i have a roll of this... it is part of Analogue Wonderland's wonderbox. no idea what to shoot with it!

The last slow speed one (6 ISO) i stuck in a pinhole, figuring it's slow, so why not!

All film cameras seem to be silly prices for the most part... but you can get lucky with some bargains.
MF SLRs are quite rare, so the prices are crazy for most of them, i got a Bronica ETRS a few years back for a good price, but now evenn those are eye-watering.

My normal MF is a Zeiss Ikon Nettar, a folder that is great for landscapes and a very handy holiday camera. Voigtlander Bessa folders are pretty good too - i have Klein, which is 6x4.5 but the counter is broken, so i lose some shots (the idea of it was you wind to "1" in the window, then the counter kicks in and stops the winding when you reach the next frame).

I got a pinhole MF from Ranica in Belarus last year and i have used that more than any other MF camera in the last 12 months, mainly as it is just different and a bit of fun.

Rolleicord can be good for a bargain - most people go for the Flexes (must admit, they are lovely), but the Cords are not that inferior and later models are very good.

can't remember which Washi is which, but one of them is super thin... i used in in a MES and it still ripped lots of the sprocket holes. it also reduced me to tears getting it on a processing spool and i lost a few frames at the end when the last bit of film popped off the spool and i just gave up! the film is lovely, but a 24 exposure version would be better for processing.

the other Washi i used was just crazy B&W... and i mean, it is either black or white , hardly any grey or shadow detail. interesting to shoot, bit a bit too extreme!

i do love my MESs, but they do tend to have random issues (the erratic metering is one) and my current one misses a frame now and then, you wnd it and it doesn't fire.

just looking on ebay at other cameras now, i know i'll be outbid on some.

if you fancy something different - i got a couple of pinhole cameras on Etsy - 1 medium format, the other 35mm - from Ranica in Belarus. really lovely items, very tactile and well made. i've had lots of fun with them.

AW are great. They are my Go To for film, they also do some processing kit, including starter kits
Got some stuff from Bristol Cameras recently and it was super speedy
First Call have been good too.
Ilford Photo have starter kits and very good processing info on their site.

I recently used the Cinestill colour processing powder chemicals and they were great, better than the FPP as they can be used at lower temps, so the pain of keeping the temps high (especially in winter) isn't so crucial.

just got the Rollei colour kit to try that!

i have a film puller which works (almost) every time... made by Hama. it is very good.

not sure if you have a processing tank, but i recently bought some extra kit for colour processing and got an AP tank, instead of the Paterson... MISTAKE!!!! it is a real faff. the spools work well, but the rest of the tank is just over-engineered. when pouring out the chemicals it goes everywhere! Also the twiddling knob is too low (the middle of the tank "funnel" is narrow) so it's hard to agitate properly. you also need more liquid compared to the Paterson. simple is best, methinks.

for cheap thermometers, you can try aquarium ones. not so easy to use, but a fraction of the cost. if you are measuring the temp of a bowl of water (for heating or cooling the chems and tank) then they are ideal, just pop the sensor in the water.

if you use the stand method (for B&W) go to a chemist and get a child's medicine syringe to measure the small amount of chems (usually Rodinal) needed.

i have recently tried colour processing using the FPP kit and it is fairly easy, but stressful getting the chems up (or even down) to temp, especially in the cold weather. messed up a couple of rolls of film, but i had expected to do worse. next up is the Cinestill kit, which allows lower temps to be used!

well done... i got an honourable mention with my swan photo.

Film - various places. Usually depending on what they have in stock and price. Analogue Wonderland have a great range. 7 Day Shop are good for prices. Mr Cad, A G Photographic and many more are online. Also ebay can come up with some good deals. for B&W, the Ilford website has deals too. They also have good ifo on processing.

I get my colour film processed at a lab near work. I pop in at lunch and they email the scans a few days later. It saves the worry of films being lost in the post... plus they also sell film at good rates.

B&W i process myself. it's good fun and gives you more of a feeling for taking film photos. it's pretty easy to do (i can do it!) and works out cheaper as most labs charge more for B&W. then i use a very old scanner. See the Ilford website as they have a How To guide.

good luck

Hello

I'll second the Kentmere B&W recommendation. It's pretty cheap, but i've always found it to be punching above its weight. I prefer it to the Fomapan 100 or Kosmo Foto 100 (both the same thing). Ilford do a lovely little 3 pack "taster" on their website, so you can have a play. Ilford always perform brilliantly and the Kentmere is made by the same company.

For colour - i used to love the Lomo colour 100, but that may have been as i got some free every time my processing stamp card was full! Kodak ColorPlus or the FujiColor at 200 are both ok, but no match for the now discontinued Fuji Superior 200. Kodak Ektar and Portra are both superb, just depends on which one you prefer (i go Ektar every time).

There other weird and wonderful films out there, as you'll see on the Analogue Wonderland site.

good luck!

took my "new" 2nd hand K5II out today. spent ages working out how to change some settings, but i loved how quiet it is! The weather wasn't great, very gloomy as the afternoon went on, so not the best. the few photos i did take look pretty good, so overall i am pleased.

any advice on spare batteries? i see several third parties make them, but i was wondering if there were any to avoid or to look for?

glad to be in this little club!

it'll be my third time in Vadso in March. Each time has been amazing. the Midnight Sun is something to be experienced - mainly for it being in the North... THE SUN IS NEVER IN THE NORTH!!!!!!