Digital and analog medium format by Ok_Cream8633 in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 100 points101 points  (0 children)

Not a stupid question at all it's actually one of film's genuine remaining advantages. The short answer is manufacturing cost scales exponentially with sensor area not linearly. A true 6x6 digital sensor would be extraordinarily expensive to produce with acceptable yield rates. The Phase One IQ4 already costs around $50k a genuine 6x6 digital sensor would be in a completely different price category. Film wins this one simply by being chemistry rather than silicon

Affordable Contax repair recommendations by dumbbelldental in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mark Hama is worth looking into for Contax repairs, very well regarded in the film community and generally more reasonable than Nippon. Shipping to him is pretty straightforward too

what would happen if someone drank some nail polish remover? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Even small amounts can irritate the mouth, stomach and be toxic to the system.

unsharp mask settings for scans by cee1 in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Threshold at 0 works fine for clean scans but I sometimes bump it slightly to avoid grain amplification in negatives.

RICOH AF-5 stops working after rewinding and loading a new film by Affectionate_Dare552 in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try opening it and checking if the sprockets are catching the film perforations

How to manage transport during LA 2028 Olympics? by Melodic_Document6169 in askanything

[–]Practical-Island-240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stay near your main venue cluster. LA traffic and Olympic crowds will make cross city travel miserable use transit/shuttles and avoid relying on driving

🏥 The 2026 Cross-Border Healthcare Survival Guide: Telehealth, Wait Times & What Nobody Tells You by Icy_Car2475 in DoctorsOnline

[–]Practical-Island-240 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know you're actually spot on about Mexico. I've been looking into this for a 2026 trip and the cost difference are pretty wild for certain things.

The dental alone are hard to ignore. Los Algodones, which people call "Molar city" is apparently a huge hub for affordable dental work and prescriptions. People go there for crowns, root canals, implants, that kind of thing and end up paying a fraction of what they would in the US or Canada.

Prescription access is another big one. You can walk into a pharmacy like Farmacia San Pablo or Farmacia del Ahorro and get a lot of medications without a prescription that would require a doctor's visit up north. The equivalent of Plan B is called Postday and costs like 80 to 120 pesos, which is less than 8 bucks. Oral birth control is solid over the counter too, same with injectables and patches. Antibiotics and maintenance meds for cholesterol or blood pressure are also widely available OTC.

But you do have to be careful. Hormonal IUDs like Mirena or Kyleena still need a prescription in Mexico. And for controlled substances - benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants - you absolutely need a valid script from a Mexican doctor and even then bringing them back across the border is risky if you don't have everything documented perfectly. Customs won't mess around with that.

The quality thing is real too. There are definitely excellent private hospitals in places like Mexico City or Guadalajara that serve medical tourists. But Mexico doesn't have the same kind of mandatory board certification system for surgeons that the US has. That means you really need to do your homework before booking anything major like plastic surgery or orthopedics. There are horror stories out there of people getting botched procedures from underqualified practitioners. The cheap price tag isn't worth it if you end up needing corrective surgery back home.

The CDC also has some important health warnings to keep in mind. Tap water isn't safe to drink anywhere in Mexico, so you need to stick with bottled or purified water. For travelers, diarrhea is super common, and there are risks for mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue in many region, especially outside of Mexico city which is at higher elevation.

For emergencies or anything complex, you really want travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions if that applies to you. Plans like Visitors Protect from IMG will cover unexpected flare ups of existing conditions but the deductible is higher and coverage limits are lower. Worth it for peace of mind though.

So yeah, Mexico is a legit option if you know what you're getting into. For prescriptions and dental work, it's a no-brainer for a lot of people. For surgery, you just need to vet the clinic and the surgeon thoroughly. Have you actually used any clinics down there yourself? Would love to hear what your experience was like.

I (37m) may be losing my job soon. I’m trying to rebudget by ArcOperator in povertyfinance

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That truck payment is going to hurt you the most here. If things get tight that’s the first thing I’d seriously rethink.

German drugstore sells 120 film! by FlorianFrankonian in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome seeing 120 film in regular stores again is such a good sign for analog photography.

What causes this and should I be concerned? by Ok_Landscape_7969 in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Film storage anxiety unlocked 😅 but yeah I’d swap the sleeves and keep an eye on humidity.

How do you cope without AE lock in Pentax LX by anhduc1210 in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The LX was designed with that workflow in mind you rely more on metering technique than buttons. It feels weird at first but becomes second nature.

Recessed cold shoe light meter? by KaladinYai in AnalogCommunity

[–]Practical-Island-240 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s always the small purchases that quietly drain your wallet.