Cameras


5 Exciting New Packs and Cameras for Film Shooters

October 31, 2019

By Greg Scoblete

Editor’s Choice: Fujifilm Instax LiPlay  

The LiPlay is a modern mashup of instant and digital photography.
It has a 2.7-inch rear display and a microSD slot, allowing you to save images and select only the ones you want to print. There’s a low-res CMOS sensor to record digital images and a mic to record sound. If you do record sound with a given photo, that photo will be printed with a QR code that you can scan with a phone to hear the sound. The camera has six photo filters and 30 different frame options, which you can select from the menu and apply to your printed photos. It also packs Bluetooth and can connect to and print from mobile phones using the Mini LiPlay app. The LiPlay is the smallest and lightest Instax camera to date. It accepts standard Mini format instant film.

Price: $150
fujifilmusa.com

[10 New Pieces of Gear for Filmmakers]

Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 II

Fujifilm has resurrected its Acros black-and-white film, though it won’t be precisely identical to the original, either in terms of its manufacture or its characteristics. Compared to the original, Fujifilm says the new Acros II has sharper highlight gradations and overall very high levels of sharpness. The Acros II will be sold in 35mm rolls. 

Price: TBD
fujifilmusa.com

[A Roundup of Photo Gear That Just Hit the Market]

Lomography LomoChrome Metropolis

The first, new color-negative film to hit the market in several years, Metropolis will be sold in 16mm, 35mm, 110mm and 120mm formats. The 35mm film will be sold in both cartridges and bulk rolls. According to Lomography, the new emulsion employs a “unique chemical formula that desaturates the colors, mutes the tones and makes the contrasts pop.” The film will have a sensitivity of 100 to 400 and is daylight balanced. It can be developed using the standard C-41 process. Look for it in the first few months of 2020.

Price: $35 (five rolls of 110mm)
lomography.com

[What Can You Expect at WPPI 2020? Some Exciting Changes Ahead of the Show]

One Instant Pack Film

Pack film is back, saved from extinction by Florian Kaps, who previously helped resurrect Polaroid film through the Impossible Project. This updated pack film isn’t quite like the original. Instead of a multi-exposure cassette, One Instant is a single exposure, peel-apart film that’s compatible with Polaroid and Fujifilm type 100 cameras. It is an ISO 125 film that’s daylight- balanced with a glossy finish. 

Price: $32
the.supersense.com

[Printers, Papers and Custom Art Options for Photographers]

CatLABS X Film 80

According to CatLABS, X Film is a black-and-white negative film that channels the look of Kodak’s Panotomic-X. The X Film 80 is a slow-speed, fine-grain, high-silver content film. According to CatLABS, the film features a very fine grain with moderate contrast and a deep tonal range. It’s also flexible during processing—it can be rated at ISO 50 when shooting indoors with artificial lighting or up to ISO 800 when working in low light. 

Price: $5.55 (35mm), $8 (120mm)
catlabs.info

[Using Bright Flash in Three Different Portrait Scenarios]