Every year, new film stocks are being discontinued by either Fujifilm or Kodak, the latter being a target since it is emerging from bankruptcy. So it should not come as a big surprise that the sort of new gear you can buy on the Internet these days are limited. Film is forever they say but film sales has been in a comatose state for years. What's out there today? If you are going to start on film, what is available?

Medium Format Rules

How do you get started on medium format photography? You could go buy a new camera or an old one from eBay but your best bet is still on a camera which is still in production. There are many old used cameras you can buy online but the danger is that it will break on you. Having experienced this first hand, you need to appreciate the working value of a camera versus an unreliable used unit. This is not to say that you should not buy used cameras. For beginners, I think you need to find a place to fix a camera should it break down. In big cities, its often very easy to find a camera repair shop run by those old dudes in glasses. But in a smaller city, such folks can only be found in retirement homes.

Wanderlust Travelwide 4x 5

Kickstarter funded Travelwide medium format camera will be on sale soon this summer at US$149. Not a bad price for a medium format camera except that it is not really a camera in the first place. What you get is a body and a pinhole lens cap which essentially lets you start shooting but they don't tell you that you also need to have a film back and a set of real lenses, 90mm type, which could cost you anything from US$150 to US$450 on eBay. The film backs are cheap, you can find one at Keh for less than 10 bucks.

Lubitel 166+

Nice little number from Russia, this TLR plastic bodied camera is capable of a variety of shutter speeds—a serious consideration if you want to shoot on the go. As a packaged  TLR camera, the features are good so you can shoot the moment you take it out of the box. It comes with a fixed lens, 75mm and cost about US$350. Sold on the Lomographic store, I think you can buy this and get it delivered anywhere in the world.

Kiev 60, 88, 645

The Hasselnyet cameras are great value for money and unfortunately, with the ongoing problems in Ukraine, I am not sure this camera will still be manufactured. The Kiev 60 sells for US$390, while the 88 model goes for US$475, the 645 sells for US$430. Not a bad idea really as all the camera kits come with a 80mm lens. The 88SWC model is a wide angle version, sells for US$775 with a 30mm lens.

Buying Used Equipment on eBay

Very risky affair but it might be worth it if you can find something that is of value. These days, eBay sellers are a dime a dozen. Almost anyone can sell something they consider a piece of antique and it is only the more experienced among us who will know what is a piece of junk.

All mechanical parts have a life span. It could be the shutter, winder or the photocell that measures light. Then there is wear and tear, like the glass being used as a mushroom farm, where it gets really foggy.

I would not advise anyone to get something they do not know enough about and with used cameras, there are heaps. Technically speaking, mechanical wear is less obvious if the item has been rarely used but the gunk they used for parts lubrication (often of animal origin) would have to be cleaned out and you need to send it for a CLA (clean lubricate and adjust) that is performed by a professional. Do not for one moment think that you are handy with the screwdriver and thus have the license to take it apart. Cameras are not like cars, they have delicate parts and once broken, you may have just inherited a junk heap.

Medium Format Film Development

Developing film isn't all that difficult. It's actually quite fun if you happen to have a dark room but in most cases, you don't really need one if you are only going to develop negatives.

If you don't plan on playing with chemicals, be sure to look out for color labs that still process film found in big cities. You can mail in your exposed roll and have that digitally transferred onto a CD.

Analogue photography is very rewarding. It is difficult to master but once you do, it's like getting that license to drive and own your first car. Medium format allows you to think about big pictures, and to have the film as mementos to share with others in later life is a real blast.

Unlike many of you, I have had my fair share of Polaroid during my younger years. I wanted one and went out to get one. It was a Supercolor 635CL Polaroid camera which had a close focus lens (for up to 2 feet) and electronic flash. It was something I loved but wasn't too portable. I didn't shoot much with it as I didn't have the money to buy the film packs. It takes a PX600 or P680 Impossible film, the replacement to the once popular Polaroid 600 film packs. Much later, I got myself a Fuji Intax 10. Lovely camera but the print was far too small to enjoy anything substantial when it came to imaging quality. 

For me, Polaroid has a lot in common with Apple. It was a huge success during its time and Dr. Edwin Land nailed it with the SX-70 back in 1972. It was the iPhone of its time. Great gadget, no fuss, and pretty expensive if you get what I mean. It was a premium photography gadget just like the iPhone became the premium smartphone gadget of our time. Polaroid started producing instant cameras in the 40s so it took a while to achieve success, just like Apple did. Edwin Land was not a gifted public speaker but his mind worked like an inventor. He was once quoted as saying "An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail". 

Today, digital is king. We use the iPhone to take snap shots instead of the SX-70, which was the favorite camera during its day for such things. 

Polaroid and Instagram

When I first started using Instagram, I dismissed the square format pictures as another attempt at a digital Polaroid. If you look at it closely, Instagram is model after the famed SX-70 square prints. So you could in some way say that Instagram is paying homage to Edwin Land's most famous square instant prints. 

Why Be Square?

One of the secrets to photographic composition that I often talk about is the no brainer approach to framing  subject in a square box. It is pretty easy and you can't go wrong with it. Sometimes, you have to be a total nincompoop to get the composition wrong with the square format. 

Dr. Edwin Land moved away from the rectangular format found on the 250 series cameras for a simple reason, with a square format...you didn't have to reorientate your field of view to fit the scene. There is no portrait or landscape view. A square format just makes it easy for you to shoot quickly without thinking. It was brilliant in both execution and practical use. 

Polaroid SX-70 on your iPhone

I want to ante up to a SX-70 but the film is just far too expensive. The PX series from Impossible project can cost between US$2.60 to US$3.00 per print. Unless you're a drug lord from Mexico, using one daily could be detrimental to your bank account. 

Impossible project's iPhone Instant Print Lab is one that you can buy off Amazon, which turns instant prints from an accompanying app found on the Appstore. 

This is not any cheaper than having a real Polaroid Camera but with the iPhone, you now can make instant prints just like any Polaroid device. 

Digital Polaroids

There is nothing to stop you from creating great looking polaroids in digital. Those die-hards who have sworn an death oath will tell you that it can't be the same as a true polaroid print. This is pure hog wash. 

Digital virtualization has made Polaroid looking prints possible, and with the right app, you can't tell the difference on an iPhone screen. Imaging quality is what determines the picture and Polaroids on PX paper these days are not really that great. Sure some might argue for the sake of argument that it has a nefarious artistic quality to it. If someone wants to argue for art's sake then it's not a picture. 

If you want to dabble with some digital polaroids outside the confines of your iPhone, I would recommend Polardroid, which has a PC and Mac program that does just that. 

Fuji Instant Film with Polaroid

The much older Polaroid 101 and 250 Land Cameras still have film stocks made by Fuji. In fact, these Fuji Film stocks are clearly much cheaper than the SX-70 ones. 

Fuji makes these 10 shot packs which sells for less than US$20, and that works out to less than US$2 a picture. Worth your while this Christmas. The camera can be had for less than US$100 a pop on eBay but you'd be warned beforehand if the thing actually works. There isn't many camera shops specializing in camera repairs these days and you'd be stuck with one which will become a door stopper if you're not too careful.

Old cameras die hard. If you have kids, by all means collect them, use them and enjoy them. Analogue cameras will be a novelty items one day and getting one for Christmas won't be that easy. So do what you can now and have a great Christmas ahead!