Film Photography News — September 2024 Recap

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What’s new?

A new modern lens and shutter for large format cameras from Intrepid and an upcoming “hand-held” large format camera from Smartflex, Phoenix 200 in medium format, an upcoming daylight enlarger from Jagglé, a new stand-alone film inversion software from Chemvert, plus a rewritten guide for developing colour film at home.

💛 GOLD members get full access to “Home Film Camera Maintenance and Basic Repair Guide” and an article that answers this question: “When Is the Best Time to Sell a Film Camera?” with real-world stats. In this Community Letter: What’s new? Intrepid Camera’s new 150mmm 𝒇6.3 lens and I-0 shutter. Smartflex: a hand-held large format camera. Home film camera maintenance and basic repair guide. Phoenix 200 in medium format. Jagglé — a daylight enlarger, plus self-developing large format film cassettes. Chemvert — a stand-alone negative inversion software for macOS. Developing colour film as an absolute beginner. Latest on Analog.Cafe. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Intrepid Camera’s new 150mmm 𝒇6.3 lens and I-0 shutter.

As you may know, large format cameras have multiple components, which are often bought separately. Ten years ago, Intrepid entered the scene with their bellows, frames, and rails, which gave anyone looking to get started the option of using new parts made with modern, lightweight materials. But you still had to hunt for lenses, shutters, and film holders to complete the kit.

Intrepid’s Kickstarter campaign, which went live just now, greatly simplifies the hunt for individual components. Starting today, you’ll be able to get the entire kit (camera, lens, shutter, and film holders) backed by warranty without having to sift through hundreds of listings.

As you’d expect, the design is still modular; thus, you can still combine the Intrepid I-0 shutter with any of your Copal 0-sized lenses and all large format lens boards.

Intrepid 150mm 𝒇6.3 lens. Designed as a compact and lightweight Cooke triplet, this lens’ depth of field at its maximum aperture is equivalent to 𝒇1.8 on a 35mm camera. It has a large enough image circle for tilt/shift movement, providing excellent sharpness throughout the image at 𝒇11. The backer price for the lens is a relatively affordable £159 ($212).

Intrepid I-0 shutter. This gadget is more than a shutter; it’s a weatherproof electronic control unit with swappable rechargeable (via USB-C) batteries, compatibility with modern flashes, and connectivity to Mac/PC. The shutter works with all speeds up to 1/125s and has additional features such as a shutter-open warning, self-timer, and a built-in light meter. The backer price for the shutter is £289 ($385).

You can also order both the lens and the shutter for £429 ($573).

See all your backing options for the Intrepid lens and I-0 shutter on Kickstarter.

Smartflex: a hand-held large format camera.

This camera isn’t yet ready for release, so this portion is brief. But know this: there’s a hand-held large format SLR out in the wild, and it’s “coming soon.” From what I’ve learned, it’ll weigh just over 2kg/4.4lb, has a ground glass SLR scope, and comes with a 178mm (50mm equiv.) lens.

Home film camera maintenance and basic repair guide.

While I love seeing new products launch in 2024 to solve unique analogue photographic problems, the majority of film cameras bought and sold are vintage.

Chances are that your camera is older than you. If not, you can still find a piece that’s been around since the 1920s and works like new. This is only possible because of either luck or proper storage and maintenance. Given that the time moves forward, the luck may not be enough to keep such pieces intact.

This month, I published an extensive guide on repair and maintenance for film cameras of all ages. It has everything you need to know to get started, with advice for various levels of effort and experience and some thoughts on when not to bother fixing your camera.

In addition to being historical artifacts and incredible engineering feats, vintage film cameras retain their value better than most goods. If you decide to sell yours, I’ve also published statistic-based insights on the best times to sell a vintage film camera.

Phoenix 200 in medium format.

Harman Phoenix 200 is the world’s newest colour-negative film, made in England from scratch. In my review, I call it the most important photographic product of 2024.

This month, the company launched Phoenix 200 in medium format — just seven months after its initial release in 35mm.

Yvonne Hanson has had the chance to review the film on her channel in time for its announcement on September 5th:

Watch Yvonne talk about her experience with the emulsion in the new-for-her Yashica Mat TLR!

Check it out.

Jagglé — a daylight enlarger, plus self-developing large format film cassettes.

Have you ever wondered about printing film at home but couldn’t find space for a wet lab? So have I. I live in a small apartment where my film development chemistry is already pushing the boundaries of my bathroom’s storage and my partner’s patience. But there’s hope.

Jagglé, a German company founded by Wicher, an engineer who worked with companies like Adox and co-founded Valoi, is on the brink of bringing a portable daylight wet printer project on Kickstarter.

Last week, I spoke to Wicher, who explained how the enlarger works and what it took to make it a reality.

One of the most complex pieces of his engineering puzzle was finding the right lens. As a light-tight box, it has to have a fixed focus to avoid complexity and improve precision. Unfortunately, there was no suitable lens on the market, so Wicher sourced a production partner in the UK who matched his price and quality requirements with a bespoke design.

While Wicher is still working on his Kickstarter page (which will go live on October 16th), he assured me that individual units will sell below €300 ($333) for the 10x15cm print version (compatible with both 4x5” and 4x6” paper sizes). A stretch goal is planned for a larger 13x18cm enlarger (for 5x7” paper). The current Jagglé enlarger design is only suitable for black-and-white prints.

The prototype Jagglé daylight enlargers are 3D-printed, but the production versions will use injection moulds (hence the need for a Kickstarter campaign). In addition to the bespoke lens, Jagglé enlargers will come with a light source and a self-developing paper cassette.

Jagglé self-developing film and paper cassettes. As I spoke to Wicher, I realized that there’s one more invention powering the daylight enlarger. The cassettes that slot into the enlarger accept chemicals directly, which simplifies the development process significantly. There’s no need for trays or a darkroom; just pour the developer directly into the cassette.

These cassettes are already available for sale on the Jagglé website, and according to Wicher, they’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback. They are compatible with large format cameras, which can give you an instant print on-site and simplify your development by skipping the transfer of film to a separate development tank. I think this is very cool.

To stay up to date on the Kickstarter launch for the enlarger, follow Jagglé on TikTok , Instagram, or Facebook.

Chemvert — a stand-alone negative inversion software for macOS.

It’s great to see that printing film is becoming more accessible. Still, most of us continue to scan our negatives. Alas, the scanning process isn’t exactly straightforward, even if you have the hardware to do the job.

One of the most popular software solutions is Negative Lab Pro, which takes the output from your digital camera scanning rig or a dedicated film scanner and inverts it using various dialogues. However, you will need an active Adobe Lightroom Classic subscription, which is an additional monthly expense.

Chemvert costs $89.99 as a one-time payment and “includes all minor updates and at least two major updates,” as specified by Tim, one of the app creators in our email exchange.

The software is built by a small team in Australia who reached out to me early in the month to see if I’d like to try it. I enjoyed its ability to complete most colour correction tasks, various inversion engines, and analyze the entire roll. I hope that future updates will address the delay before each adjustment.

Try the Chemvert demo here.

Developing colour film as an absolute beginner.

While some may disagree, my and my peers’ experience shows that developing colour-negative film at home is easier than black-and-white.

The development times are standard across all films and developer brands. Whereas black-and-white film will have you hunting for dilutions and times (oftentimes, there won’t even be one for your film/developer combo), C-41 is the same process for everything.

Once you get over the hump of getting your first batch of chemicals and tools, it suddenly becomes possible to develop film for $1-3 per roll while also saving time and money on travel or post fees to the lab. You also get to push and pull film for free. Black-and-white film development is an easy step forward, as you’ve already got all the tools with your C-41 kit.

This month, I rewrote my popular guide for home film development. The new version has all-new illustrations, clearer language, and a ton of new tips to make the process easier and better-quality results:

Read “Developing Colour Film as an Absolute Beginner.”