Kentmere Pan 100 Film Review with Sample Photos Using a Holga 120 GCFN Camera | The Best Affordable Black and White Film for Beginner Photographers

October 20, 2025

When I was planning my 16-day trip to England to hike the 102-mile Cotswold Way National Trail, I wanted to bring a handful of different film stocks I’d never tried before. I loaded up my film pouch with dozens of color and black and white film rolls, knowing I’d have to carry it all for 102 miles, but knowing at the end of it all, it would be worth it. Or at least, hoping it would be! There is nothing more exciting to me than capturing my travels on film. Taking photos on my phone of a place I’d potentially never be able to visit again in my lifetime, just doesn’t cut it for me. I need memorable, one-of-a-kind images that I could proudly hang on my wall.

Kentmere Pan 100 is one of those films I’ve seen time and time again when shopping online for film, but I’ve never tried because it just seemed too affordable. It made me question whether it could take photos that compared to some of the more expensive black and white film stocks, like Neopan Acros 100 or Ilford HP5. But, considering I had a LOT of film to buy for my trip, I didn’t want to spend my entire life savings on film. Kentmere Pan 100 is one of the cheapest black and white 120 films out there and is often considered a “student grade” film for those who are just starting out or don’t want to spend a ton of money on film. I’m honestly surprised I never tried this one out in college! It’s available in 35 mm and 120 formats, so I’ll have to try out the 35 mm version next!

When I was first scanning film from my trip, I could tell immediately I was going to love this film. There was a soft eeriness to it that perfectly complimented the old churches and buildings I photographed throughout my hike. I was surprised by the level of sharpness that such an affordable film offered. While its not quite as sharp as I’m used to for a 100 speed film, I added just a tiny bit of sharpening when editing in Lightroom and it turned out exactly as I’d hoped. One of the most exciting aspects of this film was how well it handled low light. Oftentimes, when I’m shooting with a toy camera like the Holga GCFN and I’m using 100 speed film, I have to make sure I’m shooting in extremely bright daylight with no shade whatsoever, in order to get the best images possible. However, with this film I noticed that it handled the shadows with ease, offering more detail that I would have expected. While it’s definitely not as contrasty as Neopan Acros 100 (one of my favorite black and white films), sometimes it’s nice to have images that start out a little more flat. That way, you can adjust the shadows and highlights to your liking. There is hardly any noticeable grain at all in this film, which is ideal for fine art printing because you can blow up your images rather large and still get clarity and smoothness. This would be a great film for darkroom printing, which is why I’m assuming it’s often used for students and photographers who are just starting their journey into film photography.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about this film. It’s incredibly affordable and is a perfect standard black and white film. While I personally prefer the tiniest bit more contrast, I still love how dreamy and nostalgic these images turned out. I will definitely be including this film stock in my future B&H orders (my favorite place to buy cameras & film!), especially because it’s cheap! But also because it’s easy to work with, offers great detail and sharpness for the price, and captured my hike in the Cotswolds exactly how I hoped it would. :) If you want to find out more about our hike, I have a full video series on my YouTube channel. You can watch it here!

WHERE TO BUY KENTMERE PAN 100 120 FILM

B&H Photo

WHERE TO BUY KENTMERE PAN 100 35 MM FILM

Adorama

B&H Photo

Amazon

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You can read more about my favorite black and white film stocks here or my favorite color 35 mm film stocks here!

If you found this post helpful or inspiring, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing.

If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help! You can contact me here, or leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also check out my B&H Photo storefront & Amazon Storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :) Have a magical day!

<3 Myles Katherine

(By using the affiliate links and/or codes in this blog post it supports Myles Katherine Photography. We may get a small kick back by you doing so.)

Review of the Williamsburg Haunts: Boos & Booze Pub Crawl with Colonial Ghosts | Top Things to Do in Williamsburg, Virginia

August 13, 2025

As a Virginia native, I’ve taken quite a few trips to Williamsburg and Jamestown throughout my life. I still remember how spooky I thought it was as a kid and the way the entire town smelled like cloves and woodsmoke. There is something truly magical about wandering the cobblestone streets and seeing the colonial actors dressed in historical clothing carrying lanterns and speaking in old english accents. I loved that I felt like I was living in the pages of my American Girl doll’s biography (I had Felicity - if you know, you know). I just can’t believe it took me until now to actually take a ghost tour there! My husband and I go to Williamsburg a lot for work these days, but we decided to spend an evening with Colonial Ghosts on their Boos & Booze pub crawl! It was so fun learning about the history of the buildings in the center of town and hearing about the ghosts that haunt the area. I love a good ghost tour. We’ve been on tours in Richmond (our hometown), Savannah & London, and they are always such a good time.

The ghost tour started out near The Cheese Shop in the center of town, which I highly recommend popping into if you get a chance. It’s a great place to grab a quick bite to eat or have a glass of wine on the patio.

We started the tour off at DoG Street Pub, a beautiful restaurant and bar with a history of ghost sightings. We all ordered a round of drinks as our tour guide told us stories about the colonial ghost that had been seen by some of the employees of the restaurant at night when closing up shop. My husband, Chris, and I tried a local sparkling mead that was absolutely delicious. It was a very humid evening so the cold drink was particularly refreshing, as was the A/C inside the building!

(By using the affiliate links and/or codes in this blog post it supports Myles Katherine Photography. We may get a small kick back by you doing so.)

Our next stop was a visit to the stunning campus of William & Mary. The college has been around since 1693, so of course there are a ton of ghost stories. I found this story particularly spooky, since there has been sightings of a young school child that runs along the sunken garden. I won’t give away too much about the story, but as we left the tour later that night, I couldn’t help but walk by the sunken garden to see if I caught a glimpse of the ghost. Sadly, all I saw were a few William & Mary students dancing in the middle of the field, but maybe next time I’ll be a bit more lucky.

Our second bar of the night was a popular local’s spot, Berret’s Seafood Restaurant & Taphouse Grill. They have a lovely patio outside where we sipped on a particularly delicious bourbon cocktail with mashed strawberries. Our tour group was somewhat small, but I’d highly recommend going with a group of friends or family members. The entire evening, I just wished my family and friends were there to join in on the fun! Our tour guide told us some pretty frightening and spooky information about the parking lot next to Berret’s, but I’ll spare you the details and you can find out about it on the ghost tour on your own. :)

On the way to our third and final bar, we learned a bit of history about The Kimball Theatre and the Art Museum of Colonial Williamsburg that used to be a mental hospital back in the late 1700s!

We ended the night at Precarious Beer Project, a super fun bar with multiple restaurants and arcade games inside. It’s definitely a great place to end the evening. The Friday night that we were there, the brewery was hosting a comedy night! It was buzzing with people and you could totally spend a few hours there drinking the night away after the ghost tour.

In general, I highly recommend taking a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown if you haven’t already. I particularly recommend going in the fall, because the area is absolutely gorgeous that time of year. Williamsburg is known for being pretty humid in the summers, so I’d avoid that time of year if you can. And believe me, you won’t regret going in the fall. It’s a truly special place when the leaves are turning and the pumpkins are out. Also, if you’re in the area around Halloween time, you absolutely need to go experience Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream. You could totally fill a whole long weekend exploring Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Busch Gardens. There are also beautiful areas around Jamestown for bike riding and walking. The Colonial National Historic Highway is stunning around sunset with lovely water views of the James River. The restaurants in downtown Williamsburg are delicious too!

If you need any hotel recommendations, the Williamsburg Inn (5-star), Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection (4-star) and Cedar’s of Williamsburg Bed & Breakfast (3-star) are all great options.

Colonial Ghosts offer quite a few different types of tours throughout the year, like the Colonial Ghosts of Christmas Past tour and the Taste of Williamsburg culinary food tour. The classic ghost tour starts earlier in night (around 7 pm) that would be great for families, and the Dead of Night tour later (around 10 pm) is for those who want to explore under the cover of darkness. You can even combine ghost tours!

If you’re more of a history buff and want to tour some of the old buildings like the Governor’s Palace, Courthouse, and Capitol with staged performances, I definitely recommend this Colonial Williamsburg pass here. Yorktown and Jamestown are also fun visits, so I’d recommend this full-day tour that leaves from Williamsburg.

If you’re interested in taking the same pub crawl as we did, you can find it here! Or if you’d rather take the classic ghost tour, you can read more about it here.

Happy Haunting!

<3 Myles Katherine

Minolta AF Tele 35 mm Camera Review with Kodak UltraMax 400 Sample Photos in San Diego, California

June 28, 2025

When I stumbled across the Minolta AF Tele in an antique shop and noticed it was fully functioning, I knew I’d found a gem. I’m always on the hunt for vintage point-and-shoot cameras because they are great for traveling and because they each have their own character and vibe when it comes to the photos. I have another 35 mm Minolta camera, the Minolta Maxxum STsi, which is one of my all-time favorite 35 mm cameras. You can read my full review of that camera here! Before the Minolta Maxxum STsi, I’d never had any experience with Minolta cameras, but I’m started to learn that they are definitely a standout when it comes to vintage cameras.

I decided to take the Minolta AF Tele with me on a recent trip to San Diego and I’m obsessed with how the images turned out. Not only was it incredibly easy to use, the photographs also have the perfect retro film vibe that I wanted for my California photos.

HISTORY

The Minolta AF Tele was originally produced in the late 1980s to early 1990s and was created as an accessible camera for beginners and professionals alike. The specific model of the camera featured in this blog post was manufactured in Japan. You can check the bottom of the camera for an imprint to see where yours was produced! The Minolta brand, in general, is a Japanese company, though some of the Minolta cameras are manufactured in other countries as well. I’ve learned over the years that if I see that a camera was produced in Japan, it’s usually a slam dunk. They also typically have a nice aesthetic design and seemingly last forever.

Point-and-shoot cameras really started to gain traction in the 1980s so it was a bit of a competition between all of the major camera companies to produce amazing compact film cameras that were easy to use for the average consumer. The Minolta AF Tele was one of those cameras, though maybe not quite as popular as cameras like the Canon Sure Shot ( I’m still on the hunt for one of these). I find it to be unique and interesting and I definitely never plan to give mine up!

(By using the affiliate links and/or codes in this blog post it supports Myles Katherine Photography. We may get a small kick back by you doing so.)

FEATURES

The standout feature of this camera is it’s dual lens system. While it is a compact camera, the lens has two different focal lengths that you can easily switch between. There is a 35 mm f/2.8 lens and a 60 mm f/4.3 telephoto lens. There are other versions of this camera, like the Minolta AF Tele Super, that have slightly different lens options built into the camera.

The Minolta AF Tele also has a built-in flash, a fill-flash button, a self-timer, auto advance, auto rewind, and a tripod mount. This camera is fully autofocus, so there is no need to worry about taking the time to manually focus. However, this also means there are really no manual features at all, so you’re a bit limited when it comes to creativity.

There is also no option for multiple exposures. There is a film rewind button on the bottom of the camera, but it rewinds the film roll all the way back to the beginning, so you will be shooting over your entire roll. While you can still overlap images in this way, it gives you way less control than a camera with a dedicated multiple exposure feature.

The fill-flash button is also a nice addition to the camera, especially if you are shooting with a subject that is back-lit. The main flash will automatically come on when the camera senses there is not enough light, but it’s nice to have the option to turn the fill-flash on when needed.

The camera will automatically set the ISO for your film as well, as long as the film is DX coded, which most films are.

It takes a Lithium CR-P2 battery or two AA batteries, which is a very interesting feature I’ve never seen before in a camera. But it’s definitely nice for those moments when your battery dies on you while traveling and AA batteries are the only ones you can find.

And obviously, one of the best things about these point-and-shoot cameras is that they are compact and easy to travel with! While the Minolta AF Tele is a bit more bulky that other cameras of its class, it is still a nice, small size compared to 35 mm cameras with detachable lenses and zoom lenses.

Lens fully extended

Back of the camera

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m kind of obsessed with this camera. The dual lens system is just plain fun to experiment with and gives you that little bit of extra zoom when you’re traveling if you see something farther away that you’d like to photograph. I’m also pleasantly surprised by the sharpness of the lens, especially at the 35 mm setting. It seems a little softer when using the 60 mm lens option. I’m a little bit bummed that there is no multiple exposure option, but I usually assume this is the case with most point-and-shoot cameras from that time period. It’s a rare feature that most people didn’t care for, particularly the average, everyday consumer. This camera is somewhat limited in terms of creativity, considering it doesn’t have any manual features other than the fill-flash, but it’s still a super fun point-and-shoot that is great for capturing candid moments with friends and family, and for traveling with a 35 mm film camera that doesn’t weigh a million pounds or take up a ton of space in your bag.

This is definitely one of those cameras I’ll just quickly grab when I’m running out the door for a family day or a night out with friends. I’m sure it will be joining me on many more trips in the future too. If you see this one out in the wild, snatch it up! I got lucky and found mine for $20, but it seems that the average going rate is about $25 to $70. I’d pick one of these up sooner rather than later if I were you, because these vintage point-and-shoots just keep getting more and more popular!

For these photos, I used Kodak UltraMax 400 35 mm film, but if you’d like more film recommendations, make sure to check out my blog post, The Best Color Film for 35 mm Cameras!

WHERE TO BUY THE MINOLTA AF TELE 35MM CAMERA

<3 Myles Katherine

SAMPLE PHOTOS

And of course, I have to share all of my favorite photos from my trip to San Diego with you!!!