Crankin’ out disappointment, one frame at a time.
Back in February, I introduced you to Five Below’s $5.55 reusable film camera — a cheerful little gadget with an air of naive optimism. I took it out, shot a roll, and dared to believe this quirky toy might be a hidden gem.
Reader, it was not.
When I went to rewind the film for development, the crank snapped clean off in my hand. Not a gentle crack. Not a slow decline. Just: pop. Goodbye crank, goodbye film, goodbye faith in Five Below’s film dreams.
Turns out the film never advanced properly in the first place, and the roll came out completely unexposed — nothing but 10 blank frames and one bruised ego.
Let’s talk about that film economy again.
At $5.55 for ten exposures, UP-TECH 100 breaks down to 55 cents per shot. Compare that to a three-pack of Fuji Superia X-Tra 400, still kicking around CVS shelves for about $29.99. That’s 108 exposures total — just 3 cents per shot.
Yes, you read that right: Shooting UP-TECH 100 is 18 times more expensive per photo.
And it gets better (worse). This film requires ECN-2 processing, a specialty development process that fewer labs offer — and those that do will charge the same per roll whether you’re developing 10 frames or 36. So you’re paying full-price lab rates for one-third the output. Like buying a dozen eggs and only getting four.
Bright side: The film can work — in a real camera.
The only saving grace here is that I also loaded a roll of UP-TECH 100 into my trusty Olympus OM10, and that one developed beautifully. Solid contrast, decent color, and no weird surprises. It’s no Portra 400, but it’ll get the job done if you’re just playing around — and your camera isn’t made of hopes and plastic.
Final Verdict:
- Five Below’s UP-TECH Reusable Camera: Hard pass. It literally broke before the film finished rewinding.
- UP-TECH 100 Film: Technically usable in a real camera, but expensive, inconvenient, and better skipped unless you find a good deal or have a specific ECN-2 processing hookup.
So unless you’re specifically looking for a cautionary tale to tell your film friends or content for your blog, I recommend putting your $5.55 toward gas station boudin or literally anything else.