☞ This marks the 70th monthly edition of the Analog.Cafe Newsletter, bringing you the latest in film photography news. You can subscribe to receive it via email on the last Tuesday of each month for free. What's new? Since the last newsletter (which was sent out back in 2024!), around nine new products have been launched or announced for us film photographers: a stylish new Omnar M mount pancake lens, affordable new color film, possibly four new film cameras — including Fujifilm’s Instax WIDE Evo — two new gadgets from Reveni Labs, and a new app for chemical dilution calculations. I've also conducted two experiments and shared detailed insights into significantly changing the sensitivity of a well-known film stock. 💛 GOLD members can access the full articles “Pushing Ilford HP5+ to ISO 100,000” and “Pulling Ilford HP5+ to ISO 3,” as well as learn about a “top-secret” project included in this month's newsletter. 🎁 Try GOLD free for 14 days!
In this newsletter: What’s new? Shooting Ilford HP5+ at two extremes. Chemical dilution calculator. Fujifilm Instax WIDE Evo. The new 35mm f3.5 Omnar pancake lens. More film cameras? Reveni Labs’ new accessories. A new affordable color film from China? The latest updates on Analog.Cafe. Support this blog and enjoy premium features with GOLD memberships!
Ilford HP5+ at ISO 100,000!
Shooting Ilford HP5+ at two extremes. Last month’s newsletter included an Easter egg: the cover photo was captured with Ilford HP5+ pulled seven stops and treated as though it were ISO 3 film stock. The clue was hidden in the margins: the image featured a cursively signed note with the camera settings f/1.8, 1/60th.
Ilford HP5+ processed and shot as ISO 3 (pulled 7 stops). Hand-held at f/1.8 with a sensible 1/60s shutter speed. The film performed remarkably well in this extreme pull that no one seemed to notice anything unusual about the image. Pulling film seven stops is unprecedented (I’ve looked), suggesting this might be the most extreme experiment of its kind. This article showcases various samples, elucidates the technique, and provides several reasons why you might want to attempt this yourself.
While it’s relatively straightforward to pull HP5+, pushing this (or any) film to the opposite extreme is significantly more challenging. I shot and developed HP5+ as if it were ISO 100,000 — marking another first in documented photochemistry. The initial sets of exposures were unsuccessful — with some frames becoming so distorted they self-reversed into extremely grainy positives — but after extensive calculations and tests, and using a more suitable developer, usable photos emerged. I do not recommend developing your HP5+ this way, but the timing calculations and developer selection methods discussed in the article can be applied to more reasonable projects that require fine grain and sensitivity beyond what is indicated in the Massive Dev Chart.
Chemical dilution calculator.
If you develop your black-and-white film at home, you may have encountered various dilution instructions. They can be as simple as 1+100, where you mix 1ml of chemical with 100ml of water — but it isn’t always that straightforward. The numbers can become quite confusing with less user-friendly ratios and mixed measurement units. The formula for determining the amount of concentrate for a specific volume of water is somewhat complex: x = (1/r) × (h — x)… where x represents the amount of chemical concentrate needed for a dilution of 1+r, and h indicates the volume of water. This can be quite a bit to handle, especially when you’re trying to manage your chemistry, tools, and film rolls all at once. The new Dilution Calculator is designed to simplify your task by managing all the calculations, converting to fluid ounces for those who need it, and neatly rounding off the results. This calculator is part of the Chem Log — a web app aimed at helping you oversee your chemistry, track expiration dates, and calculate development time extensions.
Fujifilm Instax WIDE Evo.
Fujifilm has introduced its new $349.95 instant film camera, which should be available in stores shortly. This is the company's most expensive Instax camera thus far, featuring a 16mm f2.4 lens and a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000s, printing onto Fujifilm’s largest instant frame (99mm × 62mm or 3.9” × 2.44”). Yet, the most remarkable aspect of this camera is its slim and lightweight design, given the size of the lens and prints it produces: measuring 139mm × 125mm × 63mm (5.5
Nine new developments have either been released or are set to come for film photographers: a stylish new Omnar M mount pancake lens, affordable new color film, (possibly) four new film cameras — including Fujifilm's Instax WIDE Evo — two new devices from Reveni Labs, and a new application for chemical dilution calculations. Additionally, I have conducted two experiments and provided comprehensive notes on significantly changing the sensitivity of a well-known film stock.