After using the Agfa Isoly-Mat I realised I did have another 4×4 format camera. The toy camera Diana F+, it has a 4×4 mask. So one not so sunny day I tried it.
I do like the 4×4 format, you get extra shots for your money. The glass of the Agfa is definitely sharper that the plastic lens of the Diana. The latter has its own charm and can do multiple exposures. It also seems more like a pinhole with the massive drop off at the edges. I think it works well with the ruggedness of historical Yorkshire.
After this film I started drying my films in the bathroom as my own room seems to have all the dust in the world floating about. The bathroom isn’t perfect, but definitely less time is spent getting rid of dust spots after scanning. To remove dust and other stuff I always use inpaint. It is easy to use and can be used to remove much larger items.
I really like these,nice vingette, reinforces my liking of Square format too.
It was harder to remember to change the focusing point on these. I prefered using the Agfa. It looked cooler too. The diana has more options though due to the attachments.
I dry my film in the bathroom too. I run a hot shower and generate a load of steam, which stops the dust circulating. And although the film takes longer to dry, the increased humidity really helps film that is prone to curling and cupping dry nice and flat.
Thanks for the tip about Inpaint – I hadn’t heard of it, so will check it out.
I would say if you have a lot of dust spots, to make regular saves throughout the process as it sometimes crashes and you have to start again. It is rare, but annoying nontheless.
Couple of wooded clothes pegs on the bottom of the film as it dries helps with curling. They’re heavier than plastic ones. I do know someone used 2 at a time side by side and who drilled smart holes in theirs to thread a couple coins with holes in as a bit of extra weight
I have some metal film clips that are quite heavy. It is the side to side curl, the weight doesn’t seem to affect it. Once completely dry it seems ok.