Film photography guides from the120ist. Medium format, 35mm, large format, developing, scanning — all of it, written down.https://the120.ist/en-gbhttps://the120.ist/guides/alfie-boxx-first-impressions/https://the120.ist/guides/alfie-boxx-first-impressions/Hands on with the Alfie BOXX, a box camera built for black and white paper reversal. Compose, expose onto paper, then develop the print inside the holder.Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/paper-reversal-churchyard-cooke-lens/https://the120.ist/guides/paper-reversal-churchyard-cooke-lens/Back to black and white paper reversal after more than a year off, with the Stenopeika Caronte 4x5 and a Taylor-Hobson Cooke lens from around 1905.Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/farewell-bronica-etrs/https://the120.ist/guides/farewell-bronica-etrs/One last shoot with a camera I have loved, before it heads to its new owner in Australia. Self-portraits on Kentmere 200 and Potsdam in my garage studio.Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/rolleiflex-6006-review/https://the120.ist/guides/rolleiflex-6006-review/After six months of failure, a broken first copy and a retired camera tech in Toronto, I finally got a working Rolleiflex 6006. So why am I selling it?Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/harman-phoenix-2-review/https://the120.ist/guides/harman-phoenix-2-review/Hands-on review of Harman Phoenix 2 in 120, shot beside Phoenix 1 across two rolls in rural Gloucestershire. It is a real step on, and I am buying more.Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/flash-with-paper-reversal/https://the120.ist/guides/flash-with-paper-reversal/Can flash solve the long exposure problem in black and white paper reversal? I tested a Bowens Esprit 1000DX on a Stenopeika Caronte 4x5. It just works.Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/harman-red-125-review/https://the120.ist/guides/harman-red-125-review/Harman Red is now in 120 alongside the original 35mm launch. I shot two rolls trying to work out what it is for. It makes red images, very competently.Tue, 17 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-etrs-toronto-portrait-shoot/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-etrs-toronto-portrait-shoot/Bronica ETRS portrait shoot in a Toronto studio with model Sherri Johnson, when the Rolleiflex 6006 refused to work and the ETRS saved the day.Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/armstrong-hall-abandoned-theatre/https://the120.ist/guides/armstrong-hall-abandoned-theatre/Thornbury's Armstrong Hall closed at the start of UK lockdown and stayed shut four years. Before it reopens I went in with a 4x5 and 24 sheets of FP4.Sun, 11 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/kentmere-pan-200-review/https://the120.ist/guides/kentmere-pan-200-review/Kentmere Pan 200 is Ilford's new budget film, between Pan 100 and 400. Tested on Bronica GS1 and Rolleiflex SLX, it is so good at around £5 a roll.Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/sekonic-l858-d-review/https://the120.ist/guides/sekonic-l858-d-review/An honest review of the Sekonic L858-D SpeedMaster after six months of use, including for the paper reversal project. It is brilliant, and expensive.Sat, 03 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-caronte-4x5-first-impressions/https://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-caronte-4x5-first-impressions/Stenopeika's new Caronte 4x5 is a premium step up from the Air Force 4x5, with a Tuscan Cypress body and all-metal base. First impressions from the studio.Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-appreciation/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-appreciation/I am in Canada and my Bronica S2A is at home, and I miss it. A quiet appreciation of the camera that has become part of the family over seven years.Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/leica-m6-vs-texas-leica/https://the120.ist/guides/leica-m6-vs-texas-leica/A street photography collaboration in Toronto, putting a Leica M6 against a Fuji GSW690iii on the same Portra 400, in the same streets. Not a competition.Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gsw690iii-review/https://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gsw690iii-review/The Fuji GSW690iii makes immaculate 6x9 negatives from a fixed 65mm super-wide lens. It is bulletproof and flawless. So what do I actually do with it?Sat, 22 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/kf-concept-tripod-bird-photography/https://the120.ist/guides/kf-concept-tripod-bird-photography/An honest review of the K&F Concept A254C4 carbon fibre tripod and B-35L ballhead, plus my slow-motion disaster photographing birds in sub-zero Toronto.Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-minutero-2-review/https://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-minutero-2-review/The Stenopeika Minutero 2.0 develops 4x5 black and white paper inside the holder itself, no darkroom needed. After one session it changed how I work.Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/reveni-labs-lumo-review/https://the120.ist/guides/reveni-labs-lumo-review/Hands-on with the Reveni Labs Lumo, a tiny multi-function light meter that does nearly everything a Sekonic L858-D does for about a fifth of the price.Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/diy-ulf-box-camera-build/https://the120.ist/guides/diy-ulf-box-camera-build/How I built a 20x16 ultra large format portrait box camera from plywood, a WWII aerial lens and 3D-printed cones, for about £300. The build and lessons.Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/sirui-c150x-lite-review/https://the120.ist/guides/sirui-c150x-lite-review/The Sirui C150X Lite is a 150-watt constant light for semi-pro work, with a battery handle and QR40 softbox. Bright enough even for low-ISO paper reversal.Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/zeiss-ikon-ikonta-520-review/https://the120.ist/guides/zeiss-ikon-ikonta-520-review/The Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 520 dates from 1932. Fully mechanical and pocketable, with a 70mm f3.5 Tessar. About £20 on eBay, and the results are extraordinary.Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/multi-exposure-paper-reversal-vienna/https://the120.ist/guides/multi-exposure-paper-reversal-vienna/Asked to submit to a Vienna exhibition, I made a series of multi-exposure self-portraits on black and white paper reversal. Unexpected and rather lovely.Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/jaggle-berlinova-review/https://the120.ist/guides/jaggle-berlinova-review/The Jaggle Berlinova is a daylight printing system that makes analogue enlargements with no darkroom, the way daylight tanks process film without one.Sat, 26 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/the-big-test-paper-developer-reversal/https://the120.ist/guides/the-big-test-paper-developer-reversal/Sixteen papers, eleven developers and four days in the darkroom, hunting what reduces contrast in black and white paper reversal. Ansco 120 made it work.Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/harman-phoenix-120-review/https://the120.ist/guides/harman-phoenix-120-review/Harman Phoenix arrived in 120 in 2024, the first all-new colour film for medium format in years. I tested it in confetti fields, a Holga and the studio.Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/lomo-lca-120-review/https://the120.ist/guides/lomo-lca-120-review/The Lomo LC-A 120 is an auto-exposure point-and-shoot shooting 6x6 on 120. I took it across Botswana and Namibia, loved the lens, and wanted one anyway.Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/zhiyun-cinepeer-cf100-review/https://the120.ist/guides/zhiyun-cinepeer-cf100-review/The Zhiyun Cinepeer CF100 is an LED stick light aimed at video. I tested it for film portraits, even dry plates at ISO 2, and the shape of it won me over.Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-air-force-4x5-long-term-review/https://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-air-force-4x5-long-term-review/Eighteen months with one large format camera. A long-term review of the Stenopeika Air Force 4x5, the entry-level field camera I use for all my 4x5 work.Fri, 09 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/astrhori-xh-2-review/https://the120.ist/guides/astrhori-xh-2-review/The AstrHori XH-2 is a compact reflective hot shoe meter that styles beautifully on a Bronica ETRS. It is great. I am the problem here, not the meter.Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/freewell-v2-hybrid-review/https://the120.ist/guides/freewell-v2-hybrid-review/The Freewell V2 Hybrid combines a 3-to-7-stop variable ND and a circular polariser in one filter. Tested on 4x5, the stop markings make film exposure easy.Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gx680-review/https://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gx680-review/The Fuji GX680 is the biggest medium format SLR I have owned, and it makes the sharpest images I have got from film. Dead batteries make these dirt cheap.Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-rb67-review/https://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-rb67-review/The Mamiya RB67 is a great medium format camera in good condition. The problem is most for sale are not. I bought three and returned two. What to look for.Sat, 13 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/vsgo-black-snipe-25l-review/https://the120.ist/guides/vsgo-black-snipe-25l-review/A camera bag actually built right for large format film shooters. Rigid body, fully customisable interior, genuinely secure tripod mount, $250.Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/diy-cardboard-box-pinhole-camera/https://the120.ist/guides/diy-cardboard-box-pinhole-camera/Stenopeika launched an 11x14 ultra large format camera. I cannot afford one. So I built a 12x16 pinhole camera out of a cardboard box for under £10.Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/pentacon-six-tl-review/https://the120.ist/guides/pentacon-six-tl-review/Pentacon Six TLs are everywhere and they're cheap, which is the bit that matters. The body is fine. The Carl Zeiss lenses are the reason to buy in.Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/thornbury-mens-shed-shoot/https://the120.ist/guides/thornbury-mens-shed-shoot/Thornbury Men's Shed on four cameras. The place is brilliant. The cameras were a mixed bag. The panoramic Brownie 2A took two attempts to get right.Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/printing-vs-scanning-darkroom/https://the120.ist/guides/printing-vs-scanning-darkroom/Lomography Berlin Kino 400 looked rough when scanned. Printed properly in the darkroom, the same negatives look great. Worth knowing about.Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/paper-reversal-technique-nailed/https://the120.ist/guides/paper-reversal-technique-nailed/Six shoots, dozens of test sheets, three findings. ISO 1.8 for paper reversal in UK winter light. Develop to completion. Yellow filters cost four stops.Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/lomography-berlin-kino-400-review/https://the120.ist/guides/lomography-berlin-kino-400-review/Lomography Berlin Kino 400 has a startlingly dark film base. Two rolls and two developers later, I am sure that yes, it is supposed to look like that.Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/astrhori-ah-m1-review/https://the120.ist/guides/astrhori-ah-m1-review/The AstrHori AH-M1 is a hot shoe meter you are encouraged to sand the paint off. It is also a perfectly decent meter. Both things are true.Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/lomography-lady-grey-400-review/https://the120.ist/guides/lomography-lady-grey-400-review/Lomography Lady Grey 400 surprised me. Fine grain for a 400 film, controlled contrast, clean rendering. Not what I expected from Lomography at all.Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/black-and-white-paper-reversal-introduction/https://the120.ist/guides/black-and-white-paper-reversal-introduction/Black and white paper reversal lets you shoot 4x5 prints for around 25p a sheet, no negatives needed. Cheap, hands-on and tricky. How it works.Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/kiev-60-review/https://the120.ist/guides/kiev-60-review/The Kiev 60 is dismissed as a Soviet Pentacon Six copy. It is neither a copy nor a worse camera. With Carl Zeiss Jena glass it is genuinely excellent.Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/wet-plate-collodion-guy-bellingham/https://the120.ist/guides/wet-plate-collodion-guy-bellingham/Wet plate collodion produces something nothing else can. I sat for three portraits with Guy Bellingham FRPS, one of the world's best at this process.Sat, 02 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/negative-thinking-darkroom-bristol/https://the120.ist/guides/negative-thinking-darkroom-bristol/Negative Thinking is a Bristol community darkroom run by Tim and Emily. £5 an hour, £50 workshops. The pricing is the mission, not a tactic.Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/alfie-tych-review/https://the120.ist/guides/alfie-tych-review/The Alfie TYCH is a half-frame 35mm with four lens options including a pinhole and a zone plate. Genuinely new design. Mine earned its keep on holiday.Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/zebra-dry-plate-tintypes-take-two/https://the120.ist/guides/zebra-dry-plate-tintypes-take-two/Second attempt at Zebra dry plate tintypes. Two packs of plates later I got one I genuinely like. Lessons on exposure, latitude and the guidance.Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/kowa-six-review/https://the120.ist/guides/kowa-six-review/The Kowa Six is a Japanese 6x6 SLR from the late 60s. Lovely portraits in the right hands. Mine gummed up after two rolls. Know this before you buy.Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/zebra-dry-plates-review/https://the120.ist/guides/zebra-dry-plates-review/Zebra dry plate tintypes give you wet plate collodion aesthetics without the wet workflow. Mixed first results and lessons learned for next time.Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/landscape-photography-snowdonia-bronica-etrs/https://the120.ist/guides/landscape-photography-snowdonia-bronica-etrs/I took the Bronica ETRS to Snowdonia for landscape photography. The place was breathtaking. The photographs were fine. Working out what that means.Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/antique-brass-lenses-tested/https://the120.ist/guides/antique-brass-lenses-tested/Four antique brass large format lenses from 1895 to 1924 tested side by side on 4x5. Honest findings on what one shoot can and cannot tell you.Wed, 30 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-etrs-review/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-etrs-review/The Bronica ETRS converted me to 645. Sharp lenses, sensible electronics, solidly built, comfortable to carry. A keeper for me.Sat, 12 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/wildlife-on-4x5-view-camera/https://the120.ist/guides/wildlife-on-4x5-view-camera/I tried wildlife on a 4x5 view camera at a South African game reserve. Technically possible. Practically nope. Here is why you should not bother.Sun, 16 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/zeiss-ikon-box-tengor-review/https://the120.ist/guides/zeiss-ikon-box-tengor-review/The Zeiss Ikon Box Tengor 56/2 has a reputation as the best box camera ever made. My experience says it is fine but not exceptional. Here is why.Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/large-format-photography-south-africa/https://the120.ist/guides/large-format-photography-south-africa/A Cradle Moon shoot with the Stenopeika 4x5 and a Busch Aplanat. Got a landscape frame I am proud of, then dropped the camera and broke it.Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/wren-birds-of-prey-nikkor-65mm/https://the120.ist/guides/wren-birds-of-prey-nikkor-65mm/A morning at Wren Birds of Prey with Jenny and her rescue birds, shot on 4x5 with my new Nikkor 65mm SW. Hard, lovely, instructive.Fri, 28 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-645j-review/https://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-645j-review/The Mamiya 645J is the budget Mamiya 645. Cracking little camera, great lenses, comfortable handling. I sold mine to keep the Bronica ETRS instead.Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-air-force-4x5-first-impressions/https://the120.ist/guides/stenopeika-air-force-4x5-first-impressions/First impressions of the Stenopeika Air Force 4x5 from Samuele in Italy. Lovely build, clever zeroing tabs, comprehensive movements, good value.Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/holga-120n-review/https://the120.ist/guides/holga-120n-review/First time using the Holga 120N after 30 years of film. Technically awful camera that frees you from precision and lets you just take photos.Sun, 05 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/medium-format-cameras-guide/https://the120.ist/guides/medium-format-cameras-guide/A guide to medium format film cameras by category. Not a best-of list. A map of what exists, is cheap, and gets overlooked by top-ten lists.Fri, 23 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/jolies-fleurs-flower-shop-thornbury/https://the120.ist/guides/jolies-fleurs-flower-shop-thornbury/Photographing Jolies Fleurs in Thornbury with the Mamiya Super 23 and Speed Graphic 4x5. Brilliant team, lovely florist, plus a learning experience.Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/photography-inspiration-active-vs-passive/https://the120.ist/guides/photography-inspiration-active-vs-passive/Creative block, every shoot coming home empty. Active vs passive photography started clearing it. Tested at Llanthony Priory in the Black Mountains.Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/garage-darkroom-first-prints/https://the120.ist/guides/garage-darkroom-first-prints/How I built a garage darkroom with an Intrepid 4x5 enlarger, plus my first printing session and what analogue printing actually feels like in hand.Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/self-portraits-on-film/https://the120.ist/guides/self-portraits-on-film/A morning of self-portraits in the woods on the Bronica S2A, with the Reveni Labs Remote Release and a Meyer Trioplan on a Simon Forster adapter.Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/dslr-scanning-pixl-latr/https://the120.ist/guides/dslr-scanning-pixl-latr/My setup for scanning 35mm, 120, 4x5 and glass plate negatives at home with a digital camera and the pixl-latr holder. The kit, process and problems.Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/pixl-latr-camera-scanning-negatives/https://the120.ist/guides/pixl-latr-camera-scanning-negatives/How I scan film with a digital camera, the PIXL-LATR negative holder, and my full setup. The first gadget that made my workflow faster, not slower.Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-on-tour-south-africa/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-on-tour-south-africa/Driving through Kruger National Park between work meetings on the Bronica S2A with no telephoto lens, no expectations, and one keeper elephant frame.Fri, 09 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-on-tour-namibia/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-on-tour-namibia/A day-long road trip across Namibia from Windhoek to Solitaire on Kodak Gold and FP4 with the Bronica S2A, plus extraordinary desert landscape.Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/best-medium-format-for-travel/https://the120.ist/guides/best-medium-format-for-travel/Choosing one medium format film camera for a three-week Africa work trip. Five criteria, ten cameras considered, one surprisingly difficult decision.Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/620-film-trashman-treasures/https://the120.ist/guides/620-film-trashman-treasures/Two 620 cameras from Trashman Treasures in Wickwar, a Kodak Vollenda and a Brownie Flash B. The first shoot was a disaster. The second one worked.Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/chroma-cube66-review/https://the120.ist/guides/chroma-cube66-review/The Chroma Cube66 is a 6x6 medium format pinhole camera by Steve Lloyd of Chroma Cameras. Shot in St Arilda's churchyard and woods on FP4 and Pro 400H.Thu, 26 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-leatherette-reskin/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-leatherette-reskin/Re-skinning the Bronica S2A in faux snake skin from Milly's Cameras. The full process, including the solvent test that worked and the cutting mistakes I made.Fri, 13 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/3x4-speed-graphic-120-film/https://the120.ist/guides/3x4-speed-graphic-120-film/A 3x4 Speed Graphic found on Craigslist in Alaska, with a Graflex 23 back for 120 film. Plus how I made a ground glass out of Perspex from a Home Depot.Thu, 21 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gw690iii-alaska-part-2/https://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gw690iii-alaska-part-2/Part 2 of the Fuji GW690iii in Alaska. Downtown Anchorage on Ilford Delta 100 and Kodak Ektar, the camera that won me over and the reason I sold it.Thu, 14 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gw690iii-alaska-part-1/https://the120.ist/guides/fuji-gw690iii-alaska-part-1/First outing with the Fuji GW690iii in snowy Alaska, on Ilford FP4 and Kodak Ektar. A modern 6x9 mechanical rangefinder with a nickname I am refusing to use.Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/510-pyro-vs-hc110/https://the120.ist/guides/510-pyro-vs-hc110/A 4x5 side by side test of 510 Pyro and HC-110 on FP4 at St Arilda's church, plus the chemistry of pyrogallol staining explained by James Lane of Zone Imaging.Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/airport-scanners-and-film/https://the120.ist/guides/airport-scanners-and-film/What happens when you forget about a bag of film for a four-week Costa Rica trip and let it sit through six airport scans. A 2022 test plus a 2026 update.Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/hasselblad-500cm-review/https://the120.ist/guides/hasselblad-500cm-review/Are Hasselblads worth the hype and the money? I borrowed a 500C/M for a day of portraits to find out. Yes, they really are, and that is almost the problem.Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/rolleiflex-slx-review/https://the120.ist/guides/rolleiflex-slx-review/Review of the Rolleiflex SLX, a 1976 auto-winding electronic 6x6 SLR with shutter priority auto exposure, leaf shutter lens and a notable battery problem.Thu, 23 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/krauss-rollette-luxus-review/https://the120.ist/guides/krauss-rollette-luxus-review/Review of the Krauss Rollette Luxus, a 1928 German folder for long-extinct 129 film, plus a workaround that lets you shoot 127 film through it with a washer.Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/llancaut-church-intrepid-4x5/https://the120.ist/guides/llancaut-church-intrepid-4x5/A 4x5 walk to the medieval ruins of Llancaut Church in the Wye Valley with the Intrepid, two sheets of film (Delta 100 and Ektar) and a Ricoh R1 in the bag.Thu, 07 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/voigtlander-bessa-1-review/https://the120.ist/guides/voigtlander-bessa-1-review/Review of the Voigtländer Bessa I, a 1951 6x9 medium format folder with the Vaskar 105mm f/4.5 lens, shot around Chepstow Castle on FP4 after a deep clean.Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bessa-1-lens-fungus-removal/https://the120.ist/guides/bessa-1-lens-fungus-removal/How to remove fungus from a Voigtländer Bessa I lens with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, plus disassembly notes and re-calibrating the infinity focus.Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-c330-pro-f-review/https://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-c330-pro-f-review/Mamiya C330 Pro F review: the 1972 medium format TLR with interchangeable lenses and bellows focusing, shot on FP4 in a Bristol field with an honest verdict.Sun, 18 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/viking-portrait-shoot-4x5/https://the120.ist/guides/viking-portrait-shoot-4x5/A Viking themed character shoot in a forest, on the Toyo 4x5 with FP4 and Ektar plus a mystery Dallmeyer 8.5 inch lens that turned out to be a revelation.Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-three-lenses-tetbury/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-three-lenses-tetbury/Three Bronica S2A lenses tested on 6x6: a wide 50mm Super-Komura, the standard 75mm Nikkor PC and a 150mm Zenzanon, with portraits shot in Tetbury.Mon, 10 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/best-glue-for-camera-leatherette/https://the120.ist/guides/best-glue-for-camera-leatherette/Testing eleven different glues and tapes for sticking camera leatherette, from contact adhesives and PVA to super glue and E6000, with one clear winner.Tue, 04 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/large-format-pinhole/https://the120.ist/guides/large-format-pinhole/Making a 0.4mm brass pinhole lens board for the Intrepid 4x5 then shooting Ashley Robson on Foma 400 at Worcester Lodge, with mixed results and open questions.Tue, 27 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/intrepid-4x5-mk-iv-review/https://the120.ist/guides/intrepid-4x5-mk-iv-review/Intrepid 4x5 Mk IV review: a £250 plywood field camera at a quarter of the weight of a monorail, with the trade-offs that come with that price.Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/gb-kershaw-110-review/https://the120.ist/guides/gb-kershaw-110-review/GB Kershaw 110 review: a basic 1954 folder from Leeds with a meniscus lens, two apertures and a genuinely interesting history behind the GB Equipments name.Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/what-is-120-film/https://the120.ist/guides/what-is-120-film/120 film is the medium format roll film most photographers move to after 35mm. What it is, how it differs, how to load it, and how the frame sizes work.Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/large-format-night-shoot/https://the120.ist/guides/large-format-night-shoot/Large format night shoot on 4x5 with the Toyo 45C and Nikkor SW 90mm, working through FP4+ reciprocity failure on a freezing February evening at St Arilda's.Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-focusing-screen-saga/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-focusing-screen-saga/Replacing the focusing screen on a Bronica S2A with a Rick Oleson Brightscreen, learning how tight the tolerances are on a 1970s medium format SLR.Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/4x5-camera-movements-vertical-correction/https://the120.ist/guides/4x5-camera-movements-vertical-correction/Using rear standard tilt and front rise on the Toyo 45C with a Nikkor SW 90mm to correct keystoning on a church, with the technique properly explained.Wed, 30 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/canon-ae-1-program-review/https://the120.ist/guides/canon-ae-1-program-review/Canon AE-1 Program review: the 1981 Canon SLR that brought Program AE to the entry level, plus three rolls of film shot around Oldbury-on-Severn.Sat, 21 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/colour-filters-black-and-white/https://the120.ist/guides/colour-filters-black-and-white/How colour filters work in black and white photography, with side-by-side FP4 tests through a Yashica 635, and why green is more useful than it looks.Mon, 02 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/narrative-shoot-ashley-robson-100-year-old-tessar/https://the120.ist/guides/narrative-shoot-ashley-robson-100-year-old-tessar/First real outing for the 1920s Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 135mm on 4x5, a narrative shoot with Ashley Robson in Shaw Forest Park, and a fixer problem to solve.Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/hacking-my-way-into-large-format/https://the120.ist/guides/hacking-my-way-into-large-format/How I got into 4x5 large format photography for £175 by combining a 1920s Zeiss Tessar from a Camera Rescue outlet box with a £90 Toyo 45C from eBay.Thu, 15 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/agfa-synchro-box-review/https://the120.ist/guides/agfa-synchro-box-review/Hands-on review of the Agfa Synchro Box 600, a 1951 German box camera shooting 6x9 on 120 film with a single-element meniscus lens and built-in yellow filter.Tue, 29 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-528al-prism-cleaning/https://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-528al-prism-cleaning/An honest writeup of taking apart a Mamiya 528AL to clean a dead fly off the pentaprism, with the benefit of hindsight on what I should have done differently.Tue, 22 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/gerlach-nixette-review/https://the120.ist/guides/gerlach-nixette-review/Hands-on review of the Gerlach Nixette (Nixon Nixette), a 1950s German 6x6 folding camera with an unusual single-fold bellows and a Supra Anastigmat lens.Sun, 20 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/rolleicord-iii-review/https://the120.ist/guides/rolleicord-iii-review/Hands-on review and shoot test of the 1950 Rolleicord III TLR with Schneider Xenar 75mm f/3.5, compared with the Yashica 635, with a scratched-lens twist.Sun, 13 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-in-depth-review/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2a-in-depth-review/Hands-on review of the Bronica S2A 6x6 medium format SLR, with side-by-side comparison to the Bronica S2 and an abstract garage shoot demonstration.Tue, 08 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2-vs-s2a-identification/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2-vs-s2a-identification/Practical guide to identifying a Bronica S2 vs S2A by serial number, winding knob, knob centre and neck strap lugs, with caveats about disputed claims.Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2-infinity-focus-fix/https://the120.ist/guides/bronica-s2-infinity-focus-fix/How to fix the classic Bronica S2 and S2A infinity focus problem by replacing the degraded foam under the ground glass, with all my mistakes left in.Thu, 20 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-528al-review/https://the120.ist/guides/mamiya-528al-review/Hands-on review of the Mamiya 528AL, a 1975 fixed-lens leaf-shutter 35mm SLR with 48mm f/2.8 Sekor lens, shot with Kentmere Pan 100 at Severn Beach.Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://the120.ist/guides/yashica-635-review/https://the120.ist/guides/yashica-635-review/Hands-on review of the Yashica 635 TLR with 80mm f/3.5 Yashikor lens, Copal MXV shutter, dual 120 and 35mm capability, plus a Severn Bridge test shoot.Mon, 13 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMT