Whose idea was 2020? What a horrible, volatile year. Aside from the obvious, we kicked off 2020 with increased film prices and ended it with a farewell to the Nikon F6 product line. So here's the gear that made my 2020 a little more bearable.  

A used Sekonic l-508

It’s not the most sexy piece of gear, but it’s one of the most useful. I’ve wanted a reliable spot meter for years. I’ve gone back and forth between buying new, and used, but finally fell into this Sekonic meter through a co-worker. What a godsend. It’s allowed me to take the photos as I see them in my mind’s eye. This is especially true for blue hour photography, when you need to account for variables like reciprocity failure, the zone system, and composition all while the sun quickly fades. The Sekonic l-508 helped me pull off exposures like the one above.

Kodak Porta 400 & 800 120 Film

I shot A LOT of Portra 400 in 2020, which is counter-intuitive because they raised prices, and I am typically price-sensitive when it comes to my color film use. Not to mention, a good deal of my older stock was produced back when Kodak was having issues with their backing paper. 

But like most film photographers, I'm a Portra 400 shooter till death do us part. So why did I shoot so much Porta? Aside from the fact the Portra 400 is arguably one of the best color films on the market, it had more to do with my ability to lower my overall developing costs after discovering CineStill C41 Chemistry...

Two Step CineStill C41 Chemistry

Perhaps my favorite brand of 2020 is CineStill. With CineStill's C41 Chemistry, developing color film is EASY and affordable. There are some tricks to maintaining temperature, and while water temp control devices are useful, they're not required. I don't use one, and my color film always comes out near perfect. For about 30 dollars, you can develop about 8 rolls of 120, or 16 rolls of 35mm. You'll pay a little more with shipping, but even then you're looking at about $6 per roll developed. At this price, I decided to return to Portra 800 on medium format. I also shot a few rolls of Fuji Pro 400h--because sometimes you want to see life in green, not yellow. All films developed exquisitely in CineStill chemistry. 

Bergger Pancro 400 Black and White Negative Film

My second favorite brand of 2020 is Bergger. I purchased about 15 rolls of Pancro 400 in 120, and while I don't shoot it as much as Ilford, I always appreciate the results. Pancro gives you nice grain and sharp, beautiful edges. I love shooting Pancro on a softer lens. My only critique is that some of my Pancro rolls had quite a strong curl, and I'm not sure if it was something I was doing or due to the film. 

Beer Developer (BEEROL)

I'm including beer, not just because I enjoy drinking it while I develop my film, but because of my Face in Beer project, which kicked off in the latter half of 2020. I've found that with the right beer, and the right film, plus some extra ingredients, you can get stellar results developing black and white film in beer. Learn how here. 

The Pentax 67

My biggest photo purchase of the year was my Pentax 67. I've been watching this camera for years, and this year, prices seemed to skyrocket--so I knew I had to grab one before the legendary medium format camera got too much fanboy appeal. I opted for the Pentax 67, not to be confused with the Pentax 6x7, or the Pentax 67ii. This article does a fantastic job outlining the differences. But to summarize, I didn't want the older Pentax 6x7, and I didn't want the hassle of electronics on the newer Pentax 67ii. 

There's that sweet spot in camera gear where a camera is more like a mechanical Rolex than a digital Timex. I love cameras that are largely mechanical. It's why my go-to medium format camera is the Hasselblad 500 C/M, and my go-to 35mm camera is the Nikon FM2. And yes, the Pentax 67 does require some electrical assistance, but not nearly as much as the Pentax 67ii. As Jeff writes in the blog mentioned above, "The 67ii has electronics that, if they go out, pretty much mean the end of the camera for anything besides parts." 

So why did I buy a Pentax 67? 

I simply needed a backup to my Hasselblad 500 C/M, but I could no longer justify the asking prices for used Hasselblads. As much as I wanted a second Hasselblad, I knew I could get just as good images out of a Pentax system with Pentax glass (with the added benefit of a 6x7 negative!). 

The Beloved Pentax 105mm F2.4 Lens

If you know anything about this lens, you know that most photographers don't need convincing. The Pentax 105mm F2.4 is one of the best portrait lenses you can buy for under $500. The bokeh falls off subjects with such accuracy that images look 3-dimensional. The colors and contrast are beautiful, and the build quality is bombproof. I'll do a longer post on this lens at some point, but for now--just trust me. These lenses are underpriced. In my opinion, it out performs my Carl Zeiss 80mm 2.8 Planar, and that lens sells for $500 in BARGIN condition on KEH. You can get a near flawless Pentax 105mm for under $400. However, I should note that while the 105mm is a great lens, it's not my most versatile. That honor goes to my Pentax 55mm F5.6 SMC Lens.