Category: News

News (industry, events)

(One of my) Local photo store closing

The Montreal Gazette is reporting that ‘A real institution’: Old Montreal camera shop Photo Service to close after 89 years:

The sign Photo Service Ltee protruding from the facade and viewed from below
Photo Service Ltee sign

A Montreal photography institution is closing after 89 years of operation. Photo Service in Old Montreal will slide the key under the door on Jan. 3, leaving many photo professionals and hobbyists in limbo.

Not the first time, nor the last time. Lozeau already closed a while back (I didn’t talk about it here) after they got pillaged by Henry’s.

Last time I tried to get to Photo Service it was 3PM on a Saturday and they were closed. Feels like their hobbyist customers have to come during the week. Camtec was open, on the same street, and then I could just mail order, even though I always try to patronise local stores.

[..] the film processing lab, which he says is among the best in the city. The store’s processing and archiving services will continue after the shop’s closure thanks to a partnership with Kant Photo on Stanley St., the details of which have yet to be ironed out.

Not sure what that means. Redirect the customers? Expand Kant Photo activities with their lab machines?

Another major factor, Savard says, is Sony’s refusal to recognize Photo Service as an authorized retailer, “for unexplained reasons, despite all our efforts. We’re almost the only store of this size in Canada not to be recognized.”

Never been a fan of Sony cameras, not sure why, but that looks like Sony would rather sell at Best Buy… or they really hate small family operated outlets, as it seems to be a similar situation elsewhere.

Anyway, life goes on, that mean more business for the stores that are left.

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New Fujifilm X-T30 III and XC 13-33mm

Also today were announced the new Fujifilm X-T30 III and the XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS.

The X-T30 III is just a refresh of the X-T30 II from 2021, the entry level X-series body. Added is the new processor on top of the X-Trans IV sensor, bringing it in par with the X-M5 and X-S20, with updated auto focus and video capabilities.

From the control changes, the left dial is no longer used for drive. but instead is, like on the X-T50 and the X-M5, the film simulation dial, with support for film recipes as introduced by the X-E5. Still hoping for a firmware update doing this on the X-M5.

It also adds direct printing support to the Instax Link printers as well as the associated “crops” for the Mini, Square and Wide formats. Fujifilm, can we get a firmware update to do that on the X-M5 and X-E5 ?

This camera comes optionally with the new XC 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 OIS that replaces the XC 14-45. A bit wider, and shorter, slower at the long end, and it dropped the power zoom.

Shipping in November 2025 body only for CA$1249, or in December as a kit for CA$1449, in three different colours, Silver, Black and Graphite.

DPReview: Fujifilm X-T30 III adds fresh ingredients to familiar recipe.

Fujifilm product page.

Rangefinder less Leica M EV-1

Take a Leica M11, remove the rangefinder and replace it with an EVF, shave the price by 10% (it’s still unaffordable) and you have the Leica M EV-1.

DPReview preview:

At the most basic level, you can get essentially the same sensor in the Sony a7CR for considerable less money, and get a similar shooting experience by adapting your M-mount lenses to fit. It won’t be as small, be as nicely built or say Leica on the front, but in purely pragmatic terms, it’ll be comparable.

I think that removing the rangefinder is like removing the main reason to buy a Leica M camera. I don’t see where that make sense. If you want to use M lenses but don’t care for the rangefinder, the above suggestion from DPReview will be probably more adequate, and anything else, the law of diminishing returns applies. And instead of a Sony, you can also use any other full frame mirrorless like a Nikon Z or Panasonic S.

This doesn’t mean Leica is abandoning the rangefinder though, but I still wonder who this camera is for except if you want to 12K.

One day I shot two rolls of film in a Leica M7. And I loved it.

A black & white picture of the WW2 era aircraft up close. To the right the propeller. To the left further away the shiny nose of the Beechcraft Expedition with the propeller reflecting in it.
Beechcraft Expedition, Langley Museum of Flight, Langley, BC — October 2011
Leica M7
25mm Biogon f2.8
Kodak BW400CN

The Leica M EV-1 will cost CA$12,315 as per one of my local stores, and should be available starting 23 October 2025 (ie today).

Post scriptum:

David Imel video Why Leica shed its most iconic feature (YouTube) explains the rangefinder quite well, but I’m not convinced the reasoning make sense.

Analogue aF-1

Analogue announced the pre-order for the Analogue aF-1.

The aF-1 is a compact 35mm point-and-shoot camera designed by the Amsterdam company Analogue. It has 35mm f2.8 glass lens, LiDAR autofocus and built-in flash. All the features expected from the early 21st century point-and-shoot.

The pre-order price is 449€ or CA$790 (+ shipping) for a delivery Q1 2026.

Specs are not unlike an Olympus mju-II.

More film: Lomography LomoChrome Classicolor 200

A day after Kodacolor 100 and 200 are announced, Lomography comes out with a new 200 ISO colour negative. LomoChrome Classicolor 200 is a “limited edition”. Not sure why limited edition, I suspect they might have obtained a limited stock of something no longer produced. CN100 is thought to be a Kodak stock that is not available under a different brand.

It will be sold for CA$13.90 which is higher than of the Kodacolor 200 listed at CA$16.00.

via Kosmofoto

And the Kodacolor announcement was such a big deal that non photography outlets talked about it.

Kodacolor is back

The year is 2025 and Kodak announces Kodacolor. Like this was 1942.

Old is new again.

This news has been all around the internet, Kosmofoto has some details: Kodak launches new films called Kodacolor 100 and 200.

The short version is Kodak, not Kodak Alaris, will be selling a C-41 colour negative film, 100 and 200 ISO, in 135 rolls of 36 exposure, called Kodacolor. We see them listed at US$9.75. At the moment it is unclear which stock these two films are made of.

Kodacolor was the name for the 1942 colour negative film Kodak release to the market. It was the first colours negative for colour printing and had a speed of 25 ASA and later 32 ASA. It was discontinued in 1963 to be replaced by Kodacolor X, at 64 and later 80 ASA, and then in 1974 by Kodacolor II which used C-41 process to replace the C-22 process previously used. That latter version was 80 and then later 100 ASA. The last version of Kodacolor was Kodacolor Gold…

Update: I see the Kodacolor 100 and 200 listed for CA$15.75 and CA$16.00 respectively.

Esquisse, Sketch of a camera

DPReview has an interview with the people at Esquisse. Esquisse is the French word for sketch, and a French startup company whose goal is to design a new pocketable camera with interchangeable lenses, trying to fill a void left by Panasonic and Olympus. Why these two? Because Esquisse are designing a micro 4/3 camera which make sense given the range of high-quality and reasonably priced lenses.

Currently in the early stages, the design seems to focus on having control accessible at your fingertips. The four person team is trying to strike the right balance with the features. And their goal is to build it in “public” i.e. to have update and get feedback from outside. At the moment the design feature an EVF, a built-in 256GB memory (a trend I do not like), words of a built-in battery (WAT?), a touchscreen and a few knobs. Nothing ground breaking but you don’t need to, to make a better tool — albeit a few bad trends. No words on what they envision for the software, since it is a digital camera this is not even a question, but I just hope they go the Leica M9 route rather than the Pixii-you-need-a-phone-app route.

Physical size is always a concern to me. The Fujifilm X-M5 feels a bit small in my hands and I did try the Panasonic GM-1 that felt too small, but the esquisse having an EVF looks promising.

Esquisse also state they don’t want to crowdfund it until they have something physical, if they even fund this way.

We’ll see, it could just end like it started.

Another French designed camera is Pixii which now exist as a full-frame M compatible camera. So why not a second French camera.

New films

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the camera, Leica announced their own branded film, the Monopan 50. It’s a 50 ISO black & white 35mm film, made in Germany. It has a lot in common with the Adox 50. It is likely to cost US$10 (£10/€12) a roll while the Adox HR-50 is priced at US$7.50 to be available in August 2025. I haven’t found a Canadian price yet.

In February Recently Harman Technologies released the Harman Red. Now Kosmofoto tells us it is being made in 120. Like with Phoenix, it’s always good to see them follow-up on medium format.