Analogue (and analogue inspired) Newsletter September 2025

Welcome to the September Analogue (and analogue inspired) News and Tittle-Tattle.

As I write this the Summer is just about over, thankfully it still lingers on and I’m hoping we have a nice long Indian one (here in the Northern Hemisphere anyway). Thanks to Hamish for allowing me to write this monthly piece and I wish you all a lovely Summer and Year beyond it.

It’s been an interesting month (as usual) on 35mmc with some cracking articles and superb Photography from the contributors, I’d like to list them all but only a selection here for you to re visit.

We have had long time contributor Geoff Chaplin concluding his TLR challenge and a refreshing new take on critique: “Five by Two: Two Photographers Look at Five Frames” by Scott Ferguson and Dave Pauley A very important article on Generative AI by Dave Powell.

August 35mmc Highlights

Film reviews; Harman Phoenix 200 by Eagle Omomuro  Lomography Orca on 110 by Benjamin Chan and some inspiring reviews of Box cameras by Tony Warren 

Kentmere 200 by Roger Also Scott’s 5 Part review of B&W Film stocks  plus many others, honourable mentions of Thorsten, Bob Janes, David Hume, Jeffrey Luhn’s insight, Gary Smith and Andria Monti‘s philosophical musings which are always a pleasure to read.

I’m not one to plug my own stuff but gaining inspiration from Dave Powell’s Post I went in search of Queen Daenery’s Targaryen in Essos

An interview with Sony World Photography Award Winner Marjolein Martinot and her Riverland series.

The Photo of the Month would surely be The Clawfoot Tub by David Smith.

The Sustainable Darkroom

The sustainable darkroom are no strangers to 35mmc, Molly Kate wrote an article about them back in 2023 and 2022 About research into ways of reducing the toxic impact of traditional photography on the environment.

The Sustainable Darkroom is the world’s first and only charity that researches sustainable alternatives to analogue and digital photography.

Xander Linger Sustainable Darkroom Education and Outreach Coordinator of The Sustainable Darkroom just announced their latest book: Back to Basics, Vol. 2: Extended Recipes for Ecological Photo Chemistry — the first book in history to explore homemade, low-toxicity film developing recipes using rusted metal, food waste, and other processes such as non-liquid developers.

Written by Andrés Pardo of CuriosoLab and based on 10 years of experimentation, this 64-page guide goes beyond traditional eco-developers, introducing semi-solid chemistry and never-before-published methods. Printed with vegetable-based inks on 100% post-consumer waste paper, the book is as sustainable as the techniques it teaches.

Pre-orders are open now, with a free online launch on August 27 and an in-person NYC launch at Mono No Aware on September 13.

Kickstarter

On Kickstarter we have an interesting Camera which tickled my fancy – a 6×17 Panoramic. The Sasquatch Project will be launching soon so if interested keep an eye on it for full info on Pledge amounts and what the offers are. I won’t get my hopes up as these are usually 3D Printed tat but I may be proven wrong!

617 seems to be de rigueur at the moment (no bad thing)  as we have another Kickstarter Project which is already under way – and it’s another Medium Format Type. I say Type as it’s more of a modular camera which can be chopped and changed to suit.

The Panoramic 617/612, 4×5, 5×7 and 8×10 Point & Shoot Camera

Versatile 612 & 617 Convertible Cameras and Conversion kits to convert your Large Format Sinar P & F, Cambo, Toyo to 4×5 Point & Shoot

It features a camera back, Ground glass and various cones to which lenses can be attached plus Helicoids which are laser engraved and calibrated with distance scales and hyperfocal markings.

It can also be used as a medium format / 617 back for a Press or View camera with movements. Confusing? Yes it is! I watched and then rewatched the video to get a better idea of the camera and its features.

So construction is 3D printed plastic with some turned alloy components (such as the Helicoid). Interesting and if the claims of Film flatness and ease of focussing are to be believed, very versatile. There are several versions available with a couple shown below.

Overall the pledges aren’t too bad, about $195 Canadian (£95) will get you a complete 4×5 point and shoot Camera (minus the lens) you’ll get far sharper normal results than say a Holga and a good easy entry way into shooting Large Format, so do check out their Kickstarter page for more details with plenty of in-depth videos and information to sink your teeth into.

And last on Kickstarter, I can’t believe I missed this marvel of modern engineering, I’d have liked nothing better than to strap this gizmo on the back of my lovely blue Leica to take, errr, smartphone photos. Yay!! Has anyone actually seen this abomination in action?

Also, a quick nod to DIY Photography who have just launched their universal lens cap which comes in a DIYP blue and aims to replace broken/lost lens caps with something that aims to protect your lens whilst also being very blue…

And finally

Mexican website Art By Pino has an encouraging article Here about Film Photography and reasons why it’s making a resurgence. Nice to see these under ‘News’ When searching Film Photography!

Film photography isn’t just hanging on—it’s roaring back to life. Vintage cameras like the Canon AE-1 or Nikon F3 are fetching prices higher than some pro digital SLRs, with eBay reporting 25-50% annual price spikes for sought-after models. Hobbyists are hooked, and pros are weaving film into premium offerings for weddings and portraits, delivering timeless results clients love.

Adorama is also following the trend 

Despite living in a world with 100mp digital sensors and lightning-fast autofocus, film photography has managed to stick around. In fact, it’s made something of a comeback in recent years, and it’s for good reason. While film photography doesn’t offer the convenience of modern-day digital photography, it offers a more intentional experience with tangible results. So, if you are thinking of getting into film photography, this guide should offer you a solid starting point.

Now all we need are some more new revolutionary Film cameras for Gen Z to enjoy

Thanks for reading, if you’ve any news or gossip you’d like to feature in next months Newsletter, give me a shout!