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Photos in July

Well, June as well, but I only got to developing and scanning in July. Along with having adventures with a medium format folding camera, and shooting a 1000 photos at the cyclocross, I finished a few rolls of films in a couple of point and shoots, a roll of Japan-export Fujicolor in my Pentax SLR, and a roll of Kentmere 400 I shot in Melbourne.

Fujicolor 100

Fujicolor Pentax Super Program - Pentax FA Limited 77mm - f2.8, 1/60

At this point I think I’m just a basic Kodak Gold boi, or a basic 250D boi - which I haven’t shot since Easter but absolutely loved the results. Fujifilm is still well loved and I figured as I continue to speed run this hobby why not try a roll or two.

Known for greens and blues I figured the botanical gardens and the rainforest walk would be a good place to start.

First visit I learnt that I can’t hand-hold the Pentax SLR with a 77mm lens at 1/30 - which of course I can’t, I’m still hopelessly addicted to stabilisation snd horizon correction.

Fujicolor Pentax Super Program - Pentax FA Limited 77mm - f2.8, 1/30

Second visit a week later there was more light and I was marginally more successful.

I enjoyed using a Sigma 24mm f1.8 that has a very close focus (not quite macro). Not easy to focus when hunched over.

Fujicolor Pentax Super Program - Sigma 24mm - f2.8, 1/125

I also enjoyed the way the film rendered blue skies in the late afternoons.

Fujicolor Pentax Super Program - Pentax FA Limited 77mm - f5.6, 1/2000

Do I like it for double the price of Kodak Gold? Nah. I think this is closer to Kodak ProImage this is their “consumer” 100 speed film. The blues and greens are nice, but it isn’t one of their discontinued films with the magical fourth colour layer.

Pentax Super Program - Fujicolor 100.

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak ColorPlus - Ricoh TF-900
Kodak ColorPlus - Ricoh TF-900

As a counter part to Kodak Gold, this is supposed to be not quite as warm. Maybe that is the case, maybe I am not 100% sure. Maybe it maters a lot less now with scanning rather than direct prints?

This was also a test for a bargain internet find of a point and shoot - a Ricoh TF-900.

Ricoh TF-900 Ricoh TF-900

This is pretty cool and unique point and shoot. It is a twin lens setup with a 35mm f2.8 and a button to switch over to a 70mm f5.6 I really like shooting around 70mm. Always good to get closer to the subject. It also has a back-light correction button to over expose 2 stops.

Side note: exposure and film. When I started taking photos on film again I was constantly worried I’d get the exposure completely wrong. Not a little wrong, but that everything would come out either completely black or completely white. I know the sunny 16 guide - shutter speed of 1 over the ISO of the film and f16 in direct sunlight and then work it out from there - but I’m not great at looking at a scene and knowing what my exposure should be (though I am learning). What I learnt from my first roll was it’s really hard to over expose colour negative film, and pretty easy to under expose it. What I’ve learnt from the subsequent rolls is that 1/2 a stop of exposure is nothing. 1 full stop of exposure is not much more. Shooting digitally and adjusting the exposure by 1/3 stop increments and being able to see a shift in the preview image has messed with my perception of how much difference 1/3 of a stop of light is. So the fact that this camera has a button to over expose by 2 full stops is great.

Looking at the roll I didn’t make a note of the times I used the over exposure button, there were a couple of times when I shot two images back to back and used it, but generally the meter in this camera is excellent.

I was really pleased with the photos from this roll. The focus at 35mm seems pretty spot on. The exposure (without using the back-light correction) seems pretty spot on. The 70mm adds so much flexibility to a relatively small camera, but the focus is less reliable at 70mm.

Ricoh TF-900 Ricoh TF-900 on a cold morning

A while after I got this camera Teo Crawford did a review of it, and I am betting they have inflated in price dramatically since then 🤣

Ricoh TF-900 Ricoh TF-900 at 70mm

So Color Plus is fine. Maybe a little punchier than Kodak Gold? Either way, looking forward to shooting more photos with the Ricoh.

Ricoh TF-900 - Kodak ColorPlus.

Kentmere Pan 400

Selfie Olympus 35RC - Kentmere Pan 400 - f2.8, 1/60

I had a couple of week in Melbourne and I took two small film cameras with me, the Pentax PCAF35 and the trusty Olympus 35RC. I ordered two rolls of film to be delivered to my parent’s place - so I could avoid taking them on the plane - Kentmere Pan 400 and a roll of Kodak Vision3 500T.

Cars Olympus 35RC - Kentmere Pan 400 - f11, 1/250

I am still enjoying some black and white photography, and this is probably my favourite from the roll. I have walked past the house quite a few times when I go out for my afternoon constitutionals. The age of the cars adds zero context to when the photo could have been taken, and as cliche as it is, the black and white and old cars goes well together.

I also got this photo of another old car. Taken at night in the rain, illuminated only by the parking headlights on mum’s car.

Car Olympus 35RC - Kentmere Pan 400 - f2.8, 1/30

Olympus 35RC - Kentmere Pan 400.

Kodak Vision3 500T

Selfie Pentax PCAF35 - Kodak Vision3 500T

For colour in Melbourne I put a roll of (re-spoolled) Kodak Vision3 500T in the Pentax PCAF35. The only other roll I had shoot in this camera was a roll of Lomo Berlin Kino which I didn’t really like, that film stock isn’t for me.

After shooting a roll of Cinestill 800T I had decided I did like the look of Tungsten-balanced film shot in the day, and that continued here.

Kodak ColorPlus - Ricoh TF-900
Kodak ColorPlus - Ricoh TF-900

There were a few times I think some highlights in the frame confused the little Pentax’s meter, something for me to remember for next time. Like the Ricoh this also has a back-light compensation button, 1.3 stops this time. But it also has manual ISO selection. I think next time I might shoot 500T around ISO250 in the daylight in this camera - especially as I developed the film in ECN-2 chemistry, and so I don’t get the exposure boots of using C-41.

Sunset Pentax PCAF35 - Kodak Vision3 500T

This was the first time I have developed with ECN-2 chemicals at home. I made a pre-bath following a Kodak recipe to remove the remjet layer before developing. It worked pretty well, but when I was cleaning up I did find some undissolved powered in the bottom of the jug, so I might make a fresh batch next time and use warmer water, and stir it more. I’ll also maybe be more assertive with physically cleaning and wiping the film after developing.

Pentax PCAF35 - Kodak Vision3 500T.

Some of my favourite film photos from Easter were taken on Kodak Vision 250D, I have 3 rolls of it in my fridge, and I am really looking forward to shooting more with it. Part of shooting film was to be a little purposeful (?) with my photography - that doesn’t mean only taking photos of things that have boundless meaning and importance, but taking photos for the purpose of taking photos. Photograph the mundane things in a way that create an interesting image (I am still learning this, and I know I have a long way to go). Stepping through the process of composing, looking at the exposure, taking the image, (making a note in an app on my phone of the exposure settings), and then developing and scanning the film.

While I am continuing to speed run all this as my current hyper-focus, I am also slowing down? I have around 3 exposures left on a roll of black and white film in one camera body and I have an image in mind I want to capture. I have been waiting for a couple of weeks now for the right conditions and lighting to make it happen. I might give up on it soon - I will of course load more black and white film again so it’s not like this is the only chance I have to get the image. Also, the current roll has a lot of tests of different colour filters, so I want to see the results. I can (and have) watch(ed) MANY YouTube videos, but it gets to the point where I need to do it my self to look at the results to actually get an idea of how a bunch of this stuff works.

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