After exposing this roll of film during the winter holidays, I was excited to get the negatives back from Boutique Film Lab. But when I scanned the negatives, my excitement turned to disappointment.
After exposing this roll of film during the winter holidays, I was excited to get the negatives back from Boutique Film Lab. But when I scanned the negatives, my excitement turned to disappointment. As you can see, my results were horrid. The scans were absent the fantastic colours, fine detail and photo clarity I had expected from this high-speed 35mm film. Kodak GT 800 Color Print 35mm film was touted as delivering fine grain and sharpness unmatched by other 800-speed 35mm films. I expected crisp, clear pictures beaming with vibrant colours across various lighting conditions.
What I got was "mud". I blamed myself. I had severely exposed this 35mm film or damaged it somehow.
But after I commented about the tedium of film scanning on a post on Fuji X Weekly, Ritchie Roesch responded with this comment.
That does sound tedious, but if it gets you the results you want, then it's worth it. Was the film expired? It's my understanding that Kodak stopped production on GT 800-4 a while ago. Unless they brought it back?
I quickly jumped on Google, and within seconds I learned. It was an expired film. I'm such a doofus. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I purchased it.
Yeah, expired can either be very interesting or very bad and unfortunately, you don't know how it will go until after it's been shot. Also, the development has to be changed. I forget the calculation, but the extra time has to be given for every so many year expired. ~ Ritchie Roesch
Ugh. Some photographers may enjoy unexpected results. I do not. I think I'll stay away from expired 35mm film. The frames were scanned using SilverFast 9 SE with my Epson Perfection V600 scanner and then processed with Negative Lab Pro.
A few weeks ago, I exposed a roll of RetroChrome 400 35mm film with my Pentax Spotmatic II at the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park.
NOTE: I'll begin this experience report with a brief disclaimer. It's been less than two years since I returned to shooting 35mm film after switching to digital photography over 20 years ago. I've inundated myself with as much 35mm film education as possible between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, with my former experience way in the past and limited recent experience, this review is coming from a relatively novice point of view.
A few weeks back, I went on a photography adventure with my Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II and the SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens, armed with a roll of Film Photography Project RetroChrome 400 35mm Colour Reversal Film. I couldn't contain my excitement, snapping away all 35 frames in a few hours. Finding the right shutter speed and aperture settings to centre the metering needle was challenging, and it forced me to explore the Pentax ES II setting. Most of my frames were born along the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, near the iconic Kingston Mill House—my frequent muse. Out of the lot, I cherry-picked the top ten images to share.
My canvas was the scenic Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail, near the Kingston Lock and the picturesque Kingston Grist Mill. It felt like the perfect stage to test my 35mm film skills.
According to the Darkroom website's description, RetroChrome is a special 35m film originally designed for industrial and governmental purposes. Kodak sold it as a colour reversal camera film tailored for daylight photography, with applications ranging from news and sports to industrial shots. This expired 35mm film has been in cold storage since 2004, and despite its age, it was expected to perform well at its intended box speed of 400 ISO.
When I received an email from Darkroom, I expected it would say that the cartridge was blank. However, the email brought a pleasant surprise—a notification from Darkroom that my FPP RetroChrome 400 Colour Slide Film was successful with the E-6 development process. The Darkroom's NORITSU KOKI EZ Controller had worked its magic. The email said that the negatives were now scanned and ready for download. I had opted for the high-resolution Super Scans producing JPEG images at 4492×6774 pixels.
While I had a fair idea of how the scanned negatives would turn out, thanks to samples on the Film Photography Project website and Flickr, I knew mastering exposure with my Spotmatic II required finesse.
As for the film's signature grain and colour cast, it delivered as expected. Some frames did lean towards slight overexposure, but a little tweak in Adobe Lightroom added that missing pop. Still, the grain remains noticeable. While I like the shots of Kingston Mill House and Lochtender's house, I admit that the greenery didn't excite me.
Would I go on another RetroChrome 400 adventure? Absolutely, but next time, I'd enlist the aid of my Pentax ES II or Pentax P3 for automatic metering and aperture priority. Scenes featuring vintage diners and 1970s cars parked against downtown backdrops could make for captivating subjects.
How about you? Have you ventured into the world of PP RetroChrome 400 Colour Slide Film? What's your take on the enchanting grain and hues it brings to life?
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