Status of Film Photography – Why You Should Consider Film

I recently gave a presentation at a local camera club. The club is primarily digital focus, but they asked me to give an update on the film photography genre and why a digital photographer might consider film photography. Here's an overview of the presentation.

Why you should try film again or give it a try?

• New films to try
• Harman Phoenix 200
• CineStill 400D
• CineStill 800T
• Kodak Ektachrome (relaunched)
• Film Ferrania Orto 50
• Wolfen NC500
• Kodak Gold 200 – 120
• Santa Gold
• Polaroid 600 & iType
• Film Photography Project repackaged films
• LuckyPan SHD400
• Various Vision3 repackaged films
• Others

• Trending / hot on social media
• Heavily impacted by young social media influencers
• Uses YouTube, TikTok, BlueSky & Threads
• Not afraid to edit
• OK to fail / just snapshots
• No rules
• Share easily online
• Boutique physical and online stores (just a few) that are active on social media promoting the genre & photographers.
• Bellows
• Film Photography Project
• Brooklyn Film Camera
• Lomography
• Roberts Camera & Used Photo Pro
• KEH Camera

• Film photography compliments your cell phone / digital photography

• Allows you to slow down & get back to basics

• A new source of inspiration and if you are burned out

• New life to old equipment

• Lots of cool cameras at reasonable or low prices

Q&A about the current status of film photography 

• Question - Are film cameras still available / where can I get one?
• Answer - YES
• Family & friend's stash (cameras they own that are not being used)
• Online & physical stores (both new and used)
• KEH
• eBay (be careful as descriptions are often inaccurate / misleading & prices may not reflect the market)
• New cameras are available (Pentax 17, Rollei 35, Leica M6, disposable point & shoots, etc.)

• Question - Is film still being produced and available?
• Answer - YES
• Color, B&W, instant and slide
• 35mm, 120, Polaroid, Instax, large format & bulk
• Vision3 motion picture film in bulk and repackaged

• Question - Where to buy film?
• Answer - Many places
• Mass market stores like Walmart, Meijers, Target, etc.
• Fujifilm & Kodak almost exclusively
• Roberts Camera / Used Photo Pro
• Freestyle Photo
• Ultrafine Warehouse
• B&H Photo
• Adorama

• Question - Can I still get film developed? Where?
• Answer - YES both labs and at home
• Developing chemicals are readily available and affordable
• Its normally cheaper to develop film at home
• Labs (to name a few)
• Roberts Camera
• CVS / Meijers / WalMart
• They send it to a 3rd party lab and it's typically the most expensive option
• The Darkroom
• Boutique Film Lab
• Citizen Photo
• NJ Film Lab
• Dark Slide Film Lab
• Boutique Film Lab
• Art centers / public due it yourself photography labs

• Question - Is film photography expensive?
• Answer - it's all relative but YES, relative to digital (after the camera is purchased) film is more expensive. A roll of film costs $6-25 before tax and developing $10-15 per roll.

• Question - How do I lower the cost of film photography?
• Answer - many options
• Home develop your negatives
• Bulk roll film
• Use less expensive cameras - there are MANY options
• Less expensive films
• Arista EDU, Harman, Fomapan, Vision3, Ultrafine, etc.

• Question - Is film or digital better quality?
• Answer - eye of the beholder, but overall digital is better and more flexible

My Workflow

• First, I always carry a CAR camera
• Normally, a point & shoot

• Select a shoot theme, project or location for each non-casual photoshoot
• Primarily street photography
• Recent locations: Indianapolis, Colorado (4 times), Chicago (3 times), Cincinnati, Louisville, Columbus, OH & NYC
• Past projects:
• "Small town Indiana"
• Vision3 remjet removal and testing different types of Vision3 types
• Used Photo Pro camera tests
• Try new films
• Expired film tests

• Select a camera and film

• Do the photoshoot

• Update film / photoshoot worksheet

• Develop & scan

• Post on social media or write blog post

During the meeting which is primarily attended by photographers with previous experience with film photography most have kept one or two of their film cameras. However, only one of about 20 members at the meeting still routinely shots film. I'm not sure if anyone has plans to go out and try film in 2025 but if so they now have information bringing them up to speed.

Yashica Electro 35 GSN Battery Options

The Yashica Electro 35 GSN and the MG-1 are fine rangefinder cameras. If you've wanted a Leica M version rangefinder but don't want the high price then you can consider the Electro 35 or MG-1.   

The big problem with both cameras is the battery which is no longer available. The original battery was the mercury 5.6V Mallory TR164 or Eveready E164

Although both cameras work without a battery you really get the value of Auto mode, the light meter and shutter speeds with a battery. As such, you have 3 options. They are:

• A 6 volt similar sized PX32 styled alkaline battery
• Stack a CR123A / LR44 battery for 4.5V
• Use an adapter with 4 x LR44 batteries for 6V

I've tested all 3 versions, and all 3 work. The light meter compensates voltage from approximately 4.5 - 6.4V. Therefore, all 3 options work without negatively impacting exposure.  

Here is how you stack a CR123A / LR44

Both batteries are readily available and this is a simple solution. I shot a roll with this battery setup and it worked fine.

The test battery setup was using an inexpensive adapter that I purchased on Amazon with 4 x LR44 batteries for a total of 6V.

Amazon PX32 adapter

4 x LR44 batteries

4 x LR 44 batteries stacked in the adapter

+ end pointing out

Battery check light works

Here are some photos from both battery setups:

CR123A / LR44 combo with Ilford HP5+:

Battery adapter with 4 x LR44 batteries with Fujifilm 400:

Either option that you use provides good results for your Yashica Electro 35 GSN or Yashica MG-1

Canon Sure Shot M

I recently used my Canon Sure Shot M (also called the Autoboy F in Japan and Canon Prima Mini in Europe). It's a very pocketable, simple point & shoot 35mm camera. The Canon Sure Shot M is an attractive, smooth edged camera with minimal features. This makes it perfect for snapshots, street photography or as a basic everyday camera.

Here is an overview of the basic features:

• 32mm f/3.5 lens
• Built in flash with on / off button
• Recessed on/off button
• Slow sync exposure compensation button (EV3 f/3.5 at 2 sec to EV7 at f/3.5 at 1/10 sec) 
• Auto focus
• Full auto with speeds 1/60 to 1/250 second (no manual or aperture priority mode)
• Auto aperture from f/3.5 to f/22
• DX coded with ISO from 25 to 3200
• Contemporary CR123A battery
• Self timer
• Date mode feature on back

The only downside in my experience is that there is no lens cover as with many similar cameras. 

I shot a roll of Fujifilm 400 through the Sure Shot M in downtown Indianapolis on a sunny afternoon. Here are some photos:

Bottomline, in my opinion the Canon Sure Shot M is an excellent point and shoot 35mm camera for everyday use.

 

Vision3 Film without Remjet - How to Make Your Own!

Kodak Vision3 motion picture film is an excellent option for color photography. It’s available in various ISO ratings and color balances, including 50D, 200T, 250D, and 500T. You can find it in 35mm cartridges or bulk rolls (100', 400', and 1000' lengths) from Kodak or resellers—both in physical and online stores.

What You Need to Know About Remjet

One important consideration when working with Vision3 film is the remjet layer. Remjet is an opaque, black carbon-based coating applied to the back of the film.

• Impact on Shooting: The remjet layer does not affect the process of shooting with the film.
• Remjet Removal: However, it must be removed during development (unless you buy pre-removed film).

The main issue with Vision3 film is that most commercial labs cannot develop it due to their inability to remove the remjet layer. So, you have two options:

1. Home-develop the film (a relatively simple process).
2. Use a specialized lab capable of processing Vision3 film.

Removing the Remjet Layer Before Shooting

An option for those who want to eliminate the remjet before shooting is to remove it ahead of time. While this step is optional, it can streamline the development process later on.

I’ve developed a workflow to remove the remjet using a Paterson daylight developing tank and a 3D-printed, light-tight film dryer. The process isn’t difficult, but it requires complete darkness for several steps.

Here’s a high-level breakdown of the workflow for removing the remjet layer before shooting:

1. Load the film onto a Paterson System reel (or another compatible reel system).
2. Remove the remjet layer using a prebath solution (e.g., Kodak DIY or Flic Film remjet removal).
3. Transfer the film into a 3D-printed film dryer for drying.
4. Dry the film for 3-4 hours with a fan to ensure it's thoroughly dried.
5. Reload the film into reusable 35mm cartridges.

Steps 1, 3, and 5 require a black film-changing bag or a darkroom to ensure complete darkness.

Equipment You’ll Need

Here’s a list of the necessary equipment for this workflow:

• Vision3 film (any type)
• Daylight developing tank (I prefer the Paterson System), including reels, changing bag, scissors & tape

• Remjet removal prebath (Kodak, Flic Film, or a DIY solution)
• 3D-printed film drying tank
• 60x60mm computer fan with a 12V charger (I found mine at Micro Center)

• 35mm cartridges for reloading the film

You can find the 3D-printed drying tank here.

Here's a video assembling the film dryer:

The assembled film dryer:

And for the remjet removal prebath I use, check out this link to my guide. The guide includes the formulary for the prebath and the process.

Here's a video of the remjet removal step:

The Step-by-Step Process

If you want to remove the remjet layer before shooting, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the Film: Cut off the leader from the roll(s) of Vision3 film, leaving a straight edge 
   
   
   
2. Unload the Film: In complete darkness (using a changing bag), remove the film from its cartridge. Leave about ½” of film on the cartridge.
3. Load the Film: Load the film onto the developing reels and place the reels in the daylight developing tank. Secure the tank with its lid and set aside the cartridges for reloading.
4. Remove the Remjet: Use your chosen prebath solution to remove the remjet layer from the film.
5. Transfer to Drying Tank: In the changing bag, transfer the reels from the developing tank to the 3D-printed film drying tank.
6. Dry the Film: With the fan running, dry the film for about 3-4 hours until it’s fully dry.
7. Reload the Film: In the changing bag, reattach the film to the original 35mm cartridges (or bulk loading cartridges). Tape the leader end of the film to the cartridge, ensuring the emulsion side is positioned correctly.
8. Final Touch: Once you’ve reloaded the film into the cartridges, remove everything from the changing bag. You’re done!

Important Notes

• Remjet Prebath Options: There are various prebath formulas available to remove the remjet layer, but I’ve found the one I use to be the most effective.
• Commercial Development: Even if the prebath works well, I would still recommend not sending your film to a standard lab. There’s always a chance small amounts of remjet could remain, potentially affecting the final image quality.
• When to Use This Workflow: This process is only necessary if you want to remove the remjet layer before shooting the film. If you’re okay with the remjet layer staying on the film, it can be easily removed during development.

Enjoy experimenting with Kodak Vision3 film!

Camera Stores I Use - Online & Physical

As you might know I actively purchase digital cameras (new and used), film cameras, studio equipment, film photography supplies, film, etc., etc. VERY actively. I enjoy visiting and buying in store, but I also buy online. I tend to buy from a the same list of online and physical stores. 

Roberts Camera and Used Photo Pro is my primary place to purchase all my photography needs because they are local and actively support the community.

Here is the list of retailers I've visited or purchased from regularly:

B&H Photo Video

Location: New York City, NY

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Bellows Film Lab

Location: Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Miami, FL

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.bellowsfilmlab.com/

Central Camera Co.

Location: Chicago, IL

Physical Store / Online: Physical

Website: https://centralcamera.com/

Camera Film Photo

Location: Hong Kong

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://camerafilmphoto.com/

Film Photography Project Store

Location: Fairlawn, NJ

Physical Store / Online: Online

Website: https://filmphotographystore.com/

Freestyle Photo & Imaging Supply

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.freestylephoto.com/

Midwest Photo Exchange

Location: Colombus, OH

Physical Store / Online:  Both

Website: https://mpex.com/

REFLX Lab

Location: Shenzhen, CN

Physical Store / Online: Online

Website: https://reflxlab.com/

Roberts Camera / Used Photo Pro

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://robertscamera.com

Website: https://usedphotopro.com/

Samy's Camera

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.samys.com/losangeles

Ultrafine Online / Photo Warehouse

Location: Oxnard, CA

Physical Store / Online: Online

Website: https://www.ultrafineonline.com/

Victory Camera

Location: Boulder, CO

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.victorycamera.com/

The following are retailers that I have not purchased from or visited however they support the community or are community recommended. 

Adorama

Location: New York, NY

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://www.adorama.com/

Analogue Wonderland

Location: Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, UK

Physical Store / Online: Online

Website: https://analoguewonderland.co.uk/

CineStill Films

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://cinestillfilm.com/

Brooklyn Film Camera

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: https://brooklynfilmcamera.com/

Don's Photo Equipment

Location: Dallas, TX

Physical Store / Online: Both

Website: http://www.donsphotoequipment.com/

Japan Camera Hunter

Location: Tokyo, JP

Physical Store / Online: Online

Website: https://www.japancamerahunter.com/

If you have other retailers that you'd like me to add, just drop me an email or comment. 

Canon FT QL

I recently used my Canon FT QL ("quick load"). It's a robust SLR with an FL / FD lens mount and a reasonable TTL light meter. I mounted the FT with a Canon FD 35mm f/3.5 lens. As always this isn't a technical review but if you'd like more information here is the manual.

Here are the things I like and dislike about the FT:

What I like:

• Convenient shutter release lock under the shutter release button
• Good shutter speeds from B to 1/1000 & X setting for flash sync of 1/60
• Quick load mechanism that eliminates / minimizes film mis-loading
• Convenient battery check switch
• Wide range of affordable / high quality lenses

What I dislike:

• Loud shutter slap so the camera is not stealthy 
• Cold shoe versus hotshoe
• Metering lever is next to the lens and somewhat awkward to use
• The lens stops down when the meter lever is activated so the viewfinder darkens making it hard to see the light meter needle in the viewfinder
• The light meter needle is very small so somewhat difficult to see in darker settings
• requires a 1.3V battery for the light meter which are not readily available
• The FT is heavy

Even with the camera's negative features I enjoy using the FT QL. My version is clean & I have a good range of FD lenses. Also, even though the camera uses a 1.3v battery I used a standard 1.5v button battery successfully. The light meter reads hot, so I simply adjusted the aperture by a stop whenever I used the meter. This seemed to work OK. The rest of the time I simply used sunny 16.

Here are a few images from a recent shoot using Fujifilm 200 and home developed with CineStill C-41. 

 

Roberts Camera Garage Sale

 

My local photography retailer is Roberts Camera and it's associated Used Photo Pro. Roberts Camera is located in Indianapolis, IN. One of the cool things they regularly do is hold a sale of excess inventory, returned items, "as is" items, expired items, etc. etc. The event is called the Roberts Camera Garage Sale. Items are sold are really affordable / give-away prices. I've been to a number of their Garage Sales.

Pricing is done one of two ways: 1) you use one of 2 sized boxes they provide (or several of them) and put anything in the box that will fit. The box has a set price based on the size no matter what you are able to put in it, or 2) items have a colored stickers. The sticker color represents a set price like $5, $10. Items with the sticker don't qualify for one sized fits all boxes. Bottomline, prices are outstanding and you can find some good deals especially if you dig through the bins / tables. 

I personally like going through the "as is" or damaged items to see if I can find any gems.

The above photo is what I bought at last Saturday's Garage Sale. Total was just over $50. I found (including some comments):

• 2 x Paterson 2-reel daylight developing tanks and reels (these were free).
• A Fujifilm underwater point & shoot camera with 800 speed film (new in box) for $2.
• 2 x Ilford Multigrade RC Deluxe photographic paper including 2 rolls of 36-ex Ilford HP5+ 35mm film for $5 each. The paper is damaged (looks like the shipping box was crushed) but the film is fresh and that's why I bought the items. 6 rolls of 36-ex HP5+.
• A film developing changing bag.
• A 35mm film leader extractor.
• 2 boxes of Cokin 3x3 creative filters including 1 x 52mm Cokin filter holder (all are clean / unused).
• Watson Model 100 bulk loader (looks like it's brand new / never used).
• Albinar Auto f/2.8 28mm manual focus FD lens (works, mounted on a Canon TX to test).
• Canon AC 35-70mm FD mount lens (not sure if works. Was made specifically for a Canon T80 which I don't have).
• Yashica DSB f/2.8 28mm lens (looks clean, but I don't have a Yashica or Contax camera to mount it on to test).
• Tamron f/3.8-5.6 28-200mm zoom lens with Nikon mount (well used, but appears to work AOK).
• Pentax-M f/2 50mm lens (clean / works)
• Mamiya ZE body (battery door broken & ISO dial feel off when testing, so through the camera away).
• Minolta QTsi Maxxum body (tested / works).
• Canon EOS Rebel Gii body (tested / works).
• Pentax SF1n body (tested / works, but only in A mode. Some of the Mode functions appear unavailable).

Lots of film photography equipment that I'll be able to use in my workflow. I've already tested all the cameras & have 2 of the lenses mounted. I'll load the Watson bulk loader soon and have played around with the Cokin filters. Not bad for $50.

So if you are ever in the Indianapolis area during future Roberts Camera Garage Sale events you should definitely go!

Olympus-Pen

With the upcoming launch of the Pentax 17 half-frame camera I decided I would use my Olympus-Pen half-frame camera again. The Olympus-Pen was the first of a line of Olympus half-frame 35mm cameras. The camera was initially released in 1959. The version I have is the original Pen. 

Here are the basic specs of the all manual Olympus-Pen:

• 35mm Olympus D.Zuiko f/2.8 lens
• Aperture f/3.5 through f/22
• Speed B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200
• Manual focus from a minimum of 2 ft to infinity
• Range finder with bright half-frame lines in viewfinder
• Film advance via a thumb wheel on the back of the top plate of the camera
• Count down exposure dial (manually set to number of images on the roll at the beginning of the roll)
• Flash sync plug
• Cold shoe (accessory shoe)

Here is an online manual from Butkus.org.

I shot a bulk rolled cartridge of Ilford HP5+ and home developed it with Kodak D-76 at 1+1 for 13 minutes. 

A few examples in downtown Indianapolis: