We’re thrilled to officially have Blue Moon - Your First Last Camera Store on our YouTube channel!
Notable local filmmaker @mikemarchlewski shot this 15 minute short entirely on 16mm motion picture film with generous support by Kodak.
Head over to our YouTube to watch the full documentary!
It is Film Friday and you know a perfect film for these sunny days ahead? How about Rollei Infrared?
What makes Rollei Infrared so wonderful for sunny days? Well, the obvious answer is its sensitivity to infrared light which is in abundance on such days. Rollei Infrared can turn a rather mundane sunny day into a surreal scene with glowing vegetation and deep, ominously black skies. Or it can render really unique portraits with glowing skin tones and dark eyes.
Other selling points of Rollei Infrared include its fast box speed of ISO 400, its fine grain and its sharp detail. This is a film you can shoot unfiltered as a traditional black and white film and get stellar results with. But our preference is to pair it with a Red or R72 filter and really get the most out of the extended IR sensitivity this film has. Even better, these bright conditions really help offset the loss of exposure incurred by those filters.
In short, Rollei Infrared is the key to a door that leads to a whole other world usually invisible to us. It is a fun film with which to experiment and one of our favorite summer films.
Better yet, it is discounted all day today with its Film Friday Discount. Hit our site or stop by our shop to grab some while you can!
We're in a rangefinder kind of mood! Today we're talking Contax G2.
Ask even a casual photographer what makes a rangefinder camera a rangefinder and you'll get an answer along the lines of having a focusing system that is separate from looking through the lens. What most photographers - casual or otherwise - will not generally think of are rangefinders with auto-focus capabilities. Starting in 1994 with the G1, Contax introduced the world to a true auto-focus rangefinder. After making some improvements on its original design, the G2 was rolled out in 1996.
These cameras are entirely electronic, which means that the exposure controls are outstanding. In addition to Aperture Priority mode, the Contax G2 allows for full manual control and through-the-lens metering when using the appropriate Contax flash. With this advancement, nailing exposure became as easy as nailing focus. The newer electronics allowed the G2 to increase the fastest shutter speeds from 1/2000th of a second to 1/6000th in aperture priority mode.
With all this new technology and capability, you'd expect the Contax G2 to be bulky and have controls like the inside of an Apollo capsule, but the ergonomics on the outside of the G2 are as groundbreaking as the electronics on the inside. With the focus control on the front of the camera body and shutter speed controls on top, making changes in either is almost effortless. And, at under 6" wide and less than 4" tall, the G2 is smaller than some point and shoots.
Even the best-designed camera is useless without the lens, though. The lenses for the G2 are a line of Carl Zeiss primes that range from 16mm to 90mm focal lengths. The 45mm f/2 is the "standard" lens for the G2, but the entire range offers great results and images that stand up to any other lens system.
Even though the G2 is a fairly modern camera, there is a lack of parts on the secondary market and qualified service technicians are difficult to find. Find a good working example of the G2 and see and feel what the epitome of rangefinder engineering is.
Head over to our website to see the one we have in stock! Even better, this one was fully serviced this year.
Taking a moment for these five, count them five, Mamiya 7's we have in stock!
What's the perfect aspect ratio? For medium format film users, 6x7cm would win a plurality, if not a majority, of votes. The slightly rectangular format beautifully enlarges to 8x10 prints. For head shots, landscapes, product photography, or any other use, 6x7cm is always a solid choice. As for cameras that produce 6x7cm negatives, no other manufacturer is more synonymous with this size than Mamiya. Although Mamiya didn't create the format, it certainly revolutionized it in 1970 with the introduction of the Single Lens Reflex (SLR) RB67 and did so again twelve years later with their electronic SLR the RZ67. In 1995, Mamiya introduced their new 6x7cm rangefinder camera - the Mamiya 7.
In creating the Mamiya 7 rangefinder, Mamiya was able to bring together many of the desirable aspects of the RB and RZ system. Most notable of those features is a set of six lenses that range from a 43mm f/4.5 to a 210mm f/8. This range is roughly equivalent from 25mm to 110mm focal length lenses on a 35mm camera and gives Mamiya 7 users the ability to work in virtually any situation and get spectacular results. Like their RB and RZ counterparts, the Mamiya 7 lenses have leaf shutters, so using flash at any shutter speed is no issue, and a built-in dark slide allows for changing lenses mid-roll.
With its metering system and electronically controlled shutter, the Mamiya 7 offers an aperture-priority shooting mode in addition to fully-metered manual shooting mode. Auto-Exposure lock helps photographers maintain exposure setting in even the trickiest of back-lit situations.
The Mamiya 7 remained in production until 1999 when it was replaced by the Mamiya 7II. Functionally, the biggest difference between the two cameras is the addition of a multiple exposure button, a brighter viewfinder, and a different color scheme.
Whether Mamiya meant for the 6x7cm format to be nearly synonymous with its brand name is tough to tell. There are other 6x7 camera makers out there, but Mamiya is alone in offering photographers professional both SLR and rangefinder options that have stood the test of time.
Happy Film Friday!
It has been a long while since we last featured Rollei Retro 80S and it is always fun to bring such overdue films back around.
Retro 80S is the slowest of Rollei's Retro trilogy of B&W films, with Superpan 200 and Retro 400S being the faster counterparts. There are two different ways you can approach Retro 80S. You can use it like a standard black and white film where it has high contrast, fine grain and lots of detail. In this case it is dramatic, with a steep contrast curve that can further exaggerate already dramatic lighting, or can add a nice punch to overcast conditions. The other fun thing to do with this film is pair it with a red filter, or better yet an R72 infrared filter, and shoot it as a low speed infrared film. Just like the other Retro films, 80S is fully infrared capable and produces pretty fun and stunning results, especially with that aforementioned R72 filter. Vegetation glows a snowy white, blue skies turn a deep black, skin tone gets pale and creamy. And best yet, it still has that super fine grain which makes this one of the finest grained, infrared-capable films you can get your hands on.
But this is also a film prone to quirks. It does frequently exhibit mottling caused by the backing paper in 120 format. We have never quite pinned down the exact cause of this (age, humidity, heat, etc). This isn't an issue in 35mm since there is no backing paper, but we do recommend approaching the 120 with a bit of an experimental mindset.
We just shot a roll of Retro 80S ourselves a couple weeks ago. Many of today's images are from that roll, so you can see how much fun we had with it as the weather has turned nicer and sunnier. Take advantage of today's Film Friday and get a roll of your own to try this weekend! (Trip to the beach not included).
Happy Film Friday! Today we're bringing you Ferrania P30.
It has been a two year hiatus for P30, but it's back baby! Ferrania P30 has a distinctively moody look to it, with strong contrast, silvery midtones and very fine grain. It is inspired by the cinematic work of the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. It is said that he used a stock similar to today's P30 to film his 8 1/2 masterpiece. So maybe grab a few rolls of this film, queue that movie up for your Friday evening, then go make some of your own masterpiece photos this weekend! At the very least its 80 ISO speed is perfect for these sunny days ahead.
Head over to our Codex to read the full review and in the meantime, we have Ferrania P30 available in 35mm and discounted for you on the site. Grab a roll and start experimenting today!
Pinhole Picnic is tomorrow, April 26th!
We can’t wait to see you at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park from 11am-2pm to celebrate Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day!
Bring your own pinhole or borrow one of ours. We’ll come equipped with several pinhole cameras for you to check out and use around the ponds and we’ll also have some film available for purchase. We’ve even got some special discounts for you on developing, scanning, or printing the film in our lab!
This is a free event and no sign up is required. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. As Whitaker Ponds is frequented by wildlife, there are no dogs allowed in the park.
Check out our sample gallery of pinhole images created by staff member Renee Heister at Whitaker Ponds! Renee and Arthur will be there tomorrow — come geek out with fellow pinhole camera enthusiasts on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day at 7040 NE 47th Ave, Portland, OR 97218.
You know that feeling when old is new and new is old? That is exactly the frame of mind we are in with today's Film Friday film: Kodak Kodacolor 100.
So a bit of history (because you know we love our history). The first Kodacolor film dates all the way back to 1942 when it became the first color negative film designed for making prints. (Kodak actually had a completely different Kodacolor process back in the 1920s but that is a story for another day). Since the inception of the original Kodacolor, the world has seen over a dozen different films to carry the Kodacolor name. There was Kodacolor-X in 1963, the 70s brought us Kodacolor II and Kodacolor 400. In the 1980s Kodacolor HR became the first film to use T-grain technology and we saw the Kodacolor VR series take the photography world by storm. Then Kodacolor drifted out of the spotlight - it became a film that parents told their children about. "Back when I was your age, we didn't have any of this Portra nonsense, it was all Kodacolor 400 and Kodacolor 800". You know, that sort of thing. Until 2025 when Kodak reintroduced us to Kodacolor 100 and 200, and here we are today!
We like Kodacolor 100 a lot. Sure, it gets most of its attention for being so dang affordable. But look past the price and you have a film that is surprisingly clean in its grain, crisp in its contrast and has a nice balance to its color saturation that it can be great for portraiture or landscapes. It slots in very nicely right between the qualities of Portra 160 and Ektar 100.
So we will have this film discounted all day to make it even more enticing for you to fall in love with as well. Pick some up today and go enjoy some weekend photography!
Our Blue Moon Camera Staff Show is just around the corner! Celebrate with us at the opening on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026.
We are excited to hold this year's event at Franklin Foto, the wonderful community darkroom and gallery here in St. Johns. Join us for the opening reception from 5:30-8:00pm at 8953 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203.
Come connect with Portland's photography community — we can't wait to see you there!
Join us on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day — Sunday, April 26th for our Pinhole Picnic!
This year we'll be meeting a Whitaker Ponds Nature Park from 11am-2pm - 7040 NE 47th Ave, Portland, OR 97218.
Bring your own pinhole or borrow one of ours. We'll come equipped with several pinhole cameras for you to check out and use around the ponds and we'll also have some film available for purchase. We've even got some special discounts for you on developing, scanning, or printing the film in our lab!
This is a free event and no sign up is required. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. As Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is frequented by wildlife, there are no dogs allowed in the park.
Come geek out with fellow pinhole camera enthusiasts on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day!
Happy Film Friday!
Ilford Ortho Plus is getting the Film Friday spotlight this week! Ortho films are some of the films we see used the least often. They get overlooked, or ignored. A lot of photographers don't really know what to expect from Ortho films or are inspired by the look. And that is why we have Film Fridays!
We'll keep this pitch brief and limit it to two takeaways for Ilford Ortho Plus. The first is how the film's orthochromatic sensitivity renders tones. Blues and greens expose very bright, while oranges and reds go very dark. Skies get bright, skin tones get dark. Vegetation goes light, red roses become a darker gray. It is a different look than we are used to with more standard panchromatic films.
The other takeaway is how smooth and fine grained Ilford Ortho Plus is. It is an ISO 80 film, so you would expect it to be super fine grained, and it is. We were prepping some of our sample images for today's post and marveling over hyper-magnified sections of the images and how smooth they looked.
The look of an Ortho film is not as dramatic as an infrared film, kind of the opposite. Ortho images feel a bit quieter perhaps, a bit more tranquil. We don't know if this is because of the film or just because of how we use the film. Maybe you ought to pick up a roll and see for yourself!
Ilford Ortho Plus is available on our website in 35mm, 120, 4x5 and 8x10 discounted for you today. Head on over there and get some Ilford Ortho Plus.
Arguably one of the niftiest SLR cameras ever made, the Pentax Auto 110 and its successor the Auto 110 Super, were introduced by Pentax for the 110 film format, popular in the 1970s and 80s. These cameras were produced from 1978 until 1985, featuring interchangeable lenses, fully automatic exposure control, TTL metering (center weighted), and true SLR viewing... all the while, fitting easily in the palm of your hand.
At its introduction, the Pentax Auto 110 system featured three lenses: an 18mm f/2.8 wide angle, a 24mm f/2.8 standard, and a 50mm f/2.8 telephoto. In 1981, three more lenses were added to the lineup, including the 18mm f/2.8 "pan focus" wide angle, the 70mm f/2.8 telephoto, and a 20-40mm f/2.8 zoom lens. A number of other accessories were also made for the Auto 110, both by Pentax, as well as other companies, including teleconverters, close-up filters, and the like. All the lenses in the Auto 110 system have a maximum aperture of f/2.8, due to the aperture diaphragm being located in the body of the camera and combined with the camera's shutter.
This full kit just hit our inventory yesterday! Head over to the website to see what all is included.
