2025 Frugal Film Project - Wrap-Up
2025 was the second year for me for the Frugal Film Project, and it was full of ups and downs. I would say that the biggest challenge for me this year was motivation.
The first problem arose sometime around July, when I became very busy with my 9-5 job AND I took on a lot of work shooting a local Arts Festival that was composed of multiple events spread across a 6 week period. In addition to that festival, I also shot for several different theater organizations over the summer. All of that caused me to have very little free time, and when I did have a chance to get out and shoot for the FFP, the last thing I wanted to do was actually pick up a camera.
It was also about this time that I realized I just wasn’t as fond of shooting 35mm film as I once was. This was for a few different reasons, the biggest being that while I enjoy shooting it at the time, afterwards the lesser quality of 35mm negatives compared to medium format or large format was just a let-down. It’s good enough for social media, but if I wanted to print something, it just wasn’t as good. Another reason is that 36+ images on a roll is just too much. I don’t know how people can shoot half-frame cameras that produce 72+ images on a roll. Often times I’d find myself with 10+ images left to shoot on a roll and would just waste them on random stuff so that I could develop the roll and complete the monthly challenge.
All of that is not to say that the Canonet QL19 G3 wasn’t a joy to shoot with. Spending an entire year with a small, capable, and classic-looking rangefinder camera was a nice departure from my usual SLR’s. I can fully understand now why so many people love rangefinder cameras. And, while I am a bit of an elitist that may have felt in the past that the more expensive 1.7 version would be leaps and bounds better than the 1.9 version, that’s really just not true. Owning both, the only reason to go out with the 1.7 version is because I like the all black model I have over the usual silver ones. The extra partial stop of light it has over the cheaper version really isn’t worth the price difference.
Another realization is that Fuji 400 consumer grade film is actually pretty good film for the money. I’m fairly certain it’s re-branded Kodak Ultra-Max in its current iteration. The older Fuji stock tends to lean more into the greens, while the current version I shot with this year is a little warmer.
Below are some of my favorite shots from my camera/film combo I used for this year’s project. Click on the first image to view in a larger window and scroll through.
So what’s in-store for 2026?
I’m moving away from 35mm film, and also going back to B&W film for next year’s challenge. I had three cameras in mind - The Kodak Duaflex IV, a Voigtlander Bessa 1, or a Rolleicord 1 Model 2. All three of them met the criteria of being below $75 total investment.
1934 Rolleicord 1 Model 2
In the end, I chose the Rolleicord. I decided I wanted to shoot with square format, and the Rollei enabled me to do that with a little more control over the image compared to the Duaflex. The 1934 Rollei won’t be without its challenges though. This particular example has led a hard life. When I picked it up for $25 in “as-is” non-working condition, it needed a good cleaning. The shutter was frozen, and it was also missing most of its leatherette covering. After putting several hours into it to get the shutter and lens working, cleaning it, and cutting some replacement leatherette and glueing it on, the camera was ready to use again. One of my favorite things about this old Rollei is the Zeiss Jena Triotar f/3.8 lens. While its not the fastest lens, it makes up for it in beautiful out-of-focus areas and dreamy-like rendering. The biggest downside is that the viewfinder is very dark, so composing in dim light can be difficult. Yes, I could install a bright screen and a new mirror, but those extra costs would throw me over the $75 limit. Gotta stay honest to the FFP rules!
The film I will be using for 2026 is Ilford’s HP5+ in 120 format. HP5+ has been a film I’ve enjoyed using many times over the years. It has a lot of latitude, and pushes very well to 1600 ISO and beyond. This gives me some flexibility depending on subject and lighting, and also allows me to experiment more. One of the things I plan on doing for 2026 is using different developers with it to see what gives me the best look that I am going for. I typically use Rodinal, but may also use some Ilfosol 3. I’ve also got some Film Photography Project B&W developer laying around here somewhere that I may try.
OK, that’s it for my update for 2025 and what’s new for the 2026 FFP. Will you be doing the Frugal Film Project this coming year? What camera/film combo will you be using?
Thanks for reading as always.
Jeremy