I spent two months shooting three rolls of Kodak Gold 200 and UltraMax 400 through the Ultra F9. Was it a nostalgic waste of money, or did it actually capture a feeling my Sony A7III couldn’t?
The Kodak Ultra F9 isn't trying to replace your smartphone. It is trying to help you put the phone down. Have you shot with the Ultra F9 or the similar Kodak Ektar H35? Let me know in the comments below! kodak ultra f9 35mm film camera
If you have scrolled through TikTok or Instagram recently, you have seen the results: grainy, slightly blurry, overly vibrant, and often accompanied by a harsh flash. This $40-$50 camera is polarizing. Purists call it a "toy" or a "gimmick." Beginners call it "the gateway drug to film." I spent two months shooting three rolls of
However, the moment you slide the little plastic switch to open the battery compartment (for the flash) and pop in two AA batteries, something changes. You realize the weight is a feature, not a bug. It is trying to help you put the phone down
I shot a friend’s birthday dinner. My digital photos were technically perfect—white balanced to death, sharp eyes, clean shadows. The Ultra F9 photos? They were blown out, grainy, and had lens flares cutting across faces.
For $40, you aren't buying optics. You are buying a permission slip to stop taking photos so seriously. You are buying the anticipation of waiting for a lab to email you scans. You are buying the happy accident of a double exposure or a weird light leak.