New Camera Test Roll

35mm | Canon EOS-1V | March & April, 2026 | Portra 800

The wide array of cameras I have acquired from friends & family who are no longer interested in film, or purchased second-hand, have been a joy to work with over the years. That said, all of these cameras have been fully manual 35mm and medium format cameras. While I’ve shot countless weddings on these relics, ranging from 40-80 years my senior, I thought it was about time to get a professional 35mm film SLR, and decided to go with the Canon EOS 1V.

I choose the 1V because when I shoot digital (which is rare), I still use my trusty Canon 5D Mark III. The EOS-1V was Canon’s last film camera and is quite similar to the 5D Mark III. While mirrorless cameras get all the hype these days, I’ve found my full-frame DSLR is still very much up to the task when needed, so I thought it would be a good fit to add to my collection, as I could use the same lenses.

It was actually quite funny moving from totally manual film cameras to a professional SLR. Even though the body is so similar to the Mark III, I truthfully had a difficult time figuring out which buttons did what for a minute because I was so used to either navigating the fully digital interface of the Mark III; or turning ISO & shutter speed dials and winding film by hand. If you can believe it, that’s all I’ve ever known since I started film photography over 16 years ago! Having things done automatically was very foreign to me on film, as goofy as it may sound! I missed all of the manual aspects it lacked and didn’t like that I didn’t get to advance the film by hand. But, it’s a reliable camera that’s not nearing a century old, so that’s a bonus. Once I got used to it, I ended up loving it for its own unique abilities.

While I’ll still use my other manual film cameras to shoot weddings, elopements, couples portraits, and more on film, I really love this camera and think it’ll be my go-to when I need a faster workhorse for quick candid moments. To me, part of the beauty of film is how slow and intentional it is. The 1V seems to be a nice middle ground between the slowness of film, yet faster capabilities for shooting on the fly. I believe this will be a great addition to wedding ceremonies to capture even more beautiful candid moments. If you’re interested, you can learn more about why I shoot film here!

I took this camera down to Florida, and for my first frame, I took a singular picture of my boyfriend’s parents, who are absolutely adorable. Then, I took pictures on the flight home. Personally, I really enjoy the photos of the pilot eating a snack before takeoff. After that, I captured some photos of my friend Laura, who’s a silly goose. Laura recently moved to a beautiful house with gorgeous woods in her backyard, so we went on a hike to capture her favorite place on film. Hope you like these!

Kodak Portra 800 35mm Film

Photography Reviews

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Melissa — 35mm, 120 Format

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Maureen + Nikki — 35mm, 120 Format & Polaroid