Film Photography Reviews

It’s been called “the longest running SLR in history” and that’s no exaggeration. Everyone who discovered photography at the same time I did – the early 1980s – either owned a Pentax K1000 or knew someone who owned a Pentax K1000.

Ninety years ago, at the 1925 Leipzig Spring Fair in Germany, a camera was launched that was destined to change the face of photography. This was a time when it was still common for glass plates to be used in cameras, and those that took roll film were thought of as miniatures. So imagine the culture shock when a still photography camera was produced to take 35mm movie film.

Ilford Photo recently confirmed reports that there are no plans to discontinue production of their XP2 SUPER film. The product is in free supply globally from Ilford Photo distributors and retailers.

Let’s be honest. One thing no one would have expected at photokina was a unique new black-and-white silver halide process. But that’s what we got. Well, not exactly brand new. It’s a revival of a technology that hasn’t been seen in decades, quite possibly not in the lifetime of many of our readers: direct reversal paper.

Kodak’s new Ektar 100 is a film of unparalleled fine grain, very high sharpness, and excellent color rendition.

There is a saying: remember, you are unique, just like every other human being. There is also the question of how far we are shaped by our genes, and how far by our upbringing.

Similar observations apply to infrared (IR) films. No two emulsions are quite the same (genetic uniqueness), and even with the same emulsion, each photographer has a different regime for...

It is interesting that as digital imaging began its ascendancy film reached an all-time high in quality: hue, saturation, and sharpness, all of which meant digital had to try harder to be better. One of the films that stood out were the Kodak Professional Portra color negative emulsions, which in the last 10 years have become a favorite for photographers worldwide.

So...