If a new film stock comes to the market, I'm one of those people who want to be among the first to try it out. CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro 35mm black and white film is a new 35mm film with a high sensitivity rating of ISO 320, making it ideal for use in low-light conditions and for capturing fast-moving subjects. The film also has a fine-grain structure, which results in superior sharpness and clarity in images.
CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro has a wide exposure latitude, which means it can be used in various lighting conditions and still produce high-quality results. The film also produces many tonal values, providing great creative control over the final image. It can be processed using standard black-and-white film developing techniques.
I loaded the CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro cartridge into my XD-11, attached my Minolta MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2 lens, and went to the Montgomery Farmers' Market to test the film.
It was a sunny but cold day at the Montgomery Friends Farmers' Market. Despite the chilly temperature, the bright sun made for a beautiful day at the market. The vendors were bundled up in warm clothes. The cold weather didn't discourage shoppers from coming and enjoying the market. The market was bustling as shoppers browsed the various stalls, picking out fresh produce and handmade goods (alpaca wool socks and hats).
The monthly brewer's hour at Flounder Brewing on Sunday morning is a unique experience for beer enthusiasts to sample new brews and brewer re-interpretations of existing taproom offerings. Bhavna and I are regulars, and the hour is an excellent opportunity to catch up with other patrons. Attendees can meet the brewmaster and learn about the brewing process. The brewmaster, Doug, leads a tasting of a few of the brewery's beers, including some limited edition and seasonal brews. The atmosphere at the brewery during the brewer's hour is relaxed and casual, almost like hanging out with good friends at home. I exposed the remaining frames in the low light space of the brewer tap room.
Exposing to a brightly lit scene can be challenging. When the setting is too bright, it can cause the image to become overexposed, resulting in washed-out colours and a lack of detail. On the other hand, underexposing the image can result in dark and muddy tones. To properly expose for a bright scene, it's essential to understand the camera's metering system and use manual controls to adjust the exposure. One technique that can be used is to take a reading of the brightest part of the scene and then adjust the aperture and shutter speed accordingly. This will help to retain the detail and colour in the brighter areas of the image while avoiding overexposure.
When the negatives were returned from Boutique Film Lab, I scanned the frames in the Epson Perfection V600 and immediately noticed that they appeared too dark. When I was at the Farmers' Market, the outdoor sun was very bright, and I exposed the brighter parts of the scene and didn't compensate accordingly, causing most of my frames to be underexposed. I did my best to correct this in Adobe Lightroom. Below are the best frames from the set of negatives.
| Name | CatLABS X Film 320 Pro BW Negative |
|---|---|
| Price | US$6.99 |
| Type | Panchromatic Black and White (negative) |
| Native ISO | 320 |
| Format | 35mm |
| Features | Fine Grain, Unique InfraRed capability, Wide Exposure Latitude and Tonal Range |
| Lab | Boutique Film Lab |
| Scanner | Epson Perfection V600 |
| Software | VueScan 9 |
Update: I have included a few shots before and after Adobe Lightroom edits to show how much I underexposed each frame.
