Written by Christian Hopewell
Over the last 9 months Cameraventures has been researching the current state of analog photography around the world, interviewing hundreds of people from CEOs integral to the industry, to upcoming young enthusiasts. We have gone on to undertake a survey of over 7500 analog enthusiasts from around the globe so that we can see how vibrant, varied and ultimately how healthy the analog camera scene is. This all with the hope that we can answer whether analog photography has what it takes to survive and be appreciated by the generations to come. If you’ve already taken part in our survey then we’d like to thank you for helping with this project, and if you’re yet to do so you can still take part here.
The Cameraventures survey has produced a wealth of interesting information – from who’s shooting analog, to where people are buying their film, to the Youtube videos and blogs photographers are enjoying. In this article we wanted to feature some of the online resources that were recommended by our survey participants that didn’t fit within any of our previous articles.
One of the most popular online resource suggestions to come out of our survey was for Digital Truth’s Massive Dev Chart. The Massive Dev Chart provides a lookup table for developing different film stocks, with information on the right developers, dilutions and temperatures. Also suggested was the Massive Dev Chart app which offers developing information and a handy timer within your smart phone. This app can be found on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
While we’re on the topic of mobile apps we received recommendations for mobile light meters. Metering can be a bit of a hurdle for newer analog photographers who often aren’t used to shooting without an inbuilt modern meter. While plenty of analog equipment will meter fine, there are cameras out there whose light meters have gotten a little unreliable over the years – and of course cameras that never had inbuilt meters. Fortunately for those looking to avoid purchasing a costly dedicated light meter – or avoid relying exclusively on the Sunny 16 rule – there are smartphone light meter apps. For reflective light readings there is the Pocket Light Meter app available on both the Google and Apple app stores. The app allows for reflective light readings using your smart phone’s camera.
Another recommended app came in the form of the Reciprocity Timer. This app, available on the Apple app store provides the ability to calculate exposure time compensations for film reciprocity in long exposures. The app also contains a handy timer for bulb mode exposures.
Other recommendations included the Devit! app, an android based darkroom timer and the Exif4Film app, another android based app, this time for creating Exif data for your scanned film images.
We’re only scratching the surface when it comes to the digital tools available for aiding in analog photography. While analog may be becoming more specialist, at the same time it’s becoming more accessible, with tutorials, tools and apps available to aid in all sorts of areas. Hopefully you will find some of our suggestions helpful in your future camera ventures.