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During lockdown I wanted to start taking pictures in film again. After going through 2 disposable cameras I wanted something a bit more permanent. So I went to

During lockdown I wanted to start taking pictures in film again. After going through 2 disposable cameras I wanted something a bit more permanent. So I went to Amazon and searched for the cheapest film camera I could find. That was the AgfaPhoto Analoge 35mm, which costed £30. I've had so much fun with this camera! The plastic lens produces a noticeable vignette, along with a chromatic aberration on the edges. This means that this camera will never produce high-quality results, but that's absolutely fine! People also react in a different way when I present the camera for taking a picture. Some examples here: https://imgur.com/a/AyyZNDB https://imgur.com/a/AyyZNDB Of course it's more expensive than digital photography. Each film roll costs around £6-8, and it's costing around £17-20 to develop each one. The cool thing about film these days is that labs will scan the negatives, so you still get digital images ready to print.

Jaruzel 4y ago
At those developing prices, is it now just cheaper to self-develop, and take advantage of bulk buying the chemicals and paper?
- tialaramex 4y ago
  It depends if you also want a developing hobby. If what you enjoy is, say, walking about and taking photographs of natural stuff, then "Ooh, and I get to spend hours in a darkened room developing the photographs" might not be what you like about that.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    And you're mostly constrained to B&W. (Yes, you can do color but it requires a lot tighter control of temperature and processes generally. I tried it and wasn't worth it even as someone who did B&W processing/printing for many years.) As you say, darkroom work is a whole other--and largely different--hobby.
- lm28469 4y ago
  For development you don't need paper, that's the next step, printing. Color printing old school style basically disappeared though.
wgx 4y ago
> costing around £17-20 to develop each one This is the reason I (a die hard analog photography fan) finally gave up the ghost and switched fully to digital. I love taking photos and I don’t want to be constrained by cost.
- petepete 4y ago
  I really love my X100F. I shoot RAW+JPEG but 99% of the time just use the JPEG directly. The film simulations are great and the whole process is so stress free.
- lm28469 4y ago
  It really depends on where you live, in Berlin I get same day color development for 4 euros or so. I do my own b&w stuff and it costs a few cents per roll
edpichler 4y ago
I would like to do the same. Then I'll need a dark room to reveal the shots? It's' the old school way, right?
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  I sprung for a stable of medium format (120 film) cameras some years back. eBay makes it easy to get decent quality cameras made over 50 years ago (many of the ones I bought came direct from Japan — surprise). It was a modest investment in learning and money to take the next step and develop my own film. B&W at first (easy, forgiving) and then even color (sill easy but less forgiving). I guess I was not interested in the darkroom + enlarger thing. I did that when I was young (elementary school, middle school) so I know what's involved. It could be fun but is less modest a move up in terms of cost (and space since you do indeed need a dark room — just processing the film was easy with just a changing bag). Instead after processing the negatives, I go next to flatbed scanner and we're digital for the rest of the trip. * I put some sample photos up: https://imgur.com/a/8CFskwN https://imgur.com/a/8CFskwN
  - ghaff 4y ago
    I imagine there are still camera clubs with darkrooms around for those who want to give printing a shot. But, yeah, for most people a decent home setup is challenging. I had the equipment so when I got an apartment after graduating from school I gave temporarily setting things up in a bathroom a shot. I quickly gave up because I found it really frustrating after having had access to real darkrooms in school--and also realized I was sort of done with the hours in a dark room with chemicals thing.
- lm28469 4y ago
  A darkroom is only needed for printing, but then you also need an enlarger, easel, &c. For development you either need a darkbag (glorified dark cloth bag with 2 sleeves) or a "daylight development tank" which exist since the 50s and let you develop without any additional equipment: https://casualphotophile.com/2020/08/17/leitz-agfa-rondinax-35-daylight-film-developing-tank-review/ https://casualphotophile.com/2020/08/17/leitz-agfa-rondinax-...

Jaruzel 4y ago

At those developing prices, is it now just cheaper to self-develop, and take advantage of bulk buying the chemicals and paper?

tialaramex 4y ago
It depends if you also want a developing hobby. If what you enjoy is, say, walking about and taking photographs of natural stuff, then "Ooh, and I get to spend hours in a darkened room developing the photographs" might not be what you like about that.
- ghaff 4y ago
  And you're mostly constrained to B&W. (Yes, you can do color but it requires a lot tighter control of temperature and processes generally. I tried it and wasn't worth it even as someone who did B&W processing/printing for many years.) As you say, darkroom work is a whole other--and largely different--hobby.
lm28469 4y ago
For development you don't need paper, that's the next step, printing. Color printing old school style basically disappeared though.

wgx 4y ago

> costing around £17-20 to develop each one This is the reason I (a die hard analog photography fan) finally gave up the ghost and switched fully to digital. I love taking photos and I don’t want to be constrained by cost.

petepete 4y ago
I really love my X100F. I shoot RAW+JPEG but 99% of the time just use the JPEG directly. The film simulations are great and the whole process is so stress free.
lm28469 4y ago
It really depends on where you live, in Berlin I get same day color development for 4 euros or so. I do my own b&w stuff and it costs a few cents per roll

edpichler 4y ago

I would like to do the same. Then I'll need a dark room to reveal the shots? It's' the old school way, right?

JKCalhoun 4y ago
I sprung for a stable of medium format (120 film) cameras some years back. eBay makes it easy to get decent quality cameras made over 50 years ago (many of the ones I bought came direct from Japan — surprise). It was a modest investment in learning and money to take the next step and develop my own film. B&W at first (easy, forgiving) and then even color (sill easy but less forgiving). I guess I was not interested in the darkroom + enlarger thing. I did that when I was young (elementary school, middle school) so I know what's involved. It could be fun but is less modest a move up in terms of cost (and space since you do indeed need a dark room — just processing the film was easy with just a changing bag). Instead after processing the negatives, I go next to flatbed scanner and we're digital for the rest of the trip. * I put some sample photos up: https://imgur.com/a/8CFskwN https://imgur.com/a/8CFskwN
- ghaff 4y ago
  I imagine there are still camera clubs with darkrooms around for those who want to give printing a shot. But, yeah, for most people a decent home setup is challenging. I had the equipment so when I got an apartment after graduating from school I gave temporarily setting things up in a bathroom a shot. I quickly gave up because I found it really frustrating after having had access to real darkrooms in school--and also realized I was sort of done with the hours in a dark room with chemicals thing.
lm28469 4y ago
A darkroom is only needed for printing, but then you also need an enlarger, easel, &c. For development you either need a darkbag (glorified dark cloth bag with 2 sleeves) or a "daylight development tank" which exist since the 50s and let you develop without any additional equipment: https://casualphotophile.com/2020/08/17/leitz-agfa-rondinax-35-daylight-film-developing-tank-review/ https://casualphotophile.com/2020/08/17/leitz-agfa-rondinax-...