Dispatches from
the darkroom.
News, field notes, and deep-dives on film photography — written by shooters, for shooters. New frames every week.
The EU's €3 Film Import Duty Is Not €3 Per Roll
Since 1 July 2026 the EU charges €3 per item on parcels under €150. Forums read that as €3 a roll. The binding definition of 'item' says otherwise — ten identical rolls are one item, €3 total. Here is the arithmetic, against the legal text.
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Film stocksFilm Prices Now Depend on Where You Live: EU +5.7%, US +1.9%
Analog.Cafe's Q3 2026 price report tracked 37 film stocks across 13 stores. Globally film rose 2.5%. Regionally it rose 5.7% in the EU and 5.6% in Canada while falling 1.1% in Hong Kong — the widest spread the tracker has recorded.
TechniqueLight Meter Watch: £102,000 Funded, and What It Cannot Do
Increment Labs' LMW-V1 wristwatch meter passed £101,000 from 681 backers after hitting its Kickstarter goal in a day. It solves a real problem with phone metering — and it is a reflective meter that ships in 2027, which limits what it can promise.
CamerasKodak EC35: $34.99, One Exposure, One Real Decision
Kodak's EC35 launched on 17 July 2026 at $34.99 with a 25mm f/10 lens and a single 1/100s shutter. With the exposure locked, the film you load is the only control you have — here is the arithmetic that tells you which one.
ReviewsBest Film Photography Apps in 2026, by Category
Film roll trackers, light meter apps, darkroom timers, negative inverters, and film-only social platforms — the apps worth installing in 2026, with prices checked in July 2026, plus the simulation apps that only fake the film look.
TechniqueBest Light Meter Apps for Film Photography (2026)
Six light meter apps compared for film shooters in July 2026: myLightMeter Pro, Lightme, Pocket Light Meter, Lumu Power 2, WBPhoto's Android meter, and Pellica — real store prices, metering modes, and one honest disclosure.
CamerasLomography Fisheye 2 in 2026: What's Actually New
Lomography released the Fisheye No. 2 La Mer on June 29, 2026 — a $69 seaside edition of its 170-degree 35mm camera. Here is exactly what changed since the 2009 original, what the circular frames look like, and who should buy one.
CamerasKodak Charmera Millennium Edition: The $35 Blind-Box Guide
Reto's Kodak Charmera Millennium Edition launched June 16, 2026: seven Y2K designs sold in $34.99 blind boxes, a 1-in-48 Mirror Silver chase, and the exact same 1.6-megapixel sensor as the original. Here is every design, the odds, what actually changed, and whether it is worth your money.
CamerasPolaroid Go Gen 3 vs Instax Mini: Which to Buy in 2026
Polaroid's Go Gen 3 launched June 2, 2026 at $89.99 with a sharper 42mm-equivalent lens and Xenon flash. Weeks later, Fujifilm's Instax Mini 13 hit shelves at $93.95. The cameras are five dollars apart — the film costs are not. Full spec table, per-shot math, and a verdict by use case.
CamerasYashica FX-D Explained: The HK$5.9M Kickstarter Camera
The Yashica FX-D closed its Kickstarter at HK$5,911,312 — about US$755,000 — from 1,923 backers, and it is not a film camera. What the retro-styled digital actually is, the brand-licensing history behind the name, and what reviewers found once units shipped.
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NewsPolaroid Reclaimed Purple 600: Psychedelic Film From Factory Waste
Polaroid's Reclaimed Purple 600, announced May 28, 2026, is an experimental ISO 640 instant film built from leftover factory chemistry. Here is what the $18.99 Member-Exclusive pack does, why it looks monochromatic purple, and how to document a limited-run emulsion before it disappears.
Film stocksNo, Fujifilm Isn't Killing Black-and-White Film
In May 2026 a mistranslated Threads post set off panic that Fujifilm was discontinuing black-and-white film. Here is what the announcement actually said, why film shooters believed it on sight, and how to stay calm without panic-buying.
CamerasRewindPix: The $1.1M Screen-Free Camera That Fakes Film
RewindPix, a screen-free digital compact built to mimic the ritual of shooting film, closed its Kickstarter at $1,143,077 from roughly 7,589 backers, about 76 times its goal. A film shooter's honest take on why it borrows the language of rolls and stocks.
NewsOptiColour 200 Comes to 4x5: A New Color Sheet Film, an Old Emulsion
Optik Oldschool's OptiColour 200 arrives in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 sheets at EUR 79.90 for 25, a rare new color-negative option for large format. But it is the Wolfen NC200 emulsion under a new name, so per-format cost and your own EI are what really matter.
Essential reading.
If you're new here — these are the deep-dives and guides we'd hand to any photographer with a roll in their camera and questions on their mind.
What ISO Film Should I Use? 100 vs 200 vs 400 vs 800
ISO 100 for bright sun, 400 for almost everything, 800+ for low light. How film speed changes grain and exposure — and exactly which ISO to load when.
How to Develop Film at Home: Complete Beginner's Guide
Step-by-step guide to developing film at home. Learn the equipment, chemicals, and process for B&W and C-41 color development on a budget.
How to Use a Light Meter for Film Photography
Master light metering for film with this practical guide. Incident vs reflected, Sunny 16, tricky situations, and phone meter apps explained.
9 Best 35mm Film Cameras Under $100 in 2026 (From $30)
Canon AE-1, Pentax K1000, Minolta X-700, Nikon FE and more — 9 tested 35mm film cameras from $30, plus what to check before buying any used camera.