During the 162nd photo walk with SWP, I finally took my Frugal Film Project 2026 setup out for a proper test. I loaded the Canon EOS 1000QD with a roll of Kentmere Pan 400 pushed to 1600 and wandered around to see how the camera and that fungus‑ridden 50mm f/1.4 would hold up. Spoiler: better than expected.
I developed the roll at home using Ilford DD‑X at 1+4 for 17 minutes at 20°C. The negatives came out looking decent, nothing spectacular, but definitely usable. My Fujifilm X‑T4 with a macro lens handled the scanning part smoothly, and the files looked clean enough to convince me that this setup will survive the year ahead.
That said, my development process needs a little refining. The images didn’t have the contrast I was hoping for, so I probably need to tweak agitation or timing on the next roll. That’s part of the fun, though; trial, error, and those small discoveries that make home‑developing oddly satisfying.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the test run. The camera works, the lens behaves, and I got a handful of shots I actually like. I’ll add a few of my favorites from the roll below.
