What is Cultured Kiwi?
Cultured Kiwi is an independent photography publication with two specialities: 35mm film photography and photo editing software. We buy, shoot, and review film stocks and classic film cameras, publishing the sample photos to prove it, and we put editing software like Luminar and Topaz through its paces on our own photographs. Twelve years in, the tally sits at more than 60 cameras reviewed, over 30 editing apps tested, and well past 200 rolls of 35mm film shot.
The site was founded by me, Ben Kepka, a New Zealander living in London, and the name honours our origin story. Only a few hundred years of history makes New Zealand a young culture, but a proud one. Sir Ernest Rutherford was the first to split the atom, Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to conquer Everest, and we were the first country to grant women the vote. That same do-it-properly spirit is what we bring to testing photography gear.
Cultured Kiwi began life in 2014 as a travel photography site. Over the years, the film and software reviews became what readers valued most, so that is what we now do full time. You will still find the odd travel story in the archives, usually with a film camera along for the ride.
How We Test
Film stock comparisons are shot on one camera (a Canon F-1) with consistent lenses, so differences you see come from the film, not the gear. Camera reviews are based on shooting the actual camera, and the sample galleries on each review are straight from those rolls.
Editing software reviews are done the same way: we install each release on our own machines and run it on our own photographs, including the film scans from our camera reviews. When we tell you how Topaz handles grain or how Luminar treats skin tones, it is because we watched it happen on frames we shot ourselves. We re-test when major versions ship.
Specifications are checked against original manufacturer manuals, several of which we host for download on the relevant reviews. When we get something wrong, we correct it and keep the page updated. If you spot an error, email us and we will fix it.
Independence and How We Make Money
Cultured Kiwi is funded by readers, not brands. When you buy through links on the site (to trusted retailers like KEH Camera or Amazon) we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. No manufacturer or retailer sees our reviews before publication, none of them can pay for a better verdict, and we do not run display ads.
Our recommendations are the same ones we give friends who ask what film to buy. That is the whole editorial policy.
Where You Might Know Us From
Before Cultured Kiwi became a home for film and editing software reviews, I spent years as a travel photographer, and some of that work got around. My photos from the Chernobyl exclusion zone were featured by The New Zealand Herald and Stuff, and I wrote about shooting there for ePHOTOzine. Iceland Magazine covered the night I scared myself half to death filming an abandoned farm in south Iceland. Worth it for the footage. Probably.
My double exposure guide was published on DIY Photography, and I have been a Lonely Planet Pathfinder since 2014, creating travel photography content for the Lonely Planet community.
About the Author: Ben Kepka
Hi, I’m Ben Kepka, founder and writer here at Cultured Kiwi. I’m a New Zealand photographer based in London who has been shooting 35mm film for over a decade, from a Nikon FM2 on the beaches of Kent to the Canon F-1 I inherited from my great uncle, the original Cultured Kiwi. I also spend an unreasonable amount of time in photo editing software, testing every major release of Luminar and Topaz on my own photos and film scans.
I write every review on this site, shoot every sample photo, and answer every email. You can read everything I’ve written on my author page, watch the video reviews on YouTube, or find me on Instagram and X. The site has its own corner of Instagram too at @cultured.kiwi.
To get in touch please use the following address:
ben (at) culturedkiwi.com
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