wanted a unit stills photographer and, of course, everybody always wanted a free unit stills photographer.

I hung the phone up and then I picked it up right away and called directory enquiries and said, “Can you put me through to a company called Lightworks?” and they looked up the number and put me through. I said, “Hi, can you tell me what a Lightworks is and how can I learn to use one?” Lightworks ran a training course that was two days, and I went and spent a lot of money to do the course and then on the following week I started on the series.

I do remember that the other person – there were only two of us on the course – when the instructor talked about using the mouse, said she had never used a computer mouse in her life. I had because of my days at the BBC, because you had to do some stuff with the mouse and a bit of DOS work. Also, because I used an Atari ST as a gamer.

It’s really interesting, everything everybody tells you that playing computer games are bad. But actually it turned out not to be because I understood about loading floppy disks, doing backups, using a mouse, what a DOS monitor was and how to type in code. All those things I learnt in gaming were really useful in an editing environment, and I did see other people struggle who had never done that.

I loved Lightworks straight off because for me it was finally a combination of of the dexterity of film editing, the fact that I can cut in a single frame, the fact that I can drop it in two-thirds of the way through a film or a third of the way through the film. It meant I didn’t have to re-conform my tape like it had on on the U-matic based editing system. It also meant that I could keep all my previous cuts of the film.

A young Colin editing 16mm. It was a very delicate process.

Editors who have worked with film often talk about the physicality of it. Do you miss it?

No, mainly because Lightworks felt physical when you were using that controller. It was lovely to have your pictures at better quality than they had been on U-matic in the early days of offline. Of course, you did come a cropper because you had to digitize at a quite a low quality picture rate, so sometimes you would miss things.

I remember editing a show once, a World War II drama, and there was an extremely wide shot of the outside of St. Pancras station with hundreds of cast members walking through shot, and a shot like that eats up your data rate so things look very blocky.

It was only when they conformed the film and the guys were dubbing it, and the sound crew were laying in the footsteps, looking at the film frame by frame for footsteps, said, “Do you know there’s somebody walking through shot with a Sainsbury’s shopping bag?” Which for a WWII drama was a bit of an error. Nobody has ever seen it, I never saw it on the rushes because I only saw the digitized picture.

It was a learning curve. It really made me learn to look for those kind of things even more on a heavily digitized picture. It also made me fight vociferously for productions moving forward from that day that I would have more memory and be able to digitize my rushes at the highest possible quality.

I learnt to do all my wide shots at a higher quality digitization rate than the close-ups, whereas up until that time it was always quicker and easier to do everything at the lowest possible rate, which is what everybody did because memory was so expensive in those days. A 9 gigabyte drive was £2,400. If you do the maths on that it was £90,000 in memory alone just for an edit, so you cut your cloth accordingly but those are all learning things. It was the early days of nonlinear.

Colin and Gareth Edwards on Rogue One.

You’ve edited in some quite odd places. Normally, people picture director and editor sitting in a air conditioned room with coffee and croissants coming in, but that’s not always been your experience has it?

Certainly among my peers I seem to have edited in more weird locations than many. I have done my fair bit of editing in suites, but I’ve also done a lot of location editing. I have edited at Soho and Pinewood and Shepperton, Skywalker Ranch at the Lucasfilm Presidio in San Francisco and also in the rim of a volcano, but it wasn’t active.

I like location editing for the access it gives me to the director and sometimes to the cast. It’s very useful if you befriend the actors on location and they become your mates, because when you go up to them and say, “Could you just record this line of dialogue for me so I can lay it into the edit and try out an idea with some new dialogue?” it’s much easier if you know them.

Certainly among my peers I seem to have edited in more weird locations than many.

Obviously, having the access to your director when on location is great because if I look at the rushes in the afternoon that they shot in the morning and spot something that I need a pickup on, I can pop down to set straight away while they’ve still got the cast on that set. I can even show them a little rough edit that I might have done and say this is why I need this shot, so everyone understands why you need it, and I’ll get it bashed out for you really quickly – there’s no delay in that process.

Don’t you find yourself out on a limb in those situations?

The drawback of editing on location is lack of technical backup, so if something goes wrong and you’re on the other side of the world with a laptop and suddenly your card reader doesn’t talk to your drive or your camera media, then you’re really stuffed. I have made numerous phone calls to people in the UK pleading for some help down a dodgy phone line to get me out of a scrape or send me a new driver down the internet.

My joke I always used when I talked to the production manager was, I don’t care about the quality of my hotel room so long as I’ve got a table and a chair, stable electricity mains supply and the internet, and you wouldn’t believe how many times you can’t get all four of those things. That can really affect your workflow.

If you don’t have a stable electricity supply it’s impossible to run your drives because they just keep dropping out the whole time, so suddenly the Producers are like, “Why didn’t you cut anything today?” and it’s like “I don’t have a main supply to edit it, to run the external hard drives up on.”

You get used to the fact of taking portable drives that you can maybe clone material from, and work off of on the short-term until you can get to some sort of electricity supply and recharge your laptop.

Colin editing Monsters on location.

You’ve also shared your edit suite with some non human occupants as well haven’t you?

I’ve had an edit suite where a scorpion came in underneath the door.

I also worked on a BBC series which was edited inside London Zoo, in a large Portacabin. It was a real team experience with four other freelance editors, a bit like the old days at the BBC. The great thing about that was that the zoo keepers sometimes brought a few of the animals into the office. We had Coatis and even a Lynx come round; the Coatis ate our lunch (they loved yogurt) and the Lynx pawed the carpet. We all adopted them.

We did have a problem with some other wildlife at the Zoo. One day I came into my suite, turned on my Avid and then booted up all the others. When I got back to mine all the media was offline and I checked the same had happened in every other edit too. On investigation, the Technical Manager found that a rat had chewed through the fiber optic cable than ran between the edit suites and the main building where the drives were kept.

I’ve had an edit suite where a scorpion came in underneath the door.

Cheap plastic cable cost us days in edit time until it could be replaced by the armored variety. Cutting costs there actually didn’t work out too well.

If you could re-cut one film that you haven’t made what would it be?

I’d inter-cut Dunkirk with The Darkest Hour and make one movie because I think there’s a way of doing that. When I was a kid growing up epic films were Lawrence of Arabia, which had incredible battle scenes, and they also had really intelligent political dialogue scenes and these days it seems that you have to have one or the other.

Dunkirk is a spectacular looking action movie but I don’t understand what’s going on plot wise in terms of the history of Dunkirk. I mean, I know because I grew up watching World War II movies, I’ve talked to my dad who fought in the war, but for a modern audience in terms of teaching you about Dunkirk it’s incomprehensible.

It doesn’t have any plot, it just has incredible action scenes, The Darkest Hour is a really brilliantly made Churchillian biopic which gives you all the political background but has no scale, it’s almost all people in rooms talking.

I think that if you took the rushes for those two films it would be fascinating to see if you could have a crack at making one 3 hour long Lawrence of Arabia style epic which told the story of Dunkirk and told the story of Churchill and made effectively the modern Lawrence of Arabia. You’d have to have the rushes, and you’d have to have carte blanche to do what you wanted, but I think that would be amazing to do that.

X Wings and kilts, not often seen together.

Thinking about Star Wars, what’s your favorite film and why?

Empire Strikes Back, definitely.

I saw Star Wars (Episode IV) when it came out. I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite movie of all time, but I did enjoy it. I think one of the reasons why it wasn’t my favorite movie is because it took six months to get from America to the UK and by the time we actually sat in the cinema to watch it they’d shown so many clips of it on TV you kind of knew the story.

When Empire Strikes Back came out it was all shrouded in secrecy, there were no clips. Up until that movie I had not seen the Godfather Part II, so basically I’d never seen a good sequel. Every sequel that I’d ever seen was not as good as the original film; Jaws 2 was not as good as Jaws, and it was effectively the same film.

With Empire Strikes Back I sat down to watch what I thought was going to be Star Wars part II, and I saw a film that took things in a totally different Direction. It introduced new characters, had Yoda, who has got to be one of the greatest cinematic characters of all time, and was not flagged up in the first movie at all all.

Every sequel that I’d ever seen was not as good as the original film; Jaws 2 was not as good as Jaws, and it was effectively the same film.

Then the Twist with what they did with the Luke Skywalker character and the Darth Vader character, and the fact that it ended on a cliffhanger, which in those days no movie did. Now every movie does it. I just remember walking out of that movie theater on opening day – I saw it at 10:30 in the morning at Odeon Leicester Square in 70mm, and all I wanted to do was go back in and see that movie again, which I couldn’t do because it was sold out.

I just thought it was incredible, and I think that the score had some of the tracks from the original movie, but the Empire theme was new for Empire Strikes Back. Imperial March is not in the first movie, that is one of the most defining pieces of music in cinematic history, so to get all those pieces was incredible and the visual effects (VFX) were on a new level.

I understood how they did the VFX in the original Star Wars film, spaceships against black, because I really studied and knew about 2001 and how they did that. But, when they had sequences of snow speeders going across landscapes against snow in Empire… my little brain was going, “How did they do that?”

Colin editing at the BBC on tape.

Moving from 16mm to tape, and now on to digital, what’s been the biggest challenge?

I think the biggest technical difference during my career as an editor has been the introduction of video tape, and now digital over film, because when we shot on film the average shooting ratio was 10 to 1. I remember when I made my University film I shot on a ratio of 1.25 to 1. I had 40 minutes of film stock to make a 25-minute finished drama.

When you learn that discipline 10 to 1 seems like luxury. The skill set, the training that most directors had in the first part of my career, was that everybody had come up through film and they learnt to shoot on a 10 to 1 shooting ratio, so they don’t get the minimum amount of coverage needed, but have sufficient coverage – not excessive coverage – and that it was correct.

When I made my University film I shot on a ratio of 1.25 to 1. I had 40 minutes of film stock to make a 25-minute finished drama.

What happened with videotape was things started to become a bit more ‘shoot everything that moves and we’ll sort it out the edit’, and that’s a tradition that is even more prevalent with digital today. Traditionally capture was only in real time, now you don’t even to wait that long so shooting ratios have exploded. That is almost always to the detriment of what happens in the edit because that means that the editor now has more footage to look at than there are hours in the day to look at it.

Unless you are on a very long schedule you need either the director to have gone through the material and come in with at least some notation, and some honing down clarification as to what they’ve shot, so that you only need look at the minimum amount for what you need to do the edit.

Quite often what I’ll do is do that, and when I’ve assembled the film I will then talk to them and say, “What else have you got that I’ve not seen?” that we can now go back and look at with a view to improving some of the sequences, because you just don’t have time to watch everything on a standard schedule.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Negative Supply launches Kickstarter for Film Carrier MK1, a 35mm camera scanning system

02 Jul

A company called Negative Supply has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a 35mm film holder for camera scanning called MK1. The product exists in two components, the Film Carrier MK1 and the Pro Mount MK1, the latter of which is an optional weighted base with adjustable feet. According to the team behind the device, Film Carrier MK1 can be used to scan an entire roll of 35mm film in around 5 minutes.

Film Carrier MK1 boasts full 35mm frame scanning, meaning each scan includes the border of the image area. Each frame is ‘forced flat’ via the product’s ‘unique channel technology,’ according to Negative Supply, the result being ’near zero distortion.’

The film carrier has a simple mechanical design that requires the user to load the roll into the device, then manually advance it frame-by-frame by turning an advance wheel. The film emulsion doesn’t come into contact with the film carrier, which only touches the edges of the film where the sprocket holes are located. The design is rounded out with a ‘light shroud’ that protects against ambient light intrusion.

According to Negative Supply, it spent months testing the MK1 design and is ready to bring it to market. The Kickstarter campaign is offering backers a single Film Carrier MK1 35mm scanner for pledges of at least $ 249 USD and the Film Carrier MK1 with Pro Mount MK1 for $ 399 USD or more. Both options are expected to start shipping to backers in September.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm issues advisory after discovering counterfeit 35mm rolls of Fujifilm-branded film

26 Jun

Fujifilm Japan has issued an advisory (Japanese) warning customers that counterfeit 35mm film featuring the ‘Fujifilm’ brand has been found on the market. The fraudulent products were discovered when a customer took the counterfeit film to a photo developer in Japan, according to a statement from the company.

Fujifilm warns the counterfeit 35mm film products are packed with ‘movie film’ that can’t be developed using CN-16 and C-41 processes; attempting to develop these products may contaminate the developer, putting other customers’ film at risk. Shops that attempt to develop this counterfeit film are advised to change the developer solution and clean the machine.

It’s unclear how widely the counterfeit film products have been distributed. Fujifilm provides three sample images featuring the non-genuine ‘Fujifilm’ film. In addition to the 250D roll featured in the advisory, Fujifilm says there may be other counterfeit products including 250T and 64D.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Hasselblad updates CFV digital back for V-system film cameras, produces tiny 907X body

23 Jun

Hasselblad will be reintroducing its medium format digital back for its V-system medium format film cameras, and has announced a new slimline X-series body to go with it. The new CFV II 50C will feature a tilting screen to emulate the waist level finder experience, while the 907X camera will create an interface between the digital back and the company’s XCD lenses.

The CFV II 50C digital back will work on the company’s ‘V-Series’ cameras but can also be used with the new 907X camera, which uses XCD lenses to create a tiny combination.

The original CFV digital back disappeared at about the time the X1D arrived in 2016, with Hasselblad citing a shortage of 50 Megapixel (43.8 x 32.9 mm) CMOS sensors as it clambered to meet demand for the new medium format X body. This new version brings with it some of the advantages of the new X1D II 50C, including a touchscreen and the new style menu that the new camera has adopted. Of great relief will be that the battery is incorporated into the body of the back instead of hanging from below as in the original version. The battery will be the same 3400 mAh unit that is used in the X1D II 50C, and it can also be charged via USB while still in the back.

The 907X body with the new CFV ll 50C back compared to the X1D ll 50C

The new 907X camera is tiny slip of a camera that allows X-series lenses to be mounted on the CFV II 50C back. Designed in the classic Hasselblad style, the camera has a chrome shutter button on the front, and a black and chrome finish on the rest of the body. While the native mount will be for the X lenses, almost all H lenses will be able to be used via an adapter. Adapters will also allow XPan and classic V lenses to be used.

The company says a grip and an optical viewfinder will be available once the body is released.

Together with the CFV digital back, the new 907X isn’t a hundred miles from the V1D concept camera that Hasselblad displayed at Photokina in 2016. That idea was designed to be modular, and was shown with a grip and a moveable screen. This doesn’t have a screen that can be placed on the top of the body, but the CFV II 50C does have a flip up screen that might go some way towards feeling like the same thing.

Neither CFV II 50C or 907X have a price or a delivery date yet, but we are promised more information later this year. For more information see the Hasselblad website.

Press release

THE CFV II AND 907X CONNECT HASSELBLAD’S PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY INTO ONE SYSTEM

Hasselblad proudly announces the development of the modernised CFV II 50C digital back and the brand new 907X camera body, which together will connect Hasselblad’s photographic history into one system.

The CFV II 50C digital back, which will have an outstanding medium format 50-megapixel CMOS sensor (43.8 x 32.9 mm), will enable use with most V System cameras made from 1957 and onwards in addition to third party technical or view cameras. Improving upon the user experience of the previous generations, the CFV II 50C will feature a brilliant tilt screen with full touch support and Hasselblad’s renowned user interface for settings, image review, and menu navigation. Users of previous CFV digital backs will appreciate a new fully-integrated battery, the same used on the X System, which will reduce overall size and with the option to recharge in-camera via the USB-C port. Combining its iconic aesthetics with modern technology, the CFV II 50C gives a nod to Hasselblad’s history combined with the brand’s world-renowned image quality.

Coupling the CFV II 50C with Hasselblad’s smallest medium format camera body ever, the 907X, creates a highly compact package. This combination will offer a truly distinct photographic experience, including the classic waist-level shooting style of the V System enabled by the CFV II 50C’s tilt screen. With the 907X, the photographer will gain access to all of the high-quality X System Lenses in addition to a vast range of Hasselblad optics via adapters, including the H System, V System, and XPan Lenses. In addition, the 907X will enable compatibility with a wide range of third-party adapters and lenses. Planned accessories to beautifully complement the combination include the 907X Control Grip and 907X External Optical Viewfinder.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm plans to bring back NEOPAN 100 Acros black and white film by the end of the year

10 Jun

Fujifilm has announced it will re-start black and white film manufacturing this year and will bring out a new version of its former Acros film. The new NEOPAN Acros 100 II will feature finer grain and the company claims it will be the sharpest black and white film on the market.

In a press release on the Fujifilm Japan website, President Kenji Sono explains that after the company stopped production of monochrome film last year many of its users asked for production to be started again. Part of the issue for the company, he says, was that some raw materials in the film were hard to source. For the new film alternatives have been found and the production process radically changed to account for them.

Using ‘Super Fine particle technology’ the company has achieved an extremely fine-grained emulsion that produces what are described as 3-dimensional results. Highlight details are also much improved over the way they were rendered in the previous film.

NEOPAN Acros 100 ll is due to go on sale towards the end of the year and will be available in 135 and 120 formats.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Analog gems: 10 additional film cameras worth buying right now

08 Jun

Analog gems part 2

Back in 2017 we shared our list of 10 excellent, affordable film cameras worth considering. Jump to today, in 2019, and public interest in analog photography has only continued to grow. So much so that we thought it was high time to revisit our original list and call out ten more film cameras worthy of your time and money.

These cameras were selected based on reader feedback, research and the staff’s collective analog lust. All of them can be found pretty easily on the second-hand market in good working order, most for a relative bargain. So get ready to hunt through your freezer for a long-expired roll of film, it’s time for Analog Gems Part 2.

Read Analog Gems part 1Note: cameras are arranged from least to most expensive.

Nikon EM

History: The Nikon EM was by all measures, a commercial flop for the brand. Yet decades later it has endured as Nikon’s smallest, lightest and best-looking (opinion) film SLR. Launched in 1979, this Aperture Priority-only camera was reportedly built with female shooters in mind – the stylish good looks are courtesy of famed auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. It’s anyone’s guess why the camera sold poorly; manufacturing stopped by 1982, but the theory is most women at the time preferred the EM’s fully-manual siblings to what is essentially a simplified, fashion-forward, budget model. Still, despite its entry-level status, the EM is as reliable as its pricier siblings from the same era.

If you’re after a small, handsome little camera that’s super simple to use, look no further

Why we like it: If you’re after a small, handsome little camera that’s super simple to use, look no further. The EM features a very accurate center-weighted meter that’s powered by two S76 or A76 batteries. A small button below the film rewind acts as a negative two stop exposure compensation when pressed. The camera is fully electronic in operation but can function on no juice with limited shutter speeds – an ‘M90’ mode locks the shutter speed at 1/90 sec, the camera’s standard ‘Auto’ mode sets the shutter speed to 1/1000 sec. The body is mostly built of a copper and aluminum alloy, though the top and bottom covers are polycarbonate.

Find one: These cameras are incredibly easy to come across in new, or like-new condition for between $ 20 and $ 75. They only come in black. The EM’s arrival on the scene also brought with it the introduction of Nikon’s budget E line of glass. Of this line, the 50mm F1.8 E and the 100mm F2.8 E are both impressive performers and quite compact in size. It’s very easy to find the former kitted with the EM on places like Ebay.

Also consider: The Nikon FM was a step up from the EM – they’re a little pricier and chunkier but come with full manual controls.

Konica C35 EF

History: The C35 EF is a compact rangefinder camera that debuted in 1975. It sports a very sharp 38mm F2.8 lens and the World’s first pop-up flash. Other than choosing to activate the flash or not, the camera is fully automatic in nature. A small red light on the back illuminates if the exposure is too dark and the flash is needed. Focus is set by choosing one of four zones.

Why we like it: A personal favorite of Andy Warhol, there’s something oh-so-appealing about these boxy little cameras. They’re fairly well-built, easy to use and an eye-catcher for sure. Perhaps most importantly, the lens is very sharp and metering/flash output tends to be accurate. The flash is powered by standard AA batteries. The meter uses a discontinued 1.35v mercury cell battery, however the MR-44 battery adapter will allow you to use a common silver oxide battery (392 or SR41) instead without any issues.

A personal favorite of Andy Warhol, there’s something oh so appealing about these boxy little cameras

Find one: You can find a C35 EF used, in good condition for between $ 20 and $ 75. They come in two varieties, the later version has a self timer (and a greater range of shutter speeds for the camera to choose from).

Also consider: The C35 EF3 debuted several years after the original C35 and sports a redesigned 35mm F2.8 lens. It’s also got a lighter body and has an even greater range of shutter speeds for the camera to select from. Available in 7 colors, including a cherry red variety, these can be a little trickier and pricier to track down than the original C35 EF.

Note: The C35 EF3 is shown above

Fujifilm Instant Mini 70

History: Launched in 2011, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 is one of the brand’s most-stylish and affordable instant cameras. As its name suggests, it uses the Fujifilm’s Instax Mini format, which comes in packs of 10. The Instax brand itself was actually first introduced back in 1998 and has grown extremely popular, especially in recent years.

Why we like it: Of all the instant cameras currently on the market, we picked the Mini 70 as our favorite thanks to its balance of price to features. It’s lightweight, looks cool and is very easy to operate. The camera’s powered by two lithium CR2 batteries which provide ample power for many packs of film. It’s also fairly well-built and offers some very basic manual controls (+2/3rd EV and flash on/off).

It’s light-weight, looks cool and is easy to operate

Find one: These cameras are still being made and can be purchased new in a wide variety of fun colors for around $ 50-75. We like Island Blue.

Also consider: The Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 uses the brand’s largest format instant film and is both easy to operate and well-built. It’s certainly a chunky beast of a camera, but that’s par for the course in this format.

Olympus OM-1/N

History: The Olympus OM-1 is a small, lightweight SLR that debuted in the early 1970’s at Photokina. It was originally called the M-1, which didn’t make Leica too happy (given their existing M-series rangefinder line), so the name was later changed to OM-1. Purely mechanical in nature, the OM-1 offers only manual controls. The OM-1N was a slightly updated model offering a redesigned wind lever, and some improvements designed to make it easier to work with a flash.

Why we like it: The OM-1 features a large viewfinder packed into a small, light SLR. It’s an attractive little camera that has some unusual design elements, like its shutter speed dial around the lens barrel. These cameras are very well-built and only need batteries to operate the meter, which takes a now-discontinued 1.35v mercury cell battery. But not to worry, there’s an adapter for that too – the MR-9 battery adapter will allow you to use a common silver oxide battery (386).

It’s an attractive little camera that has some unique design elements

Find one: These cameras can easily be found in good condition for between $ 50 and $ 150 in the two-tone silver-and-black variety. An all-black version is also available but for a good bit more cash. The OM-1 often sells with the original kitted 50mm F1.8 lens.

Also consider: The Olympus OM-2 can be purchased for just a little more than the original OM-1 and gives you automatic exposure controls as well as manual controls. There’s also no mercury battery to worry about . However the camera is fully electronically controlled, so power is needed to use most shutter speeds.

Photo by Alan Drummond

Pentax MX

History: The Pentax MX was released as a professional-level camera in 1976 during a time when competition in the SLR market was stiff and SLRs were getting ever smaller. The MX remained Pentax’s flagship until the 1980s. Externally similar to the Pentax ME, the MX is purely mechanical and offers only manual controls. The ME on the other hand is electronically-controlled with both manual and auto functions. The former was geared toward professionals, the latter toward enthusiasts.

Why we like it: The Pentax MX is a handsome camera – it’s among the smallest and lightest SLRs on our list (second to the Nikon EM) and very well constructed. Operation is fully-mechanical, so if the battery dies (two LR44 batteries) you only lose the lightmeter. Controls are simple and direct – the viewfinder is impressively large.

The Pentax MX is among the smallest and lightest SLRs in our list

Find one: The Pentax MX can be found in good condition for between $ 75 and $ 200, often with the original kitted Pentax 50mm F2 included (splurge on the much nicer 50mm F1.7 if you can find it). The two-tone silver-and-black models are far easier to find than the all-black finish.

Also consider: The Pentax ME is similar in size and weight to the MX and can be found for considerably less cash. It doesn’t have the same reputation for reliability as the MX and requires batteries to operate (except at 1/100 sec), but it is still a very good bang for your buck.

Photo by Pierre-Jean Parra

Canon T90

History: Introduced as Canon’s flagship camera in 1986, the T90 is also arguably the most advanced FD-mount camera ever made. The year after its debut Canon unveiled the all-electronic EF-mount on EOS cameras with support for autofocusing lenses, effectively nailing the coffin shut on future FD development. Still, the T90 offers a ton of modern features – like a top plate display, multi-function control dial and incredibly sophisticated ambient and flash metering modes, plus 4.5 fps burst shooting – in a tough, beautiful body. Its release also ushered in a more curvaceous era of Canon SLR design, one we’re still very much in. The Current EOS-1D X Mark II owes a lot to the T90, after more than 30 years.

Why we like it: It’s almost impossible to hold the T90 and not think about modern Canon DSLRs – so much of their ergonomic excellence is rooted in this camera. From a usability standpoint, the T90 is a pleasure to shoot with – it’s powered by 4 AA batteries. Nicknamed ‘The Tank,’ these cameras can take a lot of abuse. Did we mention 4.5 fps continuous shooting?

The T90 offers a ton of modern features like 4.5 fps burst shooting

Find one: There are some common T90 problems to keep an eye out for, like sticky shutters and faded top plate LCDs, but it’s not hard to find one in great working order. Good condition models can be had for between $ 150 and $ 250, body-only. And because the FD mount was discontinued, lenses for the T90 are often a bargain. Just be aware, almost every second-hand T90 will be missing its original eyecup.

Also consider: The Canon T70 is the boxy, more 80s-looking predecessor to the T90. It offers a top plate LCD, continuous shooting (a lackluster 0.7 fps) and multiple metering modes. Unlike the T90 it is a fully-automatic camera. You can find them for around $ 50.

Nikon FE2

History: We wavered back and forth between recommending the FE2 and the FM2 and ultimately chose the former as they’re easier to find in good condition, for a decent price. These two mid-range cameras are very similar both in design and in terms of their reliability – both are also relatively light and compact for an SLR. The FM2 was released in 1982 and only has manual controls, while the FE2 was released in 1983 and has both manual and automatic controls. The ‘M’ in FM2 refers to it’s purely mechanical design, the ‘E’ in FE2 refers to its electronically-controlled design.

Why we like it: The FE2 can be operated in a fully manual capacity or in an aperture priority mode. Conveniently, you can adjust exposure compensation by + / – 2 stops (available in third stop increments) when shooting in aperture priority. Metering is center-weighted and accurate. The camera is powered by two S76 or A76 batteries and will still work with no batteries, albeit in a limited capability (only 1/250 sec and bulb). These cameras are very well built and easy to come across in good working order.

These cameras are very well-built and easy to come across in good working order

Find one: You can expect to pay between $ 150 and $ 250 for an FE2 in nice condition, though that price seems to slowly be creeping upwards. They come in both all-black as well as two-tone black and silver. If you score a particularly minty one you can likely expect it to serve you for many years to come.

Also consider: The original Nikon FE can be had for a bit less money than the FE2, and you don’t sacrifice much (slower top shutter speed, flash sync speed, no TTL flash). On the other hand, for more cash you can get yourself the purists’ camera in a Nikon FM2.

Photo by Paul Chin

Konica Big Mini BM-200 or 300-series

History: There are a few different varieties of the Konica Big Mini that came out in the early 90’s – including several with zoom lenses. For simplicity’s sake we will focus on the non-zooming BM-200 and 300-series (which are quite similar). These lightweight point-and-shoots sport the same sharp 35mm F3.5 lens and are fully-automatic in nature. Two LEDs in the viewfinder let users know whether autofocus can be achieved and whether the flash will fire.

The flash output is well-balanced and the lens is impressively sharp

Why we like it: Big Minis are simple to use and provide excellent results – the flash output is well-balanced and the lens is impressively sharp. There’s also something to be said for their understated rectangular design. They can, however, be a tad fragile due to their mostly plastic construction. But treat a Big Mini with a little TLC and it’ll likely keep on snapping for years. One more note of caution: Be careful not to open the rear door too far when loading/unloading a roll as doing so can tear a crucial bit of electric ribbon. This is the primary failure point on these cameras. The Big Mini is powered by a CR123 battery.

Find one: These cameras can be found in good condition for between $ 150 and $ 250. They come in both silver and dark grey.

Also consider: The Big Mini F sports an even faster 35mm F2.8 lens and same boxy form-factor but tends to cost a fair bit more than its slower siblings.

Nikon F100

History: The Nikon F100 is a modern film SLR released in 1999, the same year as the Nikon D1. Slated right below the flagship Nikon F5 (and later F6) in the company’s film SLR lineup, it sports many pro-level features like Nikon’s excellent Matrix metering (as well as spot and center-weighted), 4.5 fps shooting, automatic bracketing and a variety of autofocus modes.

The F100 operates and handles a lot like a modern Nikon DSLR

Why we like it: The F100 operates and handles a lot like a modern Nikon DSLR – it looks like one too. It’s these familiar controls and use of the F-mount make it the perfect camera if you’ve got Nikon glass and are curious about trying your hands at film shooting. The F100 is also well-constructed, though a tad hefty for a film SLR – power comes from 4 AA batteries or an optional MB-15 battery pack. One word of caution: The rubber covering on the back of these cameras has a tendency to get sticky with age – this can be rectified with some careful (and time-consuming) scraping.

Find one: Because the F100 came out toward the end of the film era, these feature-packed cameras can be found for relatively little cash. Pick one up in good condition for $ 150-250. They only come in black.

Also consider: The Nikon F90 series debuted a few years prior to the F100 and offers many of the same features, but with only a single autofocus point. They can be found pretty easily for less than $ 50.

Photo by Ángeles Andrade

Fujifilm GS645S

History: Fujifilm made some wacky-looking medium format cameras in the 80’s and this one is no exception – just look at that bumper. The GS645S belongs to the greater GS645 family of compact, fixed lens medium format cameras, all of which shoot a 4.5 x 6 image. The ’S’ model offers a 60mm F4 lens that produces a 35mm (35mm-equiv.) field of view. Focusing and exposure controls are all located around the lens. There are no auto settings.

Because it shoots 4.5 x 6, you get 15 shots per roll

Why we like it: The GS645S is an excellent small and lightweight medium format option for street or travel photography. The lens is sharp and the camera is well-built. Power comes from two LR44 batteries. Because it shoots 4.5 x 6, users get 15 shots per roll. And though the default vertical orientation takes some getting use to, the camera can easily be operated vertically (for a horizontal field of view).

Find one: These cameras are slowly creeping up in price but can usually be found in good condition for between $ 300 and $ 450.

Also consider: The GS645S’ siblings are also worth your consideration. The original GS645 features a collapsible 75mm F3.4 lens and the GS645W features a 45mm F5.6 lens. You’ll pay around the same price for these models.

The wrap

There you have it, 10 cameras ranging from 70’s SLR classics to odd-ball 80’s compacts. As always, feel free to suggest other great analog camera buys in our comment section below. And for more analog fun, jump back to our original list: Analog gems: 10 excellent, affordable film cameras. Feel free to leave suggestions for Part 3 in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Kodak plans coating trials for 120 format Ektachrome E100 film next month

07 Jun

Kodak Alaris has given a boost to those waiting for newly resurrected Ektachrome E100 to be introduced in formats larger than 35mm with an announcement that it will be testing a new coating process at the end of next month to make roll film. The company has said in the past that the process for coating 35mm film and 120 roll and sheet films is different and that the method used to make the initial reintroduced format isn’t the same as that needed for wider formats.

Kodak Alaris said directly then that it was very likely that medium format and sheet film sizes of the color transparency film would be made available, and has since confirmed that 120 and sheet films will be made this year.

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We know you’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of larger format Ektachrome E100 Films. We are diligently working on bringing them to market, with a wide coating trial of the 120 format film planned for late July! Photo of Pei Ketron @pketron Photo by @jonblack___ #ektachrome #e100 #kodakprofessional #believeinfilm

A post shared by Kodak Professional (@kodakprofessional) on May 31, 2019 at 10:15pm PDT

In recent posts on its Kodak Professional social media accounts, Kodak Alaris has said directly that it will be testing coating processes for 120 roll film, saying ‘We know you’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of larger format Ektachrome E100 Films. We are diligently working on bringing them to market, with a wide coating trial of the 120 format film planned for late July.’

The posts are accompanied by a picture of a girl holding a Pentax 67 medium format camera, but which was shot as part of an early trial of the 35mm format version of the film. The side of the picture is marked ‘Ektachrome 100 in 120?’

We shall have to wait and see. The company’s T-Max, Portra and Ektar emulsions are already available in sheet formats, but to special order. For more information on Kodak films see the Kodak website and the Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100 technical data sheet.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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KONO! launches new 35mm Original Mirage film stock and Original Sixpack

15 May

European analog photography company KONO! has announced a new film stock called Original Mirage. This 35mm C-41 200 ISO pre-exposed color negative film offers ‘two awesome colors at once,’ according to KONO!, which has added the product to its ‘Original’ line.

Images captured on the Original Mirage film experience a distinct color shift from warm to cool; when the environment is bright, KONO! likens the color shift to ‘a warm, late summer day’ that, in the same photo, transitions toward a late day likeness in which the ‘colors get more prominent and richer.’ Below is a collection of sample images captured on the new Original Mirage film:

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In addition to the new Original Mirage product, KONO! now offers an Original film bundle containing six film products in the series: Original Sunstroke, Original Moonstruck, Original Monsoon, Original Candy, and Original Galaxy. The new Original Mirage film is included in the six-pack bundle for free.

A roll of the 24-exposure Original Mirage costs $ 14 USD; the KONO! Original Sixpack is available now for $ 67 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm Japan to increase color film prices by 30%

10 May

Fujiifilm Japan has announced that from the beginning of June it will increase the price it charges distribution companies for some of its color films. Fujifilm says the it has tried to absorb rising material and distribution costs itself, but has been forced to raise prices by 30%.

A list of the films that will be affected by the price increase.

The films that will be subject to the price rise include color negative and positive emulsions, in roll and cut sheet formats. The rises in Japan will come into force on 1st June, but the statement suggests prices rises have already been made in other parts of the world. How these manufacturer price increases will feed down to the consumer is still up in the air.

Manufacturer information:

About price revision of photographic film products

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sono) will carry out a price revision of the photographic film products provided to distribution companies, including photo studios, on June 1, 2019 in Japan (* 1).

While raw materials and distribution costs for photographic films continue to rise, Fujifilm has endeavored to absorb costs such as improvement in production efficiency and cost reductions in order to stably supply high-quality photographic films to the market.
However, it will be difficult to absorb only by corporate efforts, such as further increases in distribution costs and rising prices of some raw materials, and we will raise prices for photographic film products as described below.

1. Target product:
2. Details of price revision: 30% increase in price planned
3. Implementation date: June 1, 2019

* 1 Overseas, prices are being raised gradually from April 1 this year in each country.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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