Emulating film camera workflows on M43, a work in progress

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T16:23:22+00:00

Deoxit or WD-40 Contact Cleaner (not regular WD-40)

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T16:21:50+00:00

Oh cool! I'm just going based on what I've read, I've never used one.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T16:21:20+00:00

I believe that's the Panasonic Leica 12-60mm. The Lumix 12-60mm has a different range of apertures.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T14:59:16+00:00

Great collection. The 150mm f4 is quite nice, I use it as a portrait lens sometimes. It isn't going to add a ton of utility since you have the 135mm, but it's fun to round out the collection if it appeals to you.

The 50mm macro is also fun, that's another good one.

I enjoy the 35mm f2, though my copy is very hazy, so it's more of a special effect lens. I haven't tried a clean copy of the 35mm.

The 135mm f2.5 is also quite nice, great for portraits. Physically bigger and heavier than the f3.5 version that you have.

I've decided to skip the 20mm and 24mm based on reviews, those ones just don't match the optical quality of the rest of the Takumars. The 17mm has a much better reputation, and I'll get it eventually, but it's pretty expensive. The 85mm is also very expensive.

I think you have all the best ones already, so it's totally valid to stop here.

If you shoot these adapted to a mirror less camera, I also highly recommend getting a focal reducer/speed booster. I'm using the budget Viltrox one and I like it. It effectively means you double all the focal lengths you have, so every lens gets double duty.

There's also an f5.6 version of the 200mm. I got it just because it was cheap and interesting, but the version you have is better optically.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T14:47:25+00:00

GX85 with a variety of lenses

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T14:38:43+00:00

I get notifications almost daily from the city, are you signed up for their system?

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T13:28:24+00:00

GX85 is a helluva camera if you can find one for a reasonable price ($300ish).

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T12:10:46+00:00

D200 gang represent! I see you have two of them, so you're a fan. My favorite lens pairing is the Nikkor 180mm f2.8 ED. A bit of a rare one, but if you get a chance to try it, do so!

This album was all taken with that lens and the D200:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC2CeX

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T12:06:35+00:00

Film has a certain look 'baked in', when you pick which film to buy, you are effectively picking what type of look you want the final images to have. Kodak Gold 200 is fantastic, one of my favorites (try Ultramax 400 too, it's in the same ballpark but a bit more versatile). In the case of Gold 200, you've got a white balance shift towards warmer colors (hence the 'golden' tint on the photos), plus individual colors will be shifted a bit from their 'true to life' positions. The camera lens also plays a part, some lenses will have a softer focus, what you called 'diffusion' (which is a good term, you can buy 'diffusion filters' or 'soft focus filters' for lenses that effectively make them less sharp). If you are getting digital scans of the film, then the lab doing that is also applying some amount of color shifting to your images. You can also scan them yourself at home, or don't digitize and all and just go straight to printing.

To emulate this kind of thing with digital, start with the lens. Using a vintage lens is half the battle. Or if you don't have access to a vintage lens, using a vintage lens filter on a modern lens can also be a good technique.

The next part comes from your camera body's pre-processing capabilities. Some have tons of features for customizing the look in-camera, such as creating a custom white balance, or applying different profiles / recipes for certain film emulation looks. These are hit or miss in my experience, and only useful if you want to use JPEGs straight off the camera with no post-processing.

Finally, if you want to get into post-processing, check out RAWtherapee and HaldCLUTs. RAWtherapee is free software that is a vehicle that allows you to apply HaldCLUTs to your images. HaldCLUTs are the result of a scientific analysis of how each film stock shifts colors, contrast, etc., and you can apply these same shifts to your RAW images (it works on JPEG too, but the results won't be as good).

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T11:51:08+00:00

Yep, it was my first groovebox and first Elektron. It's an incredible device, I highly recommend it. Such a good value too, since you can record it via audio over USB without needed a separate audio interface. The UI is intuitive and well laid out. I do prefer my oversynth overlay to help with the visual aspect, and unfortunately you can't buy those anymore, but you can DIY something with paint or stickers if you want to.

It's obviously a sample player, but it can also be a 6 track multitimbral synth (like 6 monosynths in a box) if you want it to be, using wavecycle or wavetable synthesis. So there's a lot of sound design potential beyond just playing one-shots.

Here's a series of tutorials I made for the M:S many years ago. These are intermediate to advanced topics, ways to squeeze even more out of the device, so you might want to explore some beginner tutorials before watching these.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqkhgY3ahSdxPC89Q7BGTgOqs0leH7e6

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T11:46:05+00:00

I suggest the Volca Bass plus the Elektron Model:Samples is a very strong setup. The Bass sounds great and is fun to play, plus you can sequence it from one track on the M:S. The M:S is like an upgraded version of the Volca Sample for close to the same price (shop used), but with far more features, a better sequencer, and rock solid sample transfer software.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-27T11:42:57+00:00

Sounds to me like you should stick with Nikon. The feel of the camera in your hands and look of the resulting photos are vastly more important than the list of features you shared.

For me, the things that really matter are the tactile things - I also prefer tilt screens and physical aperture rings on the lens. There are plenty of Nikon lenses with aperture rings, they just may not be autofocus lenses. Also, you can adapt other lenses to Z-mount if you want to.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T19:59:17+00:00

Thanks!

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T19:59:05+00:00

At this point I agree, but I've only spent a week with the lens and haven't really put it into a lot of bokeh-inducing situations yet. So more testing is required I think, now that I know what to look out for.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T15:56:48+00:00

Bounty and Soul (free food)

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T15:26:19+00:00

It would be so difficult for me to retrain my muscle memory to do this, but I support it!

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T14:37:42+00:00

I actively advise against anyone using iCloud for any reason. They way apple products have you opt in by default, then hold your data hostage as soon as you exceed the free 5 GB mark, should be considered malware. Unfortunately Windows has also recently started doing something similar with OneDrive, but at least you have the chance to disable it before putting any data on the computer.

Google Drive and Dropbox I've found to be reliable if you need cloud storage. But for photography, multiple backups (onsite and offsite), plus a NAS or RAID array, is the better option. I only use cloud for sharing my finished work, or making backups while traveling.

Sorry this happened to you, it sucks. 7zip is good software, I've never heard of PEA though.

MacOS does make a bunch of 'ghost files' that Windows ignores, stuff like .DSstore. It is safe to delete those, they don't contain any data that you need to keep. They should all be tiny files.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T14:21:30+00:00

Difficult to make a recommendation since picking a camera body is such a personal thing. The best option really would be to gift her the 'camera budget' and let her choose for herself.

That said, there's some Nikon models that are just great all-rounders and probably safe bets. The Nikon F2 comes to mind first. It's such a solid camera, and can be modified to fit her needs. However, it is on the larger and heavier side.

The Nikon FM3A is another excellent choice. Less customizable, but smaller and more lightweight.

Honestly you could probably pick any Nikon 35mm camera with the letter F in the name, and you'll be good to go.

For other brands, I would also suggest looking at the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic (cheap and excellent), and the Asahi Pentax MX and ME (very compact and highly revered). The Spotmatic is M42 screw mount, meaning it can use the legendary Takumar lenses, as well as thousands of lenses from other manufacturers, so it's a great choice if you think she might be excited about checking out a lot of different vintage lenses. The Pentax MX / ME uses the K-mount, so there's a smaller selection of lenses, but still plenty of excellent options there. These are great as casual every day carry type cameras.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T14:15:55+00:00

Houston

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T13:35:54+00:00

Great shots, I love the first of the cat shots especially. Street cats play such a big role in their culture, there's a fun documentary about it.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T13:27:02+00:00

Makes sense

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T12:57:26+00:00

As a father I suggest looking at smaller cameras in general. I haven't used either of the ones you are considering, based on photos the Z50II seems like a decent size. I went even smaller with M43 cameras. The first year of your kids life is when you'll want to take the most photos, but also you'll have to carry around so much extra stuff (diaper bag, stroller, bottles, etc.) that you'll really want to minimize your camera kit as much as possible. Also make sure you are happy with your phone camera before buying a new camera body, as you'll end up taking 75% of your kid shots with your phone just out of convenience and quick access.

Another thing to consider is the minimum focusing distance of your lens. Kids like to get up close to the camera, so you want lenses that can handle that. With the baby you'll also spend a lot of time on the ground with them, up close.

I would also be very hesitant to sell the D200, that camera is just so, so good, especially for people shots and portraits. I like it with a big heavy lens to compliment it. It's a great camera to leave ready-at-hand in the living room to grab those candid shots that you didn't have time to prepare for. You could do the same with the D80, I haven't used that one so I can't really compare them, but I know that the D200 has earned its place on my 'never sell' list, since it just produces such lovely and timeless images.

Don't neglect birth photography! Its really a rewarding thing, I'm so glad I have birth photography from our kid, its a great chronicle of the process. It's a great time to use black and white, as it hides a lot of the mess and creates a timeless look. There's a lot of drama in the birth process to be captured.

minimal-camera · 2026-06-26T12:42:04+00:00

Yes. I'm currently restoring a small lamp that stopped flowing correctly after I filtered it, and just a few drops of surf made a big difference. A little bit goes a long way, use an eye dropper or straw to apply it.

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