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Is 645 medium format film really better than 35mm? Well, yeah. It is.

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I still shoot quite a bit of film when the opportunity allows, and when I do, I still primarily tend to reach for a 35mm. It’s not that it’s the best, or even just the best suited to what I want to shoot, but it’s convenient. The 35mm film SLRs I use the most are all Nikon F mount bodies, letting me use most of the lenses I also own for my DSLRs. But medium format definitely has it’s benefits.

In this video, photographer Kyle McDougall looks at the overall thought process behind using 645 medium format instead of your standard 3:2 ratio 35mm film, as well as some of the objective benefits and drawbacks to the larger format.

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This video takes you behind the scenes of making Kodak film

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It’s impossible to talk about the history of photography without mentioning Kodak. In its 140 years long history, the company has had many ups and downs. But it remains one of the most iconic names in the industry that has changed and revolutionized photography. This fantastic video from Studio C-41 takes you behind the scenes of making Kodak film. In this factory tour, you’ll see the three phases in making Kodak film, but also learn a bit about its history.

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Here are three big reasons to shoot film in 2021

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We live in the 21st century, technology is rapidly improving, and our digital cameras are becoming better and better. So does it still make sense to shoot expensive and outdated film? Well yes, it does. In this video from grainydays, Jason Kummerfeldt gives you three big reasons (and a bunch of small ones) why you should shoot film in 2021.

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Here’s how to make your own paper developer from scratch

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The George Eastman Museum has already shared some darkroom magic with us. For example, they taught us how to make a 35mm daguerreotype and guided us through the salt printing process. In this video, historic process specialist Nick Brandreth teaches you how to make your own paper developer from scratch in the comfort of your home.

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Watch: The George Eastman Museum shows us the historic salt process printing technique

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Making prints from our film negatives is often a bit of a pain. You have all kinds of chemicals you need to buy, and the range that’s available today can be quite overwhelming. In this video, Historic Process Specialist, Nick Brandreth at the George Eastman Museum shows us how to make prints using the salt process.

The salt process is one of the earliest silver-based photographic techniques and is used to make photograms, in-camera paper negatives and prints from paper and glass negatives – I suspect it might work on some types of film, too, either for contact prints or using an enlarger, although your enlarger would need a UV bulb in it.

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This is the surprisingly true story of Kodak Aerochrome’s origins and ultimate fate

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It’s hard to imagine that a particular film stock, especially something like infrared film, might have an origin story that’s almost as wild as a superhero. But the way Todd Dominey tells it, that’s pretty much how it sounds for Kodak Aerochrome. In this video, he goes over Aerochrome’s origins and its life until its demise in 2009.

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Kodak is releasing a ’70s-inspired metal film case in six colours

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Well, if you’re gonna go retro with some old film cameras, might as well have matching cases for your rolls of film, too, right? That’s what the folks at RETO Production Ltd (RetoPro) thought. RetoPro is also the company that brought us the RETO3D triple-lens point & shoot film camera last year.

Now they’ve reinvented an old classic, the Kodak metal film canisters. And they’ve managed to license it under the Kodak brand, too. There’s not much to them – just a metal tin with a plastic insert to keep your rolls from falling over – and they’re more of a fashion statement than anything else, but they’re one that’s quite useful if you shoot film.

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Shooting with film expired 20 years ago: Does it work?

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Film photography is still very appealing to many photographers, but the problem is that it can get pretty expensive to buy and develop film. You can make it cheaper by shooting expired film, and it should work out well in many cases. But will it work if the film expired 20 or more years ago? Well, it just might. In fact, you may end up with some fantastic shots! In this video, Mathieu Stern tested out two rolls of film which both expired two decades ago. You can see how it worked out for him, and I’ll share a few useful tips for you that I picked up from my DIYP buddy John.

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This camera traveled over 10,000 miles to tell the story of trust and solidarity between 27 photographers

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I’m a big fan of collaborative projects, both as a participant and as a mere observer. Iranian photographer Alireza Rostami has just finished a pretty epic one and he’s kindly shared the results with DIYP. His little film camera traveled 16,284 km (10,118 miles) between 27 photographers. The journey started in Tehran where it also ended when the last negative was shot. During its 11-month duration, the project has told a story of solidarity, trust, and collaboration between people, and it’s a story that brings back faith in humanity.

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Why I used one camera, one lens, one film for five months

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Photography is close to impossible to do without a camera, so why do so many of us both love and hate the equipment side of things? For me the hate comes down to distraction – and a little bit of the love as well.

I currently have a paired back collection of cameras and lenses – but anytime I dual-wield, or really carry anything other than one camera with one lens, distraction creeps in.

I start to question what I am going to use for the shot, rather than adapting to the situation. I’ll frame with a 50mm, then maybe try a 35mm, maybe even regret not having a 90mm – by the time I have done that, I’ve missed the shot. 

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