• Film and Lab Tools

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  November 22, 2024

  Keeping diligent notes helps avoid disasters and improve image quality, but it can be burdensome (who wants another chore?) Film Log & Chem Log are the two sister apps that make the job easier. In this letter, I’ll introduce and explain how those apps work. Subsequent posts will explore various flows and use cases for those apps.

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• Fine-Tuning Film Photography

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  October 25, 2024

  Should you edit your scans — and if so, how would you do that, if the film was exposed with a few LEGO bricks? And what about doing that for a living? In this monthly letter for GOLD members, I’m introducing a new course on editing film photos, sharing some bonus content related to the unique and rare LEGO film camera, touching on the challenges of being a full-time creative, and setting the expectations for the next month on Analog.Cafe.

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• How to Edit Film Scans

  Bring the Best Out of Your Film

  October 24, 2024

  This course will teach you the nuances of colour balance and a few simple methods for applying colour corrections. You will learn how to get the best colours and detail out of your film scans and how to draw viewer’s attention to your photos through editing without going too far.

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• Hands-on With ZH1, a WORKING LEGO Film Camera

  Made From Just the Official LEGO Components, It Takes Real Photos on Film

  October 8, 2024

  This August, I had the chance to interview Zung Hoang , the inventor of the first fully functioning (yet to be official) LEGO film camera over chat. A few weeks later, I met with the man to learn more about the project, see the camera stripped down, and borrow it for an entire month. This is the story of LEGO ZH-1, a fully functional film camera and its creator.

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• Fixing and Selling Film Cameras

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  September 20, 2024

  This month, the focus is on maintaining, fixing, and, if you so choose, selling film cameras (as well as a few other things). I’ll also explain how I’ve been continuously improving the content on Analog.Cafe, what’s coming next, and some of the relevant industry news in this September letter for the GOLD members!

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• Home Film Camera Maintenance and Basic Repair Guide

  Tools, Techniques, and Advice

  September 17, 2024

  How you take care of your gear should depend on the size of your collection, the shape your cameras are in, and their various ages and kinds. This guide takes a measured, customized approach that focuses on preservation and minimal meddling with the gear.

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• When Is the Best Time to Sell a Film Camera?

  A Brief Data-Based Insight for the New Vintage Gear Traders

  September 5, 2024

  I figured out the best time to sell film cameras based on data from 43K referrals that generated $196,815 in sales from 1.2K transactions.

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• How Big Is Film Photography?

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  August 24, 2024

  It’s no secret that film photography is a niche, but I’ve always wondered how niche. Unlike the digital camera sale figures, film usage and production stats are murky, and the social signals are inconsistent. In this letter, I examine the available data and make some estimates about how much film we shoot and how many of us are out there.

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• Film Price Trends

  Web App 📱

  August 20, 2024

  This app graphs six-plus years of data about film prices. Use it to budget your footage by observing annual trends for your film or the industry as a whole. Find reliable film stocks and make smart investments that can save you money in the long run or examine the health of the market that circulates more than 80,000,000 rolls of film (~$1.2B) every year¹. Or just have fun with the pretty graphs!

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• Anniversary Edition 🎈

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  July 26, 2024

  Analog.Cafe launched seven years ago tomorrow. I would like to thank all the Analog.Cafe supporters — whether you’re a GOLD member or a casual reader. This project would not exist without you!

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• How to Get Pastel Colours on Film

  There’s More to It Than You Think

  July 16, 2024

  This guide covers film types, exposure settings, scene selection, gear, and digital colour grading techniques for making airy, painterly photographs that feel like pastel art.

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• All the C-41 ISO 800 Colour Films, Compared

  Portra 800 vs. FunSaver 800 vs. Lomo 800 vs. Aurora 800

  June 24, 2024

  There’s seemingly some choice when it comes to high-speed daylight-balanced colour-negative film. But is it all branding? We compare all the ISO 800 films we could find side-by-side to see if there’s any actual difference once developed and scanned.

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• Thank You and Welcome to Analog.Cafe GOLD!

  A Monthly Letter for the GOLD Members

  June 21, 2024

  I would like to thank all the Analog.Cafe supporters — whether you’re a GOLD member or a casual reader. This project would not exist without you!

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• Developing Film in Cannabis

  Test Results and Recipe

  April 20, 2024

  In this article, I’ll share the results from my new “Sativa Cannanol” film developer and a recipe so you can make it at home. You’ll also see how this cannabis-based developer stacks up against a commercial one and various phenol-based solutions, like coffee, moss, fir, cedar, blood, pond water, EpiPen, and pee. You will also learn about various ways to make and improve your own organic homemade developer.

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• Bulk Roll Calculator

  Web App 📱

  April 3, 2024

  An essential interactive tool for bulk film loading. Calculate the # of rolls from any bulk length. Calculate the number of frames per canister. Convert frames to inches or cm. Bulk Roll Calculator does it all and more!

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• Moscow Dayze

  Read the Entire Non-Fiction Book About My “Time” Travel to Russia

  March 13, 2024

  Moscow Dayze was independently published as a hand-made 74-page photobook in 2021. All physical copies are sold. This article re-introduces the book in a new light and offers it as a free download to GOLD members (also available as a limited-edition download on Etsy).

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• Master the Sunny 16 Rule!

  Guess Correct Exposures in Any Weather/Indoors Without a Light Meter

  February 21, 2024

  Free yourself of fiddly devices and phone apps. This short online course spells out the method, provides examples, and suggests exercises for reading exposure without a light meter.

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• The Vintage Film Camera Buying Guide

  How to Find the Best Deal on a Vintage Film Camera

  February 13, 2024

  Film cameras have been in production for almost 200 years. The vintage ones are usually the best deal when it comes to features and build quality per dollar. But finding one in good working condition for a fair price isn’t always easy. This guide covers techniques I’ve learned over the twenty years as a shopper and a seller on eBay.

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