Tag: Film Review

Adox SCALA 160

During a recent wildlife sanctuary photoshoot, I had the chance to try out ADOX SCALA 160 Black and White Slide film. I was impressed with the quality of the images it produced, even though the development process was a bit challenging. Overall, the final results made it all worth it.

NOTE: I’ll begin this experience report with a brief disclaimer. It’s been less than three years since I returned to shooting 35mm film after switching to digital photography over 20 years ago. I’ve inundated myself with as much film education as possible between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, since my prior experience with film is decades old, this review is from a rather novice point of view.

In January, I put a 24-exposure roll of ADOX SCALA 160 Black and White Slide film in my Pentax P3n and took it on a trip to the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Brigantine. I purchased the ADOX SCALA last year when I started putting more effort into re-learning 35mm film photography. I had never used ADOX SCALA before and wanted to experiment a little. Once I completed the roll, I sent it off to the Dark Room for development, along with an enrollment of Rollei RPX 25 and RPX 100. Unfortunately, the Dark Room does not develop black and white slide films. The undeveloped ADOX was returned to me, and I set about finding where I could get this film developed.

I discovered that very few places develop black-and-white slide films. All my Google-foo me to dr5 Chrome. dr5 Chrome works well, but their business process is still circa 1990s internet. Instead of an online form, I had to download a PDF, print it out, fill it in, and then email the form and film back to dr5 Chrome. Once they receive it, they develop the film and invoice you via email. You pay the invoice via PayPal and then wait some more for the scanned images to arrive on a compact disk. I got the compact disk over the weekend and reviewed the images during lunch.

The following five frames are taken over the last week of January and the first week of February. My favourite is the family room image. I think it has a full spectrum of black, whites and greys.

Would I reshoot this film? NO! The images look better than I expected, but developing these is a PITA.

NOTE: I don't normally submit two entries for Lens Artists Challenge, but I had forgotten about the compact disk until I saw it on my desk this morning.

Tech Specs

  • Development: Black and White Colour Reversal Processing
  • Film Type: Reversal
  • ISO: 160
  • Exposures: 24
  • Pack Size: 1
electric meter
Metered | January 2021 | Pentax P3n | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Adox SCALA 160 Black and White Slide Film
outdoor water meter
Winter garden | Friday 22 January, 2021 | Pentax P3n | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | ISO 160
sliding door, plant, room
Family Room | January 2021 | Pentax P3n | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Adox SCALA 160 Black and White Slide Film
landscape wetlands
Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge | January 2021 | Pentax P3n | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Adox SCALA 160 Black and White Slide Film
cat
Alphie | January 2021 | Pentax P3n | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2 | Adox SCALA 160 Black and White Slide Film

Kodak Pro Image 100 with Minolta X-700 and MD Rokkor-X 45mm F:2

In October I shot a roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm Colour Negative Film.

NOTE: I’ll begin this experience report with a brief disclaimer. It’s been less than three years since I returned to shooting 35mm film after switching to digital photography over 20 years ago. I’ve inundated myself with as much film education as possible between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, since my prior experience with film is decades old, this review is from a rather novice point of view.

I started drinking ales from Flounder Brewing about five years ago. Back then, founder Jeremy Lees and his friends brewed up a batch of beer when they could, sometimes once a month, sometimes more. Whenever they had a batch of beer for sale, they emailed a mailing list with dates and times. One release day was not unusual to see a line of beer geeks, growlers in hand, standing outside their "brewery", a small space inside an industrial building in Hillsborough. Eventually, word spread, the lines got longer, the beer got better and more varied, and the team were able to expand. Flounder Brewing retained its small-town micro-brewery feel, but Jeremey had a vision for growing into a space that reflected the historic farm town character of Hillsborough. This year he had the green light to start renovating a barn on the historic farm property at Clerico Lane.

To continue the sense of the community that Flounder Brewing Co. has created over the year, Jeremy hosted a monthly socially-distanced and fully-masked outdoor beer garden at the new property with stringent rules. Throughout the summer and fall, Bhavna and I attended each of these outdoor beer gardens. We brought portable chairs and tables and found a spot under the trees. It was a joy to be with people (from eight feet away) enjoying the same beer, food and local musician.

On one of these occasions in October, I attached an MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2 lens to my Minolta X-700 and loaded a roll of Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm Colour Negative Film for the first time. I had read that the look of Pro Image was somewhere between Kodak Portra and Kodak Ektachrome E100. It took me a few weeks to expose the entire cartridge. I somehow got 38 exposures from a 36-exposure roll.

These are the best of them. You can tell where I struggled with focusing the lens. Many of the photos are slightly out of focus. I struggled to get proper exposure. I think the results are better than my first try with FPP RetroChrome film, but my technique still needs work. This is the first year I have been using a film camera since 1999.

Kodak Pro Image 100 is a professional-grade colour-negative film designed for 35mm cameras. It is known for its fine grain, vibrant colours, and sharpness, making it a popular choice among professional and amateur photographers. It’s also a lot cheaper than most of Kodak’s other professional 35mm films, such as Kodak Portra.

Kodak Pro Image 100 is relatively light-sensitive, making it suitable for various lighting conditions. Its colour reproduction is well-balanced, with accurate skin tones and a natural colour rendition, making it ideal for portrait photography.

Kodak Pro Image 100 is also known for its wide exposure latitude, meaning that it can handle overexposure and underexposure well, providing more flexibility in challenging lighting situations. Additionally, it has a broad tonal range, which enables it to capture subtle variations in highlights and shadows.

Overall, Kodak Pro Image 100 is a versatile film well-suited for various photographic applications, including portraits, landscapes, and street photography.

Name Kodak Professional Pro Image 100
Type Colour (negative)
Native ISO 100
Format(s) 35mm
Lab The Darkroom
Process C-41

Flounder Brewing Co. Beer Garden

Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2

Brick Farm Tavern

Bhavna and I have had dinner at the Brick Farm Tavern each week since just after the "stay in your home order" were lifted, and Governor Murphy permitted outdoor dining. It's us once a week "socially distanced" outing. The tables are spaced 8-10 feet apart. The food at the tavern is delicious farm to table, and we are surprised by something new every week.

Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2

Cousins Maine Lobster

I discovered Cousins Maine Lobster Truck too late in the summer to fully take advantage, but now I have developed a weekly habit of dropping in wherever they are for a lobster roll or lobster grilled cheese sandwich.

Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2

Quaker Road Section of D&R Canal

Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2
Sunday 1 November 2020 · Minolta X-700 · MD Rokkor-X 45mm F2

Random

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 | Pentax Spotmatic SPII | SMC Takumar 55mm F:2

This roll of film is the second roll of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 that I developed with The Darkroom. This roll was shot on my Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II and Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens.

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 film education as possible between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, with my former experience way in past and limited recent experience, this review is coming from a relatively novice point of view.

UPDATE 13 April 2020: Hamish Gill of 35mmc suggested I may have a faulty shutter. In March, I had the camera CLA'd (Clean, Lube and Adjust) by Eric Hendrickson. Soon, I'll shoot another roll of film to see the difference.

This film is the second roll of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 that I developed and scanned at The Darkroom Lab. This Ilford HP5 Plus 400 roll was shot on my Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II and Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2 lens.

Using the Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II camera was more challenging than using the Pentax P3. The Pentax P3 has a shutter priority mode, and my unit has a working light meter. When I shot using the Pentax P3 camera, I set the shutter speed to 1/250s, and the camera adjusted the aperture as needed. However, while the Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II has a working light meter, the plastic to move the lever broke, and the rest of the camera settings must be set manually. I used the Sunny 16 technique to estimate the shutter speed on the Spotmatic II to expose each Ilford HP5 Plus 400 frame properly. The Sunny 16 technique is something I only learned about relatively recently. I practised a little at home, but this was my first time using it in the field.

I took the Spotmatic II and a cartridge of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 to the client’s office building at Old Slip, about a block from Wall Street in Manhattan, and exposed some frames during my lunch hour. I walked around Front Street, Gouverneur Lane, and South Street. The rain was light which made for a challenging walk. I was concerned about the camera getting wet, so I walked across South Street and under FDR Drive along the East River Esplanade. It's an area I explored with my Fujifilm X-T2 last year using an Ilford HP5 Plus 400 film recipe.

Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression.Henri Cartier-Bresson

I expected all my frames to be severely under or overexposed. The shutter speed of the Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II is limited to 1/1000s, but fortunately, it was a rainy, overcast (and cold) day in Manhattan. The images are slightly over or underexposed, but I'm pleased with the results. I feel proud I had the skills to use this old camera, but I want a small, handheld light meter to make metering easier. Given the shutter speed limitation, I have purchased a roll of ADOX Scala 100 for use in brighter conditions.

The images were developed and scanned by The Darkroom.

South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Gouverneur Lane, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Wall Street Ferry and Pier 11. South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · CitiBike and Slip B at Pier 11, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · Bumper, East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · NY Waterway Ferry, East River, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Looking up at FDR Drive. East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Have a wet seat. East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Strutting pigeon. East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Pigeon in flight. East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February 2020 · East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2
South Street, Manhattan, New York City
11 February, 2020 · Seagulls but not the seashore. East River Esplanade, South Street, Manhattan, New York City · Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II · Asahi Optical Co. SMC Takumar 55mm f/2