On The Nature Of Light This makes me happy to hear! I just got a pack of the monochrome to try but then got distracted by two packs of fp3000B that were gifted to me ☺️

@@DavesFilmLab I loved using the Fp3000B! Lucky you. I still have many Fp100 but the black and white of the 3000 was unbeatable. I'm already cutting old wrongly exposed sheet films to try the instax trick. This weekend it's DIY time!!!

Andy It’s possible to achieve in large format even with lenses that aren’t “fast” by conventional 35mm standards

Wayne Simon yes!!! That’s how I started with this method years ago. Works excellent in the RB67 and its 800 iso is a major bonus. Had to use a 3 stop ND filter often for portraits ☺️

@@DavesFilmLab so this requires the Polaroid back right?

SixtySix no just a regular film holder

Andrew Allen Thanks! In my eyes, 4x5 will teach you more about photography than any other camera system

Try the instax LINK wide printer! It’s what I’m using now and has the added bonus of printing anything on my phone. Glad to hear you’re digging it! Bought a lomograflok but it sits on the shelf. I’d rather use this method for all my test shots since I can use the same film plane. I know folks have told me that it’s not the same exact film plane, but any amount that it is off… is negated by the medium itself. Instax will never match the sharpness of sheet films. With all of this said… HAPPY SHOOTING!

I don’t adjust anything, focus seems to work pretty close and there’s some limitations of the medium itself so I don’t spend much time fussing over the focus with instax but definitely do for sheet film

Jason Lin Thank you for your kind words 🙏

Tian Yang My pleasure! Glad you’re enjoying it as much as I do

buyaport Hey thanks for your comment! Yes, I think metering varies for everyone. My s90 meters at 640 but my cell phone at 800 and my sekonic was actually at 1000. So I think it’s about finding what consistently gives you a proper exposure

Carsten Schmitt Glad you dig it! Definitely simple enough to be overlooked :) Happy Shooting!

Jamie Maldonado Definitely advise getting a 3 stop ND filter too given it’s high speed

@@DavesFilmLab Duly noted. Thanks for the heads up! This is going to be a lot of fun.

Jamie Maldonado I’m so hyped to finally share this method with everyone. It’s nothing new or original, but definitely something not a lot of people know about. And subjects get so excited when they get to see results on the spot, makes it worth the slight hassle of carrying an instant film camera & changing bag (both serve dual purpose as a camera and a place to load more sheet film on the go)

@@DavesFilmLab That's so cool! I've been needing to get my 4x5 out and use it, so this is the perfect motivation. And,I realized, a great way to use 3 unshot packs of Polaroid Originals film I accidentally ordered for the wrong camera and couldn't return ...

Thank you! Had to use a 3 stop ND filter to combat the 800 iso & f2.5 aperture but it sure did work out 😋

Phạm Quang Thanks! It’s a lot of fun

Sascha Hirschner Happy to hear that! Really warms my heart to share with others

Petko Iordanov Thanks!

Yea, my issue with that is you have to insert a shim and then refocus when you go to shoot your sheet film. This method allows me to not have to adjust focus again as I’m just using it to do test shots like I used to with FP100c. Appreciate the input though, I’m sure that will suit a lot of people who just value the instant film sheets. My big issue with it is that is the focus being off by something like 19mm

@@DavesFilmLab ok, I just said this, as the lomograflok is a processor in itself, so once shot, you hit the expose button, and it squishes the pod, and develops for you, no extra steps, like the old quick load and polaroid 545 and 505 holders, you could just pull and you where done! and Yes, you do need the shim, the double dark slide holder for sheet film has only 1-2mm of holder in front of the film sheet, in a polaroid the holder and the cartridge have distance to, about 1cm so a lot more, the shim accounts for this, automatically back focusing the image, to bring the focus plane into line with the new film plane.

@@andyvan5692 Correct. I own the lomograflok and find myself using the sheet film holder method more often for proofing. With combination of a 3 stop ND, I’m able to get good test shots for ektachrome without having to refocus my image or adjust the camera. It’s all in what someone’s final result is that they’re going for. If instax is the final result, lomograflok is a good way to go. This video was made before the lomograflok was available, and I’d been using this method for years before it was made. This just offers another way to shoot instax in a 4x5, and isn’t me stating that one is better than another

@@DavesFilmLab ok, didn't realise this video pre-dated the lomograflok production, but a good hack otherwise, and esp. for spring back lf cameras ,where the lomograflok can't fit (you can't open it 1" to swallow the holder).

Paper should work, pending it’s stiff enough to hold the film in place.

It’s fairly easy. Put the camera on a tripod and shoot a complex scene on instax scene with even light & lots to allow for you to shoot, process the shot, and then mark the ground glass based on the shot you just took. That said... there could always be a slight variable in the framing, so small that I don’t worry about it. Allow for a tiny wiggle room and enjoy the fun being able to process photos on site. It’s still no substitute for sheet film, but a cheap way to take test shots and for me.... to test the shutter speed of my Graflex focal plane shutters

Hessel Folkertsma It May be scientifically off by a little bit I think the instax medium is somewhat forgiving of that

Dave Rollans Films Thanks, it’s very interesting!

I’m usually shooting wide open with my aero ektar, which is an f2.5 lens. Any offset of the film plane, is made up for the fact that it’s instax film. The film usually appears sharp enough for my liking, and much sharper than instax cameras. Long winded way of saying no, I’ve not experienced any issues with film flatness

Great, that's super helpful and just what I needed to know. Thanks@@DavesFilmLab

Most likely not. Many of the older graflex 2x3 cameras and Mamiya RB67 will take instax mini but most of the TLR cameras will likely break the chemical pod when they close. That said, you can always give it a try!

Yhup! I’ve got a video where I do that

Pacemaker if you can, the anniversary model is older and more limited in terms of the movements on the front standard. I’ve got mine doing swing / tilt very easily but it would not have been possible with an anniversary model

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a super fun method and works really consistently

My pleasure! It may be, in your metering experience, but I suggest everyone have a relationship with their meter. More people have told me they have success with iso 800 and iso 1000 than 640 so I’m assuming you’ve got a good relationship with your meter and that’s awesome. Glad you’re inspired!

frugal photographer So much about this comment made my day 😂 thank you very much!

Youre welcome! Cheers!

Thanks! Yes, plenty of people use a hand roller with instax. The issue is getting even development, that’s why I prefer to just use the camera instead of the roller method. Rolling the pod evenly over the film is much harder than it sounds

Kern Hercules Kodak 7” Aero Ektar f/2.5. Not sure what brand but 0.9 should be a 3 stop. Making an instax back for a camera out of anything that currently exists will require modifying a camera beyond its ability to be used with sheet film ever again.... or requires using a secondary ground glass to accommodate the film plane moving. With that said, there’s definitely money in whomever can figure out a way to do it WITHOUT requiring me to use a separate ground glass and without requiring modifications to the camera itself

Yea, it’s an easy mod. Look at the wings that hold the front standard to the rails, they will allow for swing (or front/back tilt in portrait) when ground down (only rounded from the edges though to ensure the front standard still has plenty of real estate to grab the rails)

@@DavesFilmLab thanks Dave, will look into that also 🙂

@@BanogeCottage If you have any trouble, email me at davesfilmlab@gmail.com and I’ll try to steer you in the right direction. Google had a few different mods but this one also pops up under the google images search

monmioamio sweeeet! 🙏

I’m here because of Nico. He mentioned you in his News show kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rdiioLBm1c-leaM.html

Sandro Khutsishvili You have to draw crop marks in your viewfinder or on your ground glass

Gabriel Palacios Thanks! I do not.... they really can only be enlarged to about 11x14 before the quality loss is very apparent

young-hoon Gihl something else is going on because it should only be getting a single exposure unless you intend on multiple exposures

Jacopo Abbruscato Not at all. Focus may be marginally off but I think it’s within such a small margin that it’s not noticeable. Plus, these are test shots to me.... instant film has never been a serious medium to me, but rather a way to proof the image/exposure. Hope this helps!

Tulio Cause I want it to turn out like it should 😉☺️

you can roll it yourself but the likelihood of it looking good... is slim. I’ve never spent more than $30 on an instax wide camera so they’re worth having around. I load the shots one by one, keeping the instax pack in the fuji camera, which allows me to also use the instax camera any time I want

António Tomás Thanks!

No, this film is panchromatic

Only with certain cameras. I was able to use a 2x3 cut film back to shoot instax mini with an RB67

Christian Honican I cant speak toward that specific camera, but where there’s a will... there’s a way. Tinker around and loading single sheets of instax mini, instax wide, and polaroid instant films will be possible in a number of different cameras. Will be only a single shot method but instax is fairly cheap, remember that it exposes from the back side

Sure! You could do as many as you want :) the only limitations on processing are that 10 fit in a pack at a time. I only keep two holders loaded for a total of 4 sheets and rarely make it to the forth before wanting to process, so I’ll load more as I process... if I’m going to carry a bunch of holders, I’d rather allocate them to conventional film instead of instax

Instagram @cinedar

Sure! I use it with a 3 stop ND to proof Portra 160

@@DavesFilmLab and when you meter you use the exact same settings as you would with portra 160 with decently close results?

@@fulltang1 Yes indeed, I expose 160 at 100 so it works out well

kekko99ization For shits and giggles 😂

@@DavesFilmLab i didn't understand. I'm italian and i bet you are using a slang phrase but i don't know what do you mean

kekko99ization it roughly means “it’s just for light hearted fun”

Found my answer in the comments (not really successfully).

Groucho Marx A quick measurement should clear up that question. 2x3 will shoot instax mini & 3x4 should fit instax wide. Sounds like you have a 2x3. Does your focal plane shutter work? You only need a ground glass if that’s how you want to focus, you can also use the rangefinder if it’s calibrated and working well.

Dave Rollans Films thanks it 2 1/4” by 3 1/8” so it’s a 2x3 I think? Thank you so that means I would need a mini camera. How do I calibrate the range Finder?

Dave Rollans Films I saw a video on the focal plane shutter everything seems to be in order but the needs to be cleaned and greased

Groucho Marx Yea Thats 2x3. It’ll shoot medium format roll film or instax mini using a 2x3 “cut film” holder

Dave Rollans Films great. Im going to bolt a instax camera to the back of this.

Paul Estévez ☺️🙏

Blog Vermelho With a 2x3 cut film back that has graflok channels cut into the sides. This allows me to shoot the sheets, using this similar method. DM me on Instagram @ cinedar if you have further questions or need help finding cut film holders

Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic from late 1940’s

MechanicalCanvas I used glue to glue a “XUME” magnetic filter adapter to the front of the lens and am able to just drop filters into place quickly

MechanicalCanvas 77mm is what I bought since all my filters were already 77mm... I’ve had no issues with vignetting

Andrew Persing I can’t see why not but personally don’t have an I-Type camera to test. It worked with the 600 & sx70 films just fine

@@DavesFilmLab I just tried it and not sure if its the backwards film thing you mentioned or what but the shot didn't develop. I think it might also have to do with when you load a polaroid it spits out a dark slide so I have to load a dark slide in when I put it back in or else it won't work right. Trying again now.

Andrew Persing you can just close the pack with the shot in there... there’s no difference in it spitting out the darkslide and it processing your shot

@@andydreadsbmx Polaroid film like 600, I-Type, or SX-70 expose from the front, not the back like Instax. That's why the cameras all have a mirror to reverse the image!

It's good enough until you can get your hands on the lomograflok Instax back

John Jay ?

John Jay You should! It’s really easy and fun. And I do what I want with my nails ☺️

sylvio cavalcanti Thanks! 🙏