Fujifilm INSTAX Film

How should a new weblog begin? The title Everything is Analog has a special meaning which I will delve into later, but the basic point to understand is, well, everything IS analog. So I think it's not inappropriate to start with a post about a great instant film stock.

INSTAX Square, NONS SL660, Nikkor 50mm

I just recently started shooting Fujifilm INSTAX film on the INSTAX wide 300 camera; more about that one later.

INSTAX has great color but poor dynamic range, like Polaroid. A scene that has a nice sky and landscape may end up as a compromise between washed out sky or a landscape that's too dark.


NONS SL660 Camera	Light L16 Camera

But when the scene doesn't have too much contrast, and you nail the exposure (or when the camera gets it right), the end result can be rewarding:

Fujifilm INSTAX Wide 300

The above photo is not sharp because I neglected to set the focus selector to "3m-infinity" (it's easy to forget):

INSTAX Wide 300 Focus Selector

Did I mention colors? Well, INSTAX colors can be quite nice! You will not get this richness and accuracy of color with any Polaroid film. Use flash when you can:

Colorful stuffed animals - INSTAX Wide 300

I store all of my film, including Instant films, in the refrigerator as recommended. Just give them about 30 mins or so to warm up to ambient temperature before opening the seal on a new pack and putting it in the camera.

INSTAX Wide and Square Film Packs

Comments

Can you shoot INSTAX in a Mamiya 7?

2023-10-07: Can you shoot INSTAX in a Mamiya 7? Well, yes you can. Here's how! Mamiya 7 and INSTAX Mini 90 There are a few obstacles to tackle: 1. Mamiya 7 won't release the shutter with the film door closed without 120/220 film present. And the frame counter must be wound to "1", which can't happen without film. So how do we get around this? I searched and found that the only option being used was to tape the undeveloped INSTAX photo in place over the frame opening, install a roll of film (or just the paper backing), close the back, and then wind to "1". The tape was used because winding the 120 film would move the INSTAX photo out of alignment. I didn't really like this idea from a workflow perspective. After some thought, I remembered that the Mamiya 7 will release the shutter if the back cover is open. But we can't sh...

2023-10-11: NONS SL660 versus Reality

How do INSTAX photos taken with the NONS SL660 and a Canon 50mm f/1.2L USM lens compare to a digital photo? Just for fun! NONS SL660, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, 1/125@f/2.8 iPhone SE NONS SL660, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, 1/125@f/2.8 iPhone SE These INSTAX Square photos are from the NONS SL660 Canon EF-mount film camera. What attracted me to the SL660 was that you can attach almost any Canon EF lens (or adapted mount), and the manual controls option. NONS SL660

2023-09-20 Instant of the Day

2023-09-20 Instant of the Day Fujifilm INSTAX Wide 300 Fujifilm INSTAX Wide 300 Fujifilm INSTAX film just works. While the Wide 300 camera leaves little room for settings adjustments, it still produces a great image. Scanning is done with an Epson V850 Pro with all scanner enhancements like auto exposure, color correction disabled. In post-editing, I add sharpening to account for the flatbed scanner's shortcomings, and ensure the photo dimensions are consistent with the INSTAX ratio. No color temperature corrections are done. I will make a post about this process soon.

Everything Is Analog

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