Analog.Cafe v3.32.43 adds various improvements to the Comments app. I worked on the Reply and Thread buttons, the avatar and date-posted fields, and the image, video, and article preview layouts in the list feed. I hope these changes make it easier for you to add and find comments!
Dilution Calculator (a feature of Film Log analog.cafe/app/film-log and Chem Log analog.cafe/app/chem-log apps) now remembers your values and preferences across your browser sessions. I found that I frequently use a 1+25 Rodinal dilution to make 300ml for a single 135 black-and-white roll; my guess is that you may also come back to your earlier recipes — this update should help us save a few seconds typing those numbers.
Analog.Cafe v3.32.28 adds a “Delete” option to all comments you may’ve authored. Please check this page to learn how this feature works: analog.cafe/r/introducing-…
I’ve also fixed a bug that prevented the comment message from being updated after it was edited or deleted.
Reducing dependence on Amazon AWS and guarding against AI slop.
Analog.Cafe stores and distributes a large number of PDFs, high-resolution sample images, and other downloadable content. Previously, it was stored on Amazon S3 for quick, easy access. However, as the company’s uptime stability has recently been brought into question and its business ethics have long been questioned, I’ve decided to replace some of its services.
Substituting the essential tools that are deeply intertwined in all internet activities is not easy. Some of the services Analog.Cafe provides still depend on companies that use Amazon in their own stacks. However, starting today, I am no longer directly relying on AWS to serve any part of this website’s content.
All hosted content is now stored on Digital Ocean, specifically on its servers in Toronto, Canada����. This includes the distributed computing cluster used to process and invert your film negatives via #film Q. All Analog.Cafe data, except for business logic, continues to be served from Toronto, as it has since the website’s inception in 2018.
As the readership and membership continue to grow, I will work to move the remaining parts of the infrastructure onto servers operated by companies with the most ethically sound practices possible, while maintaining and improving speed and reliability.
I can’t promise that this website will never use any services rendered by companies that aren’t perfect in every way. This is simply not possible. However, as a software engineer, I control more data and infrastructure than a typical blog or social media account, so I will aim for the greatest good possible.
As of last week, I’m also placing some of this responsibility onto artists and photographers who publish their work on Analog.Cafe. An updated rule on this page, analog.cafe/open-call, requires any machine-generated text to be disclosed. This update was in response to a recent submission that was essentially AI slop, offered by a reputable film lab, no less.
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Thank you so much for your support and understanding. I am hoping that explicitly defining the direction Analog.Cafe follows will help create a better product and experience for all readers and the community at large.
Pro Image is my favourite ISO 100 colour-negative film. I’ve been shooting it since 2017. Since I posted my review of this stock in 2022, I’ve done a lot more with it — from pushing two stops to ISO 400 to overexposing it for pastel tones and improving my own scanning techniques. Today’s update adds everything I’ve learned about it and photography in general in the past three years.
What I love the most about this film is its versatility, shelf stability, and ease of scanning. Of course, it won’t work in every scenario; it’s no good under overcast skies and artificial light. But when it works, it works incredibly well.
In today’s update, I made sure to mention all the ways you can get the best colours out of this film. And to demonstrate my experience with this film in truly warm climates (which Pro Image is designed for), I rescanned and restored images I took in 2018 while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. That was a trip, I tell you. It was also a lot of work — it took me hours to remove all the dust and scratches from one of the frames.
I’m finally proud of this review again — and I hope you enjoy it too. Remember that you can download it as an expertly-formatted PDF to keep and print.
This website is a book, five thousand pages and nearly a million words long. Whatever happens to the open web or to me personally, you can keep a piece of it forever.
Six hundred and fourteen articles, essays, guides, and reviews are now available for download as expertly formatted PDFs with high-resolution images.
With the two-column layout, large and inline images, and a new, minimal design built from scratch for the task, each PDF is a zine. Better than anything you can get by hitting “print” on a website, I built these pages for easy viewing.
The entire PDF library is over 15GB, with individual files ranging from 5MB to 20MB (the largest being 150MB).
It took some time to make this, and several hours to generate the files from the massive amount of content on this website. My hosting fees are going to be wild — but I think it’s worth it.
Look for the “Download PDF” button at the top of your favourite article to get it!
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Please note that this project is currently in Beta stage as I’m checking all files individually and making updates to the design, content, and scripts accordingly.
I’ve had another look at this popular article that reviews the smallest fully mechanical 35mm film camera ever made. The Rollei 35 S is also the second-smallest full-frame camera to date (including all modern digital cameras). A very impressive little machine, despite being designed in the 1950s.
Besides being a very portable camera, the Rollei 25 S also features a capable 𝒇2.8 Sonnar lens design that renders sharp images and silky-smooth bokeh.
The update includes a run-through of the text for grammar, spelling, and readability. I’ve also edited all product photos in the article to improve colour accuracy.
Thanks for your support, and please enjoy the read.
Analog.Cafe website is gradually coming back online following a major internet service outage.
An issue at one of the Amazon Web Services systems that cascaded down to many popular websites today, including this blog, caused a service outage.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do from my end to protect this website from this issue. I am considering options for improving the resilience of this website in the future.
As of now, the website is back up and the services are gradually coming back online.
Updated: “The Smallest 35mm Film Camera Ever Made.”
It’s been several years since I’ve written an article about the smallest 35mm film cameras. Of course, the list hasn’t really changed, as the task of building such gadgets is immense — but my understanding of what makes them great and product photos has evolved slightly — this update encompasses all the new things I’ve learned:
This list features over a dozen cameras in various price ranges with distinct feature sets. Some are expensive, titanium-clad instruments, such as the Minolta TC-1; others are very affordable and still incredibly small.
And by the way, all these film cameras are much smaller than today’s most compact full-frame digital cameras! Even the original Rollei 35, designed in the 1950s, is still lighter and more compact than any full-frame digital camera made today.
So if you want that pocket-friendly full-frame experience or are wondering what your next travel shooter should be, check out this freshly updated list!
This blog has been around since 2017. Even though ColorPlus, the film, hasn’t changed much since (other than the packaging), I’ve shot a lot more of it, and my understanding of photography has changed, hopefully for the better, in these eight-plus years. This update features new photos, fresh insights, and a new product shot of a redesigned box for this article:
I’m also incorporating some of the things I’m learning about the new Kodacolor films, including better ways to scan and invert colour negatives, as well as new sources to learn more about photography.
Thanks so much for your support, and enjoy the new read!
Please note that film Q is currently being verified by Dropbox to become a production app. While this is happening, new film Q accounts may not be created.
Sorry for the inconvenience!
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What is film Q? It’s an app for inverting film negatives right here on Analog.Cafe: analog.cafe/app/filmq
Bugfixes and easier film development with Film Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.91 adds a link to the Massive Dev Chart next to the Dilution Calculator and Chemistry Manager in the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to complete the list of resources needed to develop black-and-white film.
Other fixes and features in version 3.30.91:
- Fixed a crash in the Film Log app that appeared in a few rare scenarios.
- Fixed the News page design for items that are replies to featured articles.
Harman Phoenix is the newest colour-negative film on the market from a factory that isn’t Kodak. Made by the same company that sells the famous Ilford black-and-white film, Phoenix is their massive investment into a medium they haven’t worked on since the 1960s.
Harman Phoenix II features substantial upgrades to the dynamic range/contrast, grain, and colour over the original.
Since I published the original review, I’ve shot many more rolls of the old and the new Phoenix, staged a few experiments with that film (like turning it into slides), and compared it to other emulsions.
The updated review features updated facts, samples, and a fresh polish on the language so that it’s more fun to read:
Getting ready to develop film at home just got a little faster if you track your chemical use and expiration with Chem Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.84 adds a handy Dilution Calculator button to the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to help figure out precise chemical ratios and shows all selected chemicals’ stats/reuse calculators front-and-center when you need them.
Though you still should test your chemicals (here’s how: analog.cafe/r/how-to-test-…), Chem Log (a plugin for the Film Log app) can help you avoid issues by giving a quick reference to mix dates. If something’s very old, you’ll know to avoid using that bottle.
Chem Log also helps extend the life of your C-41 chemicals by showing you adjusted development times based on the volume of your developer and the number of rolls that went through it. I’ve used this app to extend the life of my 1L (quart) Arista kit to 28 rolls — 20 beyond the recommended total — which added up to about $1/roll — without any significant issues in colour or grain. Article & samples: analog.cafe/r/arista-c-41-….
More app updates:
#film Q, a web app for inverting film negatives in the cloud, received a small bug fix. Previously, switching the “Autostart” setting ON would undo the “Fix Base Fog” mode. That could be annoying for anyone attempting to fix colour shifts on positive scans in batches, but it’s now fixed.
New #video🍿 and podcast comment tags now feature a special design to make viewing and listening to analogue photography content easier. I’ve also revamped how the comments appear and expanded the maximum amount of characters per comment to 4,000.
Please reply to this comment or get in touch if you have any feedback or problems using the Analog.Cafe website!
Updated: Fujifilm Neopan Acros (I & II) Film Review.
Fujifilm Neopan Acros is the only film that the company has brought back from discontinuation in recent decades. Based on what we know, it’s still manufactured in Japan and packaged in the UK (presumably by Harman/Ilford).
Acros II, which is the current name for the film, extends its sensitivity range to panchromatic (from the original orthopanchromatic) but retains its remarkable reciprocity characteristics and consistency across developers. The new version also renders a bit more contrast, but overall, today’s Acros is nearly identical to the product we’ve been using since the year 2000.
I wrote about this film three years ago. Today was the time to update that review (I completely rewrote it, added new samples, and corrected all the mistakes of the previous post).
A small update to improve the free reader experience on Analog.Cafe v3.29.112+.
July has been a busy month; despite my intentions to update the apps, I spent most of the time writing, developing, and photographing. However, there’s one small feature I’d like to mention here quickly, which I think will help a few blog readers.
A reader expressed their frustration earlier this month about the persistent “View this image in HD” labels overlayed above all feature article panels.
I founded and grew this website on the premise that it can function without invasive advertising messages. Having reviewed the signed-out user experience with the reader’s perspective in mind, I’ve decided to add an option to hide those labels for 30 days for all visitors, including folks who are not signed in at all.
To hide the message, click on the “View this image in HD” label and select “Hide for Now” in the pop-up.
I can’t promise to make all requested changes on this website, but I am listening and I appreciate the effort it takes to share your opinion with me. ❤️
A few small updates to navigation in Analog.Cafe v3.29.95:
- The “Settings” button on the bottom left is more consistent, so that it’s easier to sign in for returning visitors.
- The most prominent button on the top nav is now “Apps” (previously it was “News”). The news can still be easily reached from the homepage.
- I’ve changed how the “Apps” and “Tutorial” buttons look there. This is a cosmetic update, apologies to anyone who’s used to the old icons!
- Most apps now have three dots, ︙ , next to the title. Clicking those will bring up a menu with more info about the app, a way to refresh the screen, and a way to share the app.
If you have any suggestions or concerns, please let me know!
Updated: Analog.Cafe v3.29.78 fixes a previously hidden bug that may’ve caused recent service disruptions.
A memory leak in the application router crashed Analog.Cafe last night. There’s been a steady increase in traffic to the website which caused a minor bug to suddenly become a serious issue.
I spent today’s afternoon debugging Next.js router events (which were the ultimate cause of the issue, although it took a while to figure that out).
Analog.Cafe should now feel a bit faster and it’s ready to receive more visitors. Welcome, new readers!
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