We built our first lab to deliver consistent, high-quality film development and scanning.

But it was never just about the service. From day one, the idea was to create an open space — a place where people can understand the process, exchange knowledge and get closer to the craft behind analogue photography.

Within a year, we outgrew our first space — faster than expected.

The new location gave us the room to scale and rethink how we work as a lab. Designed as an open environment, transparent and accessible. From drop-off to development, scanning and archiving: Every step is visible and part of the experience.

Together with InovisCoat, we took part in testing and shaping a new film stock from the ground up.

Through continuous feedback, lab testing, and real-world use, we helped define its final look, colour response and scanning performance.

OptiColour 200 became our first own film — available in 35mm and 120 Medium Format.

In summer, we connected with the team behind Santa Film through Kamerastore Finland and quickly found a shared vision. It became clear that SantaColor deserved a broader stage - and that we could make that happen together.

By taking over the Santa brand and moving production to our custom-built spooling system in Germany, we're able to produce SantaColor at scale in standard metal cassettes - bringing it to photographers worldwide while keeping its original spirit.

As the work grew, so did the team behind it.

New roles, growing responsibilities and a more structured workflow became necessary to keep up with increasing demand.

With new team members and apprentices, Optik continued to grow into a more stable and scalable operation.

Several new projects are already in development and will shape the next phase of Optik.

From new product releases to a planned community exhibition, the focus is on expanding both what we build and what we stand for.

2026 will be a defining year, with more to be shared very soon.