As each year concludes, I sift through the technical data that’s attached to every photo in my Lightroom catalog, and get a snapshot of the year’s proclivities (yes, this site now engages in bad puns). What cameras did I shoot the most? What film? What focal lengths? Anything I need to consciously adjust or try in the new year? Anything I neglected to do?
I’ve never bothered to publish this analysis because it’s unlikely to have any relevance to my readers. But this year, I decided nothing on this site actually has any relevance to anyone (including me), so why not publish it? Essay fodder is hard enough to come by without willfully dismissing it.
There are four categories this year (up from three in past years). They are: Most Used Film Camera; Most Used Digital Camera; Most Used Film; and Most Used Focal Length.
In previous years, 95% of my shots were taken on film, so there was no need for a “Most Used Digital Camera” category. But last summer, I decided to try doubling my photographic output without doubling my film, chemistry, and developing time expenses. This meant re-engaging with digital to an extent not seen in over a decade. Consequently, the old “Most Used Camera” category was split into two: “Most Used Film Camera” and “Most Used Digital Camera”.
So without further ado…
Most Used Film Camera
A mere (for me) 29 film cameras were used in 2025. Many had only 1 or 2 rolls run through them, since I might have simply been testing the camera, or borrowing it, or just exercising an old friend that was languishing on the shelf. But a few got heavier use, and in 2025 (and for the third year in a row), the award for Most Used Film Camera goes to the Fuji Natura Black 1.9, which was singularly responsible for 12% of this year’s film rolls. The Natura Black 1.9 is in my pocket every time I’m out after dark, and is filled (usually) with HP5+ that I’m pushing to 3200. If it’s dark out and I’m on the streets, the Fuji is in my hand.
This year’s runner-up is a camera I purchased in Tokyo in November, when my beloved Minolta TC-1 failed and I was “forced” (and I use the term loosely) to hit Shinjuku, and replace it with a camera I always wanted to own but could never justify: The Ricoh GR1V. Because it instantly became my constant companion in Tokyo, it was responsible for 11% of this year’s photos — in spite of me owning it for just over a month.
In third place was the Leitz-Minolta CL, which accounted for 9% of this year’s film camera usage. At this point, we need to start considering lens mounts and not just camera bodies. The CL is an interchangeable lens camera that uses a Leica-M mount, meaning it shares lenses with many other Leica cameras (including my M2 and my M6TTL, both of which also saw a few rolls of film this year). Taken as a whole, M-mount cameras accounted for 15% of this year’s photos, which is actually more than the Natura Black 1.9.
But if “lens system” was a category (and it’s not), then this year’s winner would again be the Olympus OM-mount, which spooled 16% of the year’s film through six different OM bodies (M-1, OM-1, OM-2n, OM-3Ti, OM-20, and OM-2000). Yes, I have a thing for Olympus OM cameras.
Other system mounts that charted across multiple bodies were the Nikon F-mount (7%) and Pentax K-mount (6%). Half-frame cameras also featured somewhat prominently (accounting for 10% of all film camera usage).
Most Used Digital Camera
This award, had it existed in previous years, would always have gone to the Ricoh GRIII, since it’s the one digital camera that’s always with me “just in case.” But last summer, I decided to expand my digital efforts and devise a way for the photos to match (or at least compliment) my desired aesthetic. Naturally, this required some serious digital experimentation — all of which lead me right back to what I always knew I liked: micro four-thirds cameras. So I supplemented my old digital Olympus OM-1 with an even older digital Olympus Pen-F, and added the new OM Systems OM-3 to the collection, rolled up my sleeves, and got shooting.
Which means the winner of the first-ever “Most Used Digital Camera” award goes to the OM Systems OM-3, which was responsible for 49% of this year’s digital shots (though most, admittedly, were about ‘learning’ and less about ‘art’). Following in second was the Olympus Pen F (17%), with the Ricoh GRIII and Olympus OM-1 tying for third (at 13% each). The remaining 8% of digital shots were spread amongst other various cameras.
Most Used Film
And the Grainy goes to… Ilford HP5+.
For the first 30 years of my photographic life, this award would have gone to Kodak Tri-X, but the stuff got so exorbitantly expensive that I was forced to switch to HP5+ for the past decade. Like Tri-X, HP5+ is versatile and usable under all sorts of circumstances. I regularly shoot it at ISO 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 without hesitation. In fact, ISO 400 (box speed) may be the one I shoot the least. So, for this reason, it accounted for 46% of my film usage in 2025.
Second place goes to Fomapan 400 at 23%, which I almost always pull to ISO 200. It’s quite economical, and does a terrific job taming the harshness of daylight, which is something I often attempt to do.
In those rare instances when I instead endeavour to accentuate the harshness of daylight, I turn mostly to Ilford FP4+ (13%), which I usually push to either 200 or 400 — specifically to get an even harsher, higher contrast negative.
I started experimenting with Wolfen UN54 (10%) this year, and am loving the results when shot at box speed (ISO 100). It too (like Fomapan) has a lower contrast, less-clinical look, and allows me to achieve ‘dreamlike’ results under harsh sun. I’ll be using it more in the coming years.
Rounding out this year’s film usage were Foma’s new Ortho 400, some long-expired Fuji Neopan 1600 and a sprinkling of color (Kodak Ultra 400 and Ilford Phoenix II), which I’m usually forced to use for testing cameras while traveling (since it’s easy for labs to develop). Surprisingly, for the first time ever, I went a full year without shooting a single roll of Tri-X.
Most Used Focal Length
In order to have some sort of ‘common denominator,’ I broke down all the year’s shots (both digital and film) into their 35mm “equivalent field of view” focal lengths (meaning, for example, that half-frame focal lengths or micro four-thirds focal lengths were adjusted to their 35mm ‘full frame’ field-of-view ‘equivalent’).
For this site’s first 15 years, the vast majority of my shots were taken at 28mm or wider, but the last couple years I’ve made a conscious effort to shoot more 35mm and 40mm lenses. And in 2025, I decided to experiment more with longer focal lengths — particularly in the 85-90mm range.
Because I group all these lenses into ranges of focal lengths, it’s hard to say which specific focal length was the most used — but 22% of last year’s photos were taken in the 29-39mm range, making “35-ish” the top performer — an award it probably hasn’t won since the early 2000’s.
Here’s the final list:
• < 28 mm (ultra-wide) : 19%
• 28 mm : 19%
• 29-39 mm (35-ish): 22%
• 40-49 mm (40-ish): 14%
• 50 mm : 8%
• 51-84 mm (no man’s land): 2%
• 85-90 mm : 10%
• > 90 mm (telephoto): 6%
A full 60% of my photos were shot at less than 40mm, indicating that my propensity to shoot wide has not abated. I’ve always struggled to shoot a so-called “standard” 50mm lens, and this is clearly indicated in the stats. I have, however, found love and happiness in various 40-ish mm lenses, and this too is reflected in the numbers. At 10%, I think my conscious effort to shoot more 85-90mm lenses was a success, while I clearly have an aversion to lenses in both the 51-84mm and >90mm ranges.
Thank You and Good Night
So that’s it for the 2025 Grainy Awards. No one got slapped; no one strutted on the red carpet in a naked dress; and no celebrities were insulted — though I honestly would have enjoyed penning this article more had any (or all) of these occurred.
©2026 grEGORy simpson
ABOUT THE PHOTOS : After combing through a few folders of mish mash for this month’s accompanying photos, I realized I didn’t include any digital photos — which I probably should have done given the fact I gave out a Grainy Award for “Most Used Digital Camera.” Come to think of it, I probably should have included only photos that illustrated the winner of each category — but that would have required I be as clever as I was in this site’s early days. I’m not. So here’s what got randomly included:
The Grainy : Shot with an Olympus OM-2n and a Zuiko 85mm f/2 lens on Fomapan 400 pulled to ISO 200, and developed in Rodinal (Blazinal).
A Stroll Down Memory Lane : Utilized a Pentax MZ-S with an 85mm f2.2 soft lens, loaded with HP5+ at ISO 400, and developed in Rodinal (Blazinal).
Grainier Than Thou : Photographed with a Leica M2 and a 35mm f/2 Summicron-M (v4) lens on Fomapan 400, pulled to ISO 200 and developed in Rodinal (Blazinal).
Grain on Grain 1 : Used a Japanese market Leitz/Minolta CL with a Minolta 40mm f/2 Rocker lens and HP5+ at ISO 400, which was developed in Rodinal (Blazinal)
Grain on Grain 2 : Shot with a Fujica Drive (half frame camera) on Fomapan 400, pulled to ISO 200 and developed in Rodinal (Blazinal).
Registration Error : Photographed with a Contax G1 fronted with a Contax Zeiss Biogon 28mm f/2.8 lens, and loaded with HP5+ pushed to ISO 1600 and developed in Rodinal (Blazinal).
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