FilmNeverDie.com

FilmNeverDie.com www.FilmNeverDie.com
to strengthen the sense of community among film photographers. FilmNeverDie is n So come in and say g'day!

Film Never Die is the shared vision of a small group of photographers living in Melbourne. We are Gary, Wei Wei, Eric, Andrew & Sebastian, along with people that jumped on board, We love shooting in a variety of analog formats and want to share this passion with you. We began with an online store, and our business have grown to include a gallery and brick-and-mortar shop in Parkville, Melbourne. W

e are proud to stock a huge range of film and camera products. These are available on our online store and at our Parkville location, where we have new stock becoming available each day. We are also available for consultation about the operation of your older camera, free of charge.

Community Frames šŸ™ŒšŸ¼Ā film ā€˜s Lomography LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400 scans sent us somewhere else entirely. We love seein...
05/06/2026

Community Frames šŸ™ŒšŸ¼
Ā film ā€˜s Lomography LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400 scans sent us somewhere else entirely. We love seeing how the colour shifts in different lighting conditions with this roll.
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šŸŽžļø LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400Ā 
šŸ“ø Canon EOS 300
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Developed and scanned in-house at
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Joey (.shoots) and David () shared some Kodak Ektar 100 shots with us this week. One roll in 35mm, one in 120. The curre...
04/06/2026

Joey (.shoots) and David () shared some Kodak Ektar 100 shots with us this week. One roll in 35mm, one in 120.

The current Ektar 100 was launched in 2008. 35mm first, then 120, then 4x5 and 8x10 sheet film as demand grew. ISO 100 only. Kodak mentioned that it has the finest grain of any colour negative film on the market.

Unlike the Portra, which sits in the muted and neutral range, Ektar leans into colour. High saturation, punchy contrast, and blues and greens that read vivid and strong. The overall result behaves more like a slide film in terms of visual impact while still giving you more room to work with in the scan than true transparency film.

It is not a forgiving film. It tolerates around three stops of overexposure but punishes underexposure quickly. Shadows block up fast, and colours shift in ways that don't recover easily. Meter it carefully, and it rewards you.

One thing worth addressing. Ektar has a reputation for being unkind to portraits. The high saturation and contrast can push skin tones red, especially in shadow or mixed light. It's a fair criticism. But it's not the whole story. Photographers who know how to expose it carefully and manage colour in the scan have made compelling portrait work with it. Overexposing slightly and shooting in warmer, more balanced light goes a long way. It requires more attention than Portra, but the results can be striking in the right conditions. We haven't tested it specifically for portraits yet. That's a future Weekly Frames. Watch this space.

The format difference matters with this film more than most. In 35mm the grain holds clean detail at standard print sizes without drawing attention to itself. Step up to 120, and the larger negative does something remarkable. The grain steps back so far that the quality ceiling becomes your lens and scanner rather than the film itself.

Both rolls were scanned on the Fuji scanner. Both in stock at The Lab now. Link in bio.

Shot by .shoots and . Developed and scanned in-house. s

Simple Lives of Us.Ā Ā June is Pride month. And as a q***r-friendly space in Naarm, we wanted to do something that felt ho...
01/06/2026

Simple Lives of Us.Ā 
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June is Pride month. And as a q***r-friendly space in Naarm, we wanted to do something that felt honest.
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So we started close to home. Timothy () and Joey (.shoots) from the team took a Pentax 17 and a roll of FND Iro 400 to ***rbar , Naarm’s favourite FLINTA bar, for a night out. What started as two friends heading out turned into a space of strangers becoming less strange, a camera passing between hands, and a roll of film that documents exactly what a good night out in a q***r space looks like.
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No direction. No brief. Just a bar, a roll of film, and the kind of night worth looking back.
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This is the first in a series running through June. Each roll is a different story, a different space, a different corner of q***r life in Naarm.
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We can’t wait to show you the rest.
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Shot on the Pentax 17 with FND Iro 400. Developed and scanned in-house at The Lab.
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This is not an ad for Bernie’s, we just really enjoy hanging out there 😊
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The FND team shot Kodak Gold 200 across various trips over time. Two formats, different subjects, different moments. Her...
28/05/2026

The FND team shot Kodak Gold 200 across various trips over time. Two formats, different subjects, different moments. Here’s what came back. šŸŽž
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Gold 200 is the film most people start with. Warm, forgiving, widely available, and affordable. But most people only ever shoot it in 35mm. Kodak launched the 120 medium format in 2022, and it’s worth understanding what actually changes between the two.
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In 35mm, Gold 200 is neutral and honest. The warmth is there but it doesn’t shout. Colours render true in natural light without pulling dramatically in any direction. The grain is present and characterful. Exactly what you’d expect from a consumer stock, and part of what makes it feel like film.
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In medium format 120 film, the same emulsion reads differently. The larger negative smooths the grain considerably, the tones become richer, and the blues in particular come through more saturated than in 35mm. It sits closer to Portra 400 in feel than you’d expect from a consumer stock at this price. If medium format is your thing and Portra 400 is stretching the budget, Gold 200 in medium format is a really strong alternative.
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Both in stock at The Lab now. Link in bio.
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Shot by .ashoor, .shoots , and .gary.wong across various trips. Developed and scanned in-house.

In case you missed it, Shoot & Share is still running.Ā šŸŽžļøāž•šŸŽžļøĀ Download the FND app. Show us the homepage with your name. ...
26/05/2026

In case you missed it, Shoot & Share is still running.Ā 
šŸŽžļøāž•šŸŽžļø
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Download the FND app. Show us the homepage with your name. First dev + scan is on us.
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Post about this. Tag . Show us your post. Second dev + scan is taken care of too.
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All film types. One per customer. Until 30 June. App download link in bio.

*Available on iOS and macOS only*
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Spotted: FND. Episode 01.Ā Ā Introducing a new series from FND. Every two weeks, weā€˜re featuring a location across Naarm/M...
23/05/2026

Spotted: FND. Episode 01.Ā 
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Introducing a new series from FND. Every two weeks, weā€˜re featuring a location across Naarm/Melbourne where you can find one of our Vendys, a dropbox, or both. Some are at cafes. There’s one at a vintage clothing store. Some are right here at The Lab. The idea is simple. Film photography should fit your life, not the other way around. Wherever you are, we want to make it easy to grab a roll or drop one off.
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Episode 01 starts at home, 6 Watertank Way, the FND hub.
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Yes, we develop film. C-41, B&W, E-6, and ECN-2. But we also stock a wide range of film and cameras, hire out scanners if you want to try scanning your own rolls, and sell film cameras, such as our very own Nana Camera. Not sure where to start with cameras? Come in and have a chat with us, test out some cameras. Weā€˜re here for every part of your film photography journey.
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We’re proud of how far this space has come. Thereā€˜s a Polaroid wall that grows every time we run an event at The Lab. The space has changed a few times over the years, and it will continue to evolve with us.
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The Vendy and dropbox outside are available 24/7. Can’t make it when we’re open? Drop your roll in the box, and weā€˜ll develop it on the next business day. Need to grab a fresh roll at an unusual hour? The Vendy is fully stocked and always on.
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Next up, Episode 02 at Stupid Vintage. Stay close. šŸŽž

22/05/2026

Goodbye Blue Moon Wong šŸŒ™

Whelped 17 December 2014
Racing name: TWO SEASONS

102 starts
22 wins
19 runners-up
12 thirds

From full-time racing athlete to professional couch potato.

We adopted Blue Moon after his retirement from racing in 2020, and over the next 6 years he became part of the FilmNeverDie family, our photowalks, coffee runs, vending machine collections, and everyday life at the shop.

I still remember how he would freeze on walks sometimes — almost unable to believe a dog could walk slowly with nowhere to race to.

He was also the page boy for Julian and Chloe’s wedding.

Recently, after developing osteosarcoma, Blue Moon passed away peacefully.

To everyone who met him, patted him, brought treats, took photos with him, or simply spent time with him at the shop — thank you. You helped give a retired racing dog a beautiful second life outside the track.

It’s not always easy adopting retired racing dogs, but we are very glad we did it.

Thank you Blue Moon.

You were loved far beyond the racetrack.

To remember Blue Moon, next Saturday 30 May, we’ll be giving away free Polaroid photos at the shop for anyone who comes in with their pet ā¤ļø

Read the full story on our blog.

Gary

Jasim .ashoor shot a roll of Kodak Portra 160 in Japan. Streets, landscapes, people. One roll across all of it. Here’s w...
21/05/2026

Jasim .ashoor shot a roll of Kodak Portra 160 in Japan. Streets, landscapes, people. One roll across all of it. Here’s what came back. šŸŽž

Nobody talks about Kodak Portra 160 enough. Most people reach for Portra 400 without thinking about it, and the reason is almost always ISO. But if the light is there, 160 earns its place in every situation 400 gets credit for.

The grain is the finest in the Portra lineup. Subtle enough that you have to look for it, present enough that it still feels like film rather than a scan of nothing. The colour palette sits in the pastel and muted range. Not trying to make a scene more than it is, not pulling warm or cool for its own sake. What comes back feels like the day rather than an interpretation of it.

The exposure latitude is what makes it genuinely versatile despite the low ISO. Jasim was shooting in Japan where light moves constantly. Shade to harsh sun inside a single frame. Portra 160 held both ends without choosing one over the other. Around seven stops of dynamic range at ISO 160 is a quiet achievement that doesn’t get talked about enough.

It also tends to sit slightly below Portra 400 in price. Which makes the oversight even harder to explain.

In stock at The Lab now. Link in bio.

Shot on the Voigtländer Bessa R2M · 35mm f/2 · Developed and scanned in-house.

Our lab tech lights up every time someone walks in with something unexpected. Most of what comes through The Lab is 35mm...
17/05/2026

Our lab tech lights up every time someone walks in with something unexpected.

Most of what comes through The Lab is 35mm and 120, and we love every roll of it. But every now and then someone pulls out a 126 cartridge from an old Instamatic, or a roll of APS film from a 90s compact, or a 110 cartridge from something small and forgotten. That’s when things get interesting.

These formats are rare. Most labs won’t touch them. We light up when they come in.

If you’ve got a camera or a roll sitting in a drawer and you have no idea what it is, bring it to us. We’ll figure it out together. Chances are we can develop and scan it for you.

Swipe through to see some of the more unusual formats we work with.

Photos by
šŸ“ø Olympus OM-10 with a flash
šŸŽžļø FND Iro 400

.gary.wong took a roll of  Phoenix II out on a day in the woods with family and friends. Sunny skies, cold air, the kind...
14/05/2026

.gary.wong took a roll of Phoenix II out on a day in the woods with family and friends. Sunny skies, cold air, the kind of day that feels like a last hurrah before winter settles in. šŸŽž
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Phoenix II is Harman’s second-generation colour film. DX coded to ISO 200, although Harman recommends shooting it between ISO 100 and 200 for best results. Gary shot this roll at ISO 200. More normal contrast and colour balance than the original, finer grain, and a wider exposure latitude. Where the original Phoenix ran warm with bold yellows and oranges, Phoenix II pulls cooler. Blues and greens that feel more considered and controlled.
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It’s still grainy. Less so than the original, but the grain is part of the character. And it still halates. That soft glow around the highlights, bleeding into the brighter parts of the frame. On a sunny day in the woods, it caught the light coming through the trees in a way that felt less like a flaw and more like the film seeing the world differently.
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We paired this roll with the Lomography MC-A. That matters because Phoenix II is experimental, and the results shift depending on the camera, the light, and the lens in front of it. What you get back on a Nikon won’t look the same as what you get back on an MC-A.
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Harman Phoenix II is available in 35mm and 120, both in stock at The Lab now. Link in bio.
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Shot by Gary on the MC-A. Developed and scanned in-house.
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Address

6 Watertank Way
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+61408862649

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