I’ve had another look at this popular article that reviews the smallest fully mechanical 35mm film camera ever made. The Rollei 35 S is also the second-smallest full-frame camera to date (including all modern digital cameras). A very impressive little machine, despite being designed in the 1950s.
Besides being a very portable camera, the Rollei 25 S also features a capable 𝒇2.8 Sonnar lens design that renders sharp images and silky-smooth bokeh.
Analog.Cafe website is gradually coming back online following a major internet service outage.
An issue at one of the Amazon Web Services systems that cascaded down to many popular websites today, including this blog, caused a service outage.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do from my end to protect this website from this issue. I am considering options for improving the resilience of this website in the future.
As of now, the website is back up and the services are gradually coming back online.
Updated: “The Smallest 35mm Film Camera Ever Made.”
It’s been several years since I’ve written an article about the smallest 35mm film cameras. Of course, the list hasn’t really changed, as the task of building such gadgets is immense — but my understanding of what makes them great and product photos has evolved slightly — this update encompasses all the new things I’ve learned:
This list features over a dozen cameras in various price ranges with distinct feature sets. Some are expensive, titanium-clad instruments, such as the Minolta TC-1; others are very affordable and still incredibly small.
This blog has been around since 2017. Even though ColorPlus, the film, hasn’t changed much since (other than the packaging), I’ve shot a lot more of it, and my understanding of photography has changed, hopefully for the better, in these eight-plus years. This update features new photos, fresh insights, and a new product shot of a redesigned box for this article:
I’m also incorporating some of the things I’m learning about the new Kodacolor films, including better ways to scan and invert colour negatives, as well as new sources to learn more about photography.
Please note that film Q is currently being verified by Dropbox to become a production app. While this is happening, new film Q accounts may not be created.
Bugfixes and easier film development with Film Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.91 adds a link to the Massive Dev Chart next to the Dilution Calculator and Chemistry Manager in the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to complete the list of resources needed to develop black-and-white film.
Other fixes and features in version 3.30.91:
- Fixed a crash in the Film Log app that appeared in a few rare scenarios.
Harman Phoenix is the newest colour-negative film on the market from a factory that isn’t Kodak. Made by the same company that sells the famous Ilford black-and-white film, Phoenix is their massive investment into a medium they haven’t worked on since the 1960s.
Harman Phoenix II features substantial upgrades to the dynamic range/contrast, grain, and colour over the original.
Since I published the original review, I’ve shot many more rolls of the old and the new Phoenix, staged a few experiments with that film (like turning it into slides), and compared it to other emulsions.
Getting ready to develop film at home just got a little faster if you track your chemical use and expiration with Chem Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.84 adds a handy Dilution Calculator button to the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to help figure out precise chemical ratios and shows all selected chemicals’ stats/reuse calculators front-and-center when you need them.
Though you still should test your chemicals (here’s how: analog.cafe/r/how-to-test-…), Chem Log (a plugin for the Film Log app) can help you avoid issues by giving a quick reference to mix dates. If something’s very old, you’ll know to avoid using that bottle.
Updated: Fujifilm Neopan Acros (I & II) Film Review.
Fujifilm Neopan Acros is the only film that the company has brought back from discontinuation in recent decades. Based on what we know, it’s still manufactured in Japan and packaged in the UK (presumably by Harman/Ilford).
Acros II, which is the current name for the film, extends its sensitivity range to panchromatic (from the original orthopanchromatic) but retains its remarkable reciprocity characteristics and consistency across developers. The new version also renders a bit more contrast, but overall, today’s Acros is nearly identical to the product we’ve been using since the year 2000.
I wrote about this film three years ago. Today was the time to update that review (I completely rewrote it, added new samples, and corrected all the mistakes of the previous post).
A small update to improve the free reader experience on Analog.Cafe v3.29.112+.
July has been a busy month; despite my intentions to update the apps, I spent most of the time writing, developing, and photographing. However, there’s one small feature I’d like to mention here quickly, which I think will help a few blog readers.
A reader expressed their frustration earlier this month about the persistent “View this image in HD” labels overlayed above all feature article panels.
I founded and grew this website on the premise that it can function without invasive advertising messages. Having reviewed the signed-out user experience with the reader’s perspective in mind, I’ve decided to add an option to hide those labels for 30 days for all visitors, including folks who are not signed in at all.
Updated: Analog.Cafe v3.29.78 fixes a previously hidden bug that may’ve caused recent service disruptions.
A memory leak in the application router crashed Analog.Cafe last night. There’s been a steady increase in traffic to the website which caused a minor bug to suddenly become a serious issue.
I spent today’s afternoon debugging Next.js router events (which were the ultimate cause of the issue, although it took a while to figure that out).
Analog.Cafe should now feel a bit faster and it’s ready to receive more visitors. Welcome, new readers!
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.10 adds support for lossless TIFF output in 16-bit colour.
While the low-compression full 4:4:4 chroma JPEG files that film Q outputs have enough data for significant edits without distortions, there may be a time when more colour data is needed.
For example, if you need to make significant corrections to exposure, contrast, saturation, or colour balance of your scans, working with a lossless 16-bit per channel TIFF file can make a big difference.
High bitrate files can help reduce noise and prevent banding, but they require a true 16-bit colour processing pipeline, which film Q now supports.
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.8 makes inverting film negatives a little easier.
film Q launched as beta just over a month ago, and it has already inverted more than 10,000 film negatives. Thank you all for trying film Q and for your feedback thus far!
This new release fixes the app’s account authentication system so that it no longer requires you to sign in to Dropbox periodically. The work involved is deceptively complicated… I did my best to catch all the bugs before committing the code, but please let me know if you find any new ones.
There are also updates to the interface, which include new animations, transitions, and an overall smoother experience. 🧑💻
Updated: film Q, a web app for inverting film negatives in batches.
Version v1.0.0-beta.6 includes several important bug fixes and a new feature, Auto Start.
With the Auto Start setting turned on, film Q will automatically process files as soon as they are uploaded. This can be helpful for speeding up the workflow, especially if you scan directly into your Dropbox folder.
For example, you can set up a folder on your computer, which will automatically invert your negatives as soon as you place your files in it. Watch this video to see how it works: youtube.com/watch?v=OSp3Qh….
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