Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
As if the digiFilm’s epic fail wasn’t enough, Yashica is now launching its own 35mm film. Yes, that Yashica, the company that trashed the iconic Japanese brand’s name by launching a plastic piece of junk version of the Electro 35.
The new 35mm film has been promoted on Yashica’s Facebook page, and it’s bad from the very start. The bad Photoshop job of the promo image shows that it could be just another scam, which has provoked a fierce reaction in the community.
While I’m waiting for the crowdfunding campaign for my darkroom timer project to reach its completion (7 days to go), I’ve been busy with a few other projects. One of them you’ll find here in this article: an LED conversion to my friend‘s Durst Laborator 1200 enlarger.
If you shoot film and want to try something new, there’s an interesting new camera coming up. RETO3D is an affordable 3D camera aimed at film photographers of the modern day. It relies on the already familiar concept of 3D film cameras, but it sells at a way more affordable price.
Fujifilm has announced that it will be implementing “a worldwide pricing revision for its photographic films and photographic papers”. Fujifilm says that they’ve been facing the rising cost of film and logistics. They say that they’ve absorbed some of the costs through structural reforms, but can not risk sacrificing the quality of their product, so prices are going up.
According to a recent rumor, some or all of Kodak Alaris film business might be sold as soon as March current year. Reportedly, the company has out its film, paper and photo chemical assets up for sale in an attempt to cover around $2.7 billion worth of debt.
Film is very rarely used in music photography anymore. Primarily the reason for this is because of social media and instant news. There’s no time to go home and start pouring chemicals onto film to develop it, or wait until the morning until a lab opens to do it for you.
For festivals or stadium gigs we would bring our laptop with us and start sending out photos minutes after the artist stepped on stage. This is what people expect with modern technology.
To those who follow my work closely, you may know that I consider myself a large format photographer. I will photograph with a medium format camera, particularly when I’m trying to save weight on a backpacking trip or save time when I’m teaching a photography workshop, but 35mm has been somewhat shunned in my arsenal, being a format I deemed too small to be used effectively for my work.
Sometimes, you come across a DIY film camera that’s just beautiful in its simplicity. The LIMES 120 is one such camera. Made from an old Hasselblad medium format film back, it shoots 120 roll film and sports either an Industar 110mm f/4.5 lens and a tea can, or a pinhole.
Created by photographer Daniele Sandri, a comparison of the camera was recently posted to the Branco Ottico website to show off each of the two lenses.
Although it has been a while since digital cameras took over the market, some photographers still prefer shooting film. But is shooting film really worth the money, time and effort you put into it? How different it really is from shooting digital? In this video from Shutterstock, Logan Baker compares 35mm and medium format film with a full frame mirrorless camera to show you how they compare.
Kodak’s been struggling to regain its place in the world of photography ever since it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012. At the time they said that “Since 2008, despite Kodak’s best efforts, restructuring costs and recessionary forces have continued to negatively impact the company’s liquidity position”. Basically, they’re not making enough money.
But why? Well, according to Cheddar’s take, it’s all down to the fact that they ignored the future of photography and the march towards digital. He suggests that Kodak intentionally shunned digital because it would be competing with and eating into the sales of its other primary product – film.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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