Photo by Dan Allen.

The below article is by Dan Allen. You might recall that Dan invented the Kentmere Pan 400 Film Simulation Recipe (and more coming soon), and had a helping hand in the Vintage Bronze, Ilford FP4 Plus 125, and Ektachrome E100 Recipes.

What I love about Dan’s project is that it repurposes beautiful antique cameras with modern instant film, and even incorporates Fujifilm’s X-series. It’s a poetic melting pot of old and new to create fascinating art that is simultaneously vintage and modern.

I know that you are going to appreciate this post, and perhaps even be inspired to try it for yourself. Thank you, Dan, for sharing your project with us—it is such an honor to publish this story!

Take it away, Dan!

Photo by Dan Allen.

I grew up in the golden age of film photography. I was a kid during the 1980’s, and lived in Rochester, New York—the home of Kodak. Film photography and cameras were interwoven into the very fabric of our local culture. Everyone in our city had at least one or two family members that worked for the big yellow box. At its peak, Kodak employed more than 60,000 people locally. We were the center of the photographic universe. What could possibly go wrong?

Enter Fujifilm.

In the 1980’s, Fuji became a direct competitor to Kodak in the U.S. film market. They slowly cut into Kodak’s market share, and in my eyes as a kid, they were the enemy. It was a mortal sin to even think about shooting a roll of Fuji’s film. Given the title of this post, I think you can see where I am going with this.

My interest in creative photography started as a young kid and continued through high school, where I first learned how to develop film and make a print in the darkroom. Cameras took a backseat as I focused on college, then a career in engineering, and started a family. Basically, photography stopped after graduating high school. Fast forward to Covid-19 lockdowns, which is when I discovered Ritchie’s Fuji X Weekly website. I was enamored with his Kodachrome 64 Film Simulation Recipe. I couldn’t believe those Kodak looking pictures were produced on a modern (yet retro looking) Fujifilm digital camera. It made all of those photographic childhood memories come rushing back. Soon after, I bought my first Fujifilm: an X-T3.

Photos by Dan Allen.

I quickly became a Fuji X Weekly film sim junkie, trying out each possible combination my camera could handle. The Kodak-based recipes were my favorite, though. At some point, I realized it was possible for Kodak and Fujifilm to be in the same room together!

In 2022, I decided to pick up the only working film camera I owned, a Canon Rebel with a nifty-fifty. I shot a roll of Kodak Ultramax and brought it to the local film lab. The circle of photography was now complete—I was right back where I left off, and it felt like home. From this point forward, I adopted a mixed photographic workflow, often carrying one film camera and one Fujifilm digital. I liked the convenience of Ritchie’s “no edit” Recipes, but I also enjoyed the unique challenges inherent to the analog film photography I grew up with. It was truly the best of both worlds.

As most photographers do, I caught a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.). I started buying vintage film cameras from thrift stores and yard sales. The older Kodak cameras from the early 1900s really caught my eye, especially the ones that were made right here in Rochester.

Twenty or so film cameras later, I stumbled across a 1916 Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic for $40. This was known as the “Soldier’s Kodak” during World War I, and was marketed to troops going overseas to document their trip. It really was a pocketable camera, not much bigger than a deck of playing cards. It was the Fujifilm X70 of the early 1900’s!

Photo by Dan Allen.

The Vest Pocket Autographic takes 127 roll film, which Kokak introduced in 1912 and manufactured until 1995. The negative size is roughly 44mm x 66mm, and is quite a bit bigger than a 24mm x 36mm negative from a full-frame 35mm camera. When the Vest Pocket arrived I gave it a good cleaning, and was able to get the shutter to fire. It has speeds of 1/25 and 1/50, and an apertures marked with 1, 2, 3, and 4—these aperture values equate to f/11, f/16, f/22, and f/32. It has a unique design, as the lens is mounted behind the shutter and aperture. This protected the lens from scratches; the optics on mine were in great shape. Everything on the camera appeared to be fully functional. All I needed now was some 127 film!

There are a few places that make 127 film by cutting down modern 120 film. I was able to find ReraPan 400 in 127 size from B&H Photo and placed an order. While I was waiting for the 127 film to be delivered, I happened to look at a few Fuji Instax Mini prints sitting on my desk. I thought, Hey, that looks like it would fit perfectly inside the Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic! Sure enough, it was almost a perfect match at 46mm x 62mm. The light bulbs were going off in my head. Could I really shoot Fujifilm Instax film in a 108 year old Kodak camera? Spoiler alert. YES!

I went outside and made my first test shot and it turned out great. The exposure was spot on, and the image looked to be in focus. Somehow this kid from the 1980’s that grew up in Kodakville had resurrected an 108-year-old World War I Kodak camera using modern Fujifilm Instax film. I wonder what George Eastman would think of this combination?

I bet you are wondering… can I shoot Instax in my grandpa’s old camera? Keep reading and I will detail the technical process below.

Photos by Dan Allen.

I must warn you, though: if you continue reading, you may find yourself going down a photographic rabbit hole from which there is no returning. The fact is that you can shoot Instax film in almost any vintage camera, so long as it fits in the back, and the camera doesn’t have a focal plane shutter that moves near where the film is (think Canon AE-1). I’m afraid that you may damage the shutter if the Instax print were to come in contact with any moving part of the camera; however, most rangefinder, folding, and TLR style cameras with a leaf shutter inside the lens should work fine.

This process requires two things: a film changing dark bag that you can buy for $30 or less, and an analog Fujifilm Instax camera, such as the Instax Mini 12 or similar model. Here is a general outline of how it works:

• Test fit a sheet of Instax Mini, Square, or Wide film in your vintage film camera to see which size works best. Instax Mini is the size that fits into the Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic.
• Load a fresh pack of film into your analog Instax camera. Note: any of the Instax cameras that have a “digital” image component like the Mini Evo will not work.
• Fire the shutter to eject the dark slide from the Instax film pack.
• Place both the vintage camera and analog Instax camera into the film changing dark bag, and zip it shut so it’s light tight. Don’t forget to remove any smart watches that could possibly light up and expose the film.
• Stick your hands inside the film changing dark bag and open the back cover of the Instax camera. Be very careful to avoid turning on the Instax camera by accident. Some of them have lights which could expose the film.
• Remove the Instax film cartridge pack. Slide one sheet out, then put the cartridge back in the Instax camera and close the back door.
• Open the vintage film camera and insert the single Instax sheet and align it where the film would normally get exposed. Remember, Instax film exposes from the back not the front, so you have to face the dark back of the Instax sheet towards what you want to photograph. If the Instax sheet is loose or has a big size difference, you may need to tape it in place, or make a mask out of construction paper so that you can tape the Instax sheet to it. You do not want the Instax sheet sliding around inside the camera.
• Close up the vintage film camera and remove it from the film changing dark bag.

Instax film has an ISO speed of 800. When you expose your picture, you will need to take a light meter reading. If you don’t have a light meter, you can use an app on your smartphone, or even use your Fujifilm camera with the ISO dial set to 800. Once you get your light meter reading, if the shutter speed is faster than the maximum shutter speed of your camera, you may need to use an ND filter to reduce the light. When I used the Vest Pocket Autographic camera, I needed to hold a 3 stop ND filter over the lens in bright sun.

Photos by Dan Allen.

Once you have exposed your Instax sheet:

• Put the vintage camera and Instax camera back in the film changing dark bag and zip it up so it is light tight again.
• Remove the Instax sheet from your film camera and set it aside.
• Open the back of the Instax camera and remove the film cartridge.
• Insert the exposed Instax sheet into the film cartridge, then put the cartridge back into the Instax camera and close the back door. For this to work, you must put the exposed frame back into the film cartridge, and it must be in the same way that it was removed, and as the first sheet.
• Remove both cameras from the dark bag.
• Fire the shutter on the Instax camera with your hand or something else dark to cover the lens. Instax film starts the development process when it is ejected from the camera.

The first time I tried this, I wasted a few frames of Instax film on purpose by pulling out the cartridge in daylight when I had about three shots left. This let me practice the entire procedure in the light where I could see what I was doing. It is not difficult to do, but remember: once it is inside the film changing dark bag, you will be doing the entire process by feel only, so it is best to practice several times with some ruined sheets in daylight, until you get the hang of it.

Photos by Dan Allen.

If you made it this far, you are officially a camera nerd. Now go out and shoot some Instax film in a vintage camera! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram with questions at @dan.allen.photo. I use my Fujifilm X-T5 with a Fujinon 30mm Macro lens to digitally “scan” the Instax prints, which really makes it all come full circle.

A special thanks to Ritchie at Fuji X Weekly for inspiring me to get my first Fujifilm camera, and introducing me to the amazing Film Simulation Recipe community.

P.S. This Instax film process works with homemade pinhole cameras too!