RETO PANO is a new film camera with a switchable panoramic mask, an “ultra-wide” 22mm lens, and a built-in flash.
RETO’s line of seemingly simple plastic cameras is more ambitious than they may lead on. RETO PANO is not an exception.
One of RETO’s first entries into the market was RETO 3D, a 2019 Kickstarter project and a fresh take on a cult-classic Nishika N8000. On this blog, I reviewed H35N, a half-frame plastic camera with a glass and an aspherical lens element, which I think made it the sharpest camera in its class: analog.cafe/r/kodak-ektar-…
RETO PANO adds a switchable mask to the full-frame exposures to produce panoramic images, similarly to how Minolta P’s does it: analog.cafe/r/minolta-ps-r… — but in a slightly lighter package, weighing just 93g/3⅓oz.
PANO uses a single AAA battery for flash, although it shouldn’t need it for most shots. Its shutter is fixed at 1/100s and its lens is a fixed focus acrylic 22mm 𝒇9.5.
First, an update to the earlier posts about @aymenfilmm, an account that shares AI-generated images and labels them as film. They have disabled comments and quotes on their account.
I don’t know who’s behind @aymenfilmm, but it seems understandable, given that many of the comments call them out for posting AI images and tagging them as film. Some of those comments are mean, though their previous actions suggest that they simply do not want to reveal how their images were created. Still, this community cut-off hasn’t stopped @aymenfilmm from sharing; in fact, they’re posting more often.
Meanwhile, another post came across my Threads stream where @scanmyphotos used an AI-generated image to promote their services (of scanning film). The camera in that image has no take-up spool chamber, the film canister has a very strange font and no branding, and the whole scene concept is ripped off from the One Hour Photo film by Mark Romanek, starring Robin Williams.
A further look at @scanmyphotos’s reveals more AI-generated promos.
Thank you so much for writing. You’re absolutely right: the Olympus PEN system truly was a unique and tremendously capable professional half-frame system. Your thoughtful approach to negatives and enlarging with a half-frame mask really highlights its strengths. I’m delighted that my review encouraged you to share your insights.
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.10 adds support for lossless TIFF output in 16-bit colour.
While the low-compression full 4:4:4 chroma JPEG files that film Q outputs have enough data for significant edits without distortions, there may be a time when more colour data is needed.
For example, if you need to make significant corrections to exposure, contrast, saturation, or colour balance of your scans, working with a lossless 16-bit per channel TIFF file can make a big difference.
High bitrate files can help reduce noise and prevent banding, but they require a true 16-bit colour processing pipeline, which film Q now supports.
But: TIFF files are HUGE compared to JPEG, and they are often larger than camera RAW files. Thus, I suggest you use this option sparingly.
Thanks for your support! And please let me know if you find any issues with this app or anywhere on Analog.Cafe.
Yeah, that account appears to be built on tricking people and then controlling their reputation with Facebook’s social media tools.
I think there’s a more ethical way to sell tricks like this: simply say that this is AI-generated content. They would have a different audience, but I think that their images are compelling enough to attract people anyway. I may even be interested in seeing how the technology and its usage advance.
But they want *this* audience for some reason, thus such an annoying effort to peddle lies.
I wrote about AI and film photography last year, which is when I examined some of the seeds that may have inspired accounts like this: analog.cafe/r/shot-on-film….
Still, creating images that aspire to have a certain look is not the same as passing them off as film by tagging them suggestively and telling lies about their origins.
A Threads/Instagram account is trying to pass AI-generated content as photos shot on film.
I believe that the manner and the tools used to create images matter. It’s why we celebrate film photography, marvel at the technique/timing, and shun ill-gotten content.
This belief is the reason I felt deceived and disappointed to learn that one of the accounts I follow hides behind plausible deniability to present their work as if it was shot on film.
The images the account is posting are edited to look like they were shot on film, which in itself is impressive. Unless you zoom in on every photo, examine their portfolio, and find some shots where the physics don’t quite make sense (like in the image attached here), you may, like me, assume that the poster is genuine.
Unfortunately, instead of showcasing their skills to folks who would appreciate them for what they are, @aymenfilmm chose to delete comments that ask them to do the same. And to the commenters who ask about their technique and equipment, they reply with seemingly AI-generated responses that mention film stocks and cameras that can not create the sorts of images they refer to.
This is major bad vibes for folks like me, who may now have even more trouble trusting what they see online.
Of course, this is not the worst thing that could happen, ever, but it sucks to see this deceptive attitude manifest within a niche built around physical medium meant to brings us closer to the real world.
Jollylook completes its range of hand-cranked instant film development units with an Inxtax Wide back.
Jollylook is a Ukrainian cameramaker known for their instant film cameras made of mostly wood and paper. But the company also has a following of DIY enthusiasts who enjoy Jollylook’s self-assembly camera kits and their film development units, which can be adapted to any camera.
I used one of these hand-crankable devices to make the world’s first functional instant film camera out of gingerbread: analog.cafe/r/building-the…). In fact, the whole camera was built around the Square development unit’s frame. I also have the Instax Mini version that’s been waiting to be used in another camera idea of mine (more on that later).
The Instax Wide version of Jollylook’s development unit is now another thing I want. These units make building film cameras from scratch a lot easier, thanks to the instant (film) feedback and the chassis, which are usually the most difficult part of simple film cameras to get right.
For example, the LEGO camera had to implement a very intricate lockable system to work, which took a lot of parts: analog.cafe/r/hands-on-wit…).
New film, Kentmere 200, and the state of BW film manufacturing 🌅.
Ilford released a new budget-friendly ISO 200 black-and-white film, Kentmere PAN 200. This is their first addition to the monochrome film range in a long while.
The challenge in marketing and selecting BW film is that it’s hard to visually identify. A survey of nearly 600 analogue photographers revealed that most of us can’t tell our BW films apart: analog.cafe/r/photographer… ¹.
However, there are consequential differences between black-and-white films, even if they’re hard to see, which can make or break a photo: analog.cafe/r/how-to-choos….
Thankfully, BW film production has been recovering from setbacks and even thriving lately, giving us more tools to produce great images. Film Ferrania is back on track (kosmofoto.com/2025/04/film…), which is great because their film has the most recognizable look (see ¹,☝️). Light Lens Lab made a post describing their progress with a new film sensitizing equipment: lightlenslab.com/blogs/upc…, and I even saw freshly-sensitized Film Washi in the wild (now mostly sold out). Meanwhile, Kodak has dropped prices on Tri-X: analog.cafe/r/colour-film-…
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.8 makes inverting film negatives a little easier.
film Q launched as beta just over a month ago, and it has already inverted more than 10,000 film negatives. Thank you all for trying film Q and for your feedback thus far!
This new release fixes the app’s account authentication system so that it no longer requires you to sign in to Dropbox periodically. The work involved is deceptively complicated… I did my best to catch all the bugs before committing the code, but please let me know if you find any new ones.
There are also updates to the interface, which include new animations, transitions, and an overall smoother experience. 🧑💻
I first learned about Pentax working on a brand new film camera in 2022: analog.cafe/r/film-photogr…. But the company must’ve begun the process much earlier than that, starting with recruiting engineers who worked on film cameras like K1000 (analog.cafe/r/asahi-pentax…).
However, there had been a recent setback. The president of RICOH (which owns Pentax) resigned (asahi.com/ajw/articles/150…), and so had TKO (kosmofoto.com/2025/03/rico…). Pentax is now reconsidering whether it should pursue its PENTAX Film Camera Project further.
Now, it appears the Pentax 17’s continued success in the turbulent market must define the fate of the Film Camera Project.
I would advise against using any of the press kits, or “simplified” kits, as they are often marketed today. The bleach fix is a bit problematic with films — especially in a setting where the chemistry is not replenished. For best results, I suggest sticking with Fuji Hunt, or similar, professional quality chemistry.
I read in your recent article that areochrome is difficult to photograph with. I respectfully disagree, I’ve made some nice images with this particular emulsion without any issues. Areochrome remains one of the films for which I remain grateful to have had an opportunity to work with. And I should point out, I used this film before the prices became crazy unreasonable.
Updated: film Q, a web app for inverting film negatives in batches.
Version v1.0.0-beta.6 includes several important bug fixes and a new feature, Auto Start.
With the Auto Start setting turned on, film Q will automatically process files as soon as they are uploaded. This can be helpful for speeding up the workflow, especially if you scan directly into your Dropbox folder.
For example, you can set up a folder on your computer, which will automatically invert your negatives as soon as you place your files in it. Watch this video to see how it works: youtube.com/watch?v=OSp3Qh….
This update also fixes dark or distorted results when processing DNG files made with Silverfast scanner software and simplifies the user interface (fewer buttons). See help docs for more info: analog.cafe/app/film-q/help.
Invert v1.2-beta
Invert is a computer vision component of film Q. It calculates values for histogram equalization and manages camera RAW interpreter software.
This update fixes the image area detection mechanism, which has previously caused blank frames with certain types of scans. Version v1.2-beta also improves the saturation levels for camera RAW formats and colours on frames that may have scanning issues near the fringes.
Dmitri May 26, ‘25
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Danilo Leonardi May 21, ‘25
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Dmitri May 7, ‘25, edited on May 11, ‘25
Dmitri May 4, ‘25, edited on May 4, ‘25
Samu Skogström May 4, ‘25
Bob St-Cyr Apr 29, ‘25
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Bob St-Cyr Apr 29, ‘25, edited on Apr 29, ‘25
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Dmitri Apr 24, ‘25, edited on May 9, ‘25