I’ll admit, I love a good exotic film developer that can develop any film to their ideal conditions. But lets be honest here, some of these developers are expensive, hard to acquire and require rigorous attention to detail to make them work perfectly. And often are so fine tuned they will only work on a handful of film stocks that a also difficult to come by. Sometimes you want a developer that will do its job and nothing more than that. It doesn’t have to be fancy, compensate for over or under exposure. Produce ultra-fine grain, or enhance tonality and edge sharpness. Rather than presentRead More →

If you’ve followed my photography journey, one of the first developers that became a favourite is Kodak HC-110, which switched to Ilfotec HC last year when I finished off my final bottle of the OG HC-110. But sometimes, you have to send in the clones. I’ve been aware of LegacyPro, and other clones HC-110 developers for some time but have never thought to give them a try. But after learning that Ilfotec LC29 is a variant of Ilfotec HC, I made a point to try L110. L110 is HC-110 but in an easier to pour format. To make the point that it will perform exactlyRead More →

When it comes to assistance with long processing times or the need for constant agitation, there aren’t that many options out there today. Sure there is the original Jobo system, but these are completely closed systems that often carry a high startup cost. And on the opposite end of the spectrum are the Besler and Unicolor Cibachrome bases and tanks. But what about something new, using modern solutions. Last year I had the chance to try out one such system, the AuRA film processor, and it certainly made an impression on me and my processing. Sadly these aren’t yet for sale, and given the technologyRead More →

I remember the first time I learned about the Nikon FE2; it was one of the early episodes of the Film Photography Podcast, I can’t remember which episode it was initially, but I do remember talking to him about the camera when I met up with him at one of the FPP recording sessions back in 2011. The camera didn’t particularly interest me; I still had my Nikon F3. But the camera stuck in my head. And even though I have an FE, the FE2 is an excellent addition to the stable as it is a newer camera, has a faster shutter, and the viewfinderRead More →

The GSW690II is not a camera you need, but they sure are fun to have. Initially designed for taking group photos of Japanese tourist groups, the camera has become a bit of a cult classic among film photographers. An all-mechanical wide-angle medium format rangefinder with the appropriate nickname of Texas Leica. This camera offers a big 6×9 negative and a wide-angle lens perfect for landscape and architecture in a portable package that will work flawlessly in any weather condition and excellent optics on the front. Thanks to James Lee for loaning this beauty out for a review. Camera Specifications Make: Fuji Model: GSW690II Type: RangefinderRead More →