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.

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. 

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!

Yashica MAT-124G with Wolfman

The Yashica Mat-124G is my favorite TLR medium format cameras. It's super simple to use, I love the 6x6 ratio (square) & it has a working but simple light meter. It's build sturdy.

I took the Yashica out for the first time in quite a while. Covid-19 significantly dampened my film and street photography in 2020. However, I decided to start shooting film regularly starting this January. I have plenty of 120 film on hand both fresh and expired, but wanted to try a roll of Wolfman 120 purchased during a recent trip to Roberts Camera in downtown Indianapolis. The film is distributed by the Film Photography Project store. The film is rated ASA 100 so I needed a fairly bright day. Also, the battery for the light meter needed to be replaced. The camera takes a specialty-type battery (PX625). A downside is that this battery is air activated lasting only a few months. Literally, every time I take this camera out a new battery is needed. The upside is you don't need the battery for the camera to work ... only the meter. You can always use an external light meter, use Sunny 16 or just guess at the exposure.

I shot the roll on the near south side of Indianapolis on a bright but very overcast day. The camera only shoots 12 shots in 6x6 so it goes fast. I did also shoot a roll of Ilford Delta 100 while I was out.

I didn't have any of the developing chemicals recommended by the FPP for the Wolfman film so I learned online that the film could be developed like ORWO UN54. This film can be developed using Ilford Ilfotec DD-X (which I have) in a 1+4 ration for 9 minutes at 20C. That's what I used. I'm happy with the results. 

The film is crisp with lots of contrast with the day's conditions. Some shots

Canon EOS Elan II with a Vivitar 70-210mm f/4.5-5.6 Lens

One of my favorite 35mm film SLR's is a Canon EOS Elan II. Very basic, good functions, reliable & somewhat contemporary. It's all plastic goodness. I primarily use it for street photography or when I'm using expired film and I want to make sure I use a camera that works!. Up to now I've always used it with a pancake 40mm f/2.8 lens shown in this picture.

However, I decided to mount it with a fairly inexpensive 3rd party, Vivitar 70-210mm f/4.5-5.6 lens. I RARELY if ever use long lenses on film cameras. I'm more of a 35-50mm street / snapshot shooter. I was given this lens a few years ago, so I figured I would give it a go.

The lens is surprisingly robust. It's not the fastest lens, but for street photography that isn't an issue. It's a pull / push zoom lens so it's extremely intuitive and easy to zoom. It has both AF/M settings to fit your shooting needs and a macro setting (which I didn't use). The AF was surprisingly fast. The only issue is that there is no zoom lock so when you hold the lens down (below horizontal) the lens barrel on my lens went all the way out to 210mm which looked kind of silly. This particular lens can easily be purchased online for under $100. 

I took this combination out the other day loaded with a bulk loaded roll of Ilford XP2 Super 400. Once shot I developed the roll at home with Unicolor C-41 purchased from Roberts Camera. The results. 

Zorki 2-C Russian Goodness

I purchased this colorful Zorki 2-C a couple of years ago from Roberts Camera's Used Photo Pro division. 

the Zorki 2-C is a Russian knock-off of a Leica II. It's a surprisingly well built, heavy all metal rangefinder. I mounted it with an f/2.8, 52mm Industar N-61 screw type lens. Very inexpensive and surprisingly good.

The Zorki is fully manual. 35mm film is loaded on the bottom via removal of the bottom plate. You need to cut a longer leader on the film for this style of camera.

Speeds are B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/250 & 1/500. As with cameras of this type if you want to change the speed you do it BEFORE you advance the film and which cocks the shutter.  Why, no clue, but that's what I've read and have always done. There is no light meter. There is a viewfinder to focus and one for composition. Super basic.

I loaded the camera up with a roll of Arista EDU 400 and shot the roll around Indianapolis. 

The Zorki 2-C is a handsome camera that I enjoy using. 

Here are a few photos from the most recent shoot:

Dubblefilm Bubblegum - It's Green!

I'm testing out the different types of Dubblefilm pre-exposed 35mm film. I've previously tested Sunstroke & Jelly which I liked. Now I test Bubblegum. I purchased the film for $14.99 per 24 exposure roll from Roberts Camera in downtown Indianapolis. 

The film cartridge canister says "tinted with sugar packed analogue sweetness". The packaging is well done. Cool marketing. The website says "ISO 200 35mm film with added tone producing sweet colour to spark your visual taste buds". Nice. It's actually Kodak Gold 200 film that has been given their magic treatment. The cartridges are DX coded.

A Google image search shows images with color palettes of pinks, orange & blues. Based on the packaging and name I thought the colors were going to be pastels focusing on pink. I understand output will vary based on the lighting conditions.

I shot the roll in mixed lighting conditions on a day that moved from cloudy to sunny. I shot the roll in an Olympus Stylus. I developed the film at home using fresh Unicolor C-41 chemistry.

Wow, were my results not as expected.  All of my photos came out with a very "night vision goggle" greenish tint. All lighting conditions generated the same results. Not subtle at all. The green tint was in the shadows and the highlights. Some of the green shifted slightly to browns in the shadows. Like I said, nothing subtle. The color was uniform across the photo (unlike Sunstroke or Jelly).

The results were not unpleasant and can probably be used for artistic purposes, but this wasn't my favorite results compared to Sunstroke or Jelly. The green was just a bit too overpowering. I'm CERTAIN results will vary.

Here are results from the one roll:

Next up, Monsoon!!

Nikon F2 & Kodak Portra 160NC

I wanted a Nikon F2 for some time. It's a classic SLR built like a tank. Well, I took the plunge and bought an F2 body from Used Photo Pro at Roberts Camera for $139 after talking it over and testing it with the used camera rep. It was classified as Very Good so the price was reasonable in my book. If the F2 didn't work out UPP has an automatic 90 day warranty so I could always take it back.

While I was shopping that day at Roberts I noticed they had expired Kodak Portra 160NC (NC for "natural color") for $3 per roll. I bought 6 rolls. Had too. I REALLY wanted to try the camera out ASAP, so I mounted it with a Nikkor-S F/2.8 35mm lens from my inventory. I normally use SLRs with a 50mm lens. However, I was going to do some landscape to test the camera so decided to go with a wider lens.

One potential pilot error warning....it's normally not a good idea to test a used camera with expired film. If the film comes out blank or of poor quality then you don't know if it's because the film was expired and not well stored or the camera was trash. I crossed my fingers this time.

I took the camera out a few times in some of the Indiana farmland and also downtown Indianapolis. It worked! The film quality is very consistent with expired color film (some unusual color shifts), but overall I'm very happy with the camera. The simple light meter worked and seemed true. All the moving parts worked. Happy camper. I'll want to run a few rolls of fresh B&W ASAP. I'm certain this will become my favorite Nikon SLR that I own.

Some photos from the first roll. 

Canon L2 with an Industar-61 53mm Lens

Rangefinder cameras are my favorite. Not sure why, but I’ve always liked the 35mm film form factor. I think that’s why I’m drawn to the Yashica Electo, the Leica M line & similar cameras.

Yesterday I added another rangefinder to my lineup. Hopeless, I know! I purchased a Canon L2 (without a lens) from Used Photo Pro at Roberts Camera for $95. I saw it the other day. It didn’t have a lens, so although I’ve always wanted a Canon L1, L2, L3 or 7 I didn’t consider it without a lens. I knew it took an M39 Leica Thread Mount type lens. Original Canon LTM are pretty pricey. Since film is just a hobby for me (pro work is all digital), I couldn’t justify the price. I thought maybe I could go the adapter route, but honestly, I said to myself “Steve you JUST bought a Leica CL”.  

However, when I got home I remembered my Fed 4 which has a Industar 61 53mm LTM lens. I hadn’t used the Fed 4 for some time so wheels started to spin. You know how it goes (or at least how my brain goes) – should I or should I not?? I didn’t resist, off came the lens and the next day took it down to Roberts.  The lens fit, the camera felt good, everything worked….so I bought it.

Here she is without the lens (as purchased) and the lens I put on it.

I wanted to give it a go immediately. It was a bit of an overcast day but still bright. Since the max speed on the camera is 1/500 I picked up a roll of Kodak TMAX 100 & loaded it up.  I walked around for about an hour and just took some test snaps.

The camera handles like a dream. Very smooth, quiet shutter, good weight & the rangefinder is fairly bright of an old camera. It very much has a Leica vibe going on. The Industar lens is also good. Although mine looks a bit “rode hard” it focuses smoothly, the aperture blades are smooth and it looks nice on the camera. A nice combo, and anyway 50mm (this is 53mm) is what I prefer for street photography.

I brought the film home and developed / scanned it last night. I’m happy with the results.  Here are a few examples (these are just test shots).

I’m very happy with the camera. It was a good price, got to put a lens into use & it looks nice. This might be my current go to rangefinder.