5 Frames with an APS film camera – the Fujifilm 1000ix Tiara

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 19/12/2025

Hi John, thank you for your feedback and praise. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too. At the beginning of the year, I will publish an article here about the "Contax Tix", another APS film camera that I own.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 20/12/2025

Hi David, thank you for the detailed information and valuable tips. I am only now starting to do more post-processing of the negatives, although I tend to avoid excessive editing and only do what is absolutely necessary. I am purely an amateur photographer and concentrate more on seeing motifs and the exposure of the photo. For almost 40 years, I worked with computer software in my IT career and was then glad to have as little to do with it as possible in my free time. The images taken with this APS film camera are a poor example, as the camera is fully automatic with no control over exposure. My small lab, where you could drop off your film many years ago and pick up the paper prints an hour later, does not process the film, and there are no special presets for APS. Only JPEGS are created. The film used was produced in 2011 at the latest and was probably already expired in 2018, when the photos were taken. I am very happy with the results, as they say today, "out of camera". Nevertheless, I am happy to take your advice. My large collection of old cameras hardly includes any fully automatic models; most of them are mechanical cameras, some of which do not even have a built-in light meter. I expose the films based on the shadows, take several exposures with the spot meter and calculate the average value, or use the dome on my Sekonic L-398A. Your advice is very helpful in improving the whole process. Thank you, David!

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 20/12/2025

APS films have not been manufactured since 2011. Most of the films offered were colour negative films, but Kodak also released a black-and-white film that had to be developed using the C41 process. There was also a slide film available for a while, but it was discontinued early on due to a lack of interest.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 21/12/2025

Hi Sean, Thank you for your comment. I'm glad I brought back some good memories! At the time, I continued to take photographs with 35 mm film and only bought my APS cameras a few years ago. The film was no longer being produced, but it hadn't expired yet. I still have quite a few in cold storage. Let's see how long they can still be used for, and whether any changes occur. At the beginning of January, I will publish another report on APS here. It's a real shame, but many photographers, like me, continued to use their 35mm cameras, perhaps because of the high cost of APS cameras. They were all high quality and packed with automatic features. The films on offer were great emulsions and, although the negative was smaller, they produced excellent results. All my films were scanned directly after being developed in my local lab, which still does this today. I would be surprised if new APS film were to be offered again. I think we just have to accept the situation. Thanks again for your contribution, Sean.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 21/12/2025

Thank you for your comment, Omar! I'm glad you like the pictures. APS films were state-of-the-art emulsions, if not further developments compared to 35mm film. The few companies in the consortium put everything they could into film and camera technology. It was the last shot, but it came too late. When comparing point-and-shoot cameras, I haven't noticed any differences. The quality is at least equivalent. The cameras are smaller and more convenient to use, and handling the film is a big step forward. I would like to answer your question with a YES. The APS format would have prevailed among the many users of compact cameras, which no longer exist today, having been replaced by smartphones. The "self-developers" among us, those who make all the settings themselves, work in manual mode and focus manually, would probably have found it very difficult. My Konica + Fujifilm cameras are fully automatic, unlike the Contax Tix, which allows me to set the aperture myself. In my opinion, it was also the best and most valuable APS camera. But also by far the most expensive. I was lucky enough to get it brand new for €100. I still have plenty of film in the fridge. All of them are probably past their expiry date, so we'll see how the results turn out. The upcoming Contax photos cannot be used for comparison, as they were taken several years ago, in 2022, I believe. I hope you enjoy taking photographs too, and thank you very much!